Confirmatory Factor-Analysis

The purpose of this study was to adapt and assess the psychometric properties of an Arabic translation of the shortened version of the Fennema-Sherman Mathematics Attitudes Scales (aFSMAS) in terms of evidence of reliability and validity of scores. The aFSMAS was administered to 157 university students in Saudi Arabia. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis supported the four-factor correlated structure, which was chosen from the original instrument, based on several fit indices. Thus, the findings of this study provided evidence that confirmed the good psychometric properties of the aFSMAS. The present study provides a scale that is valid and reliable to measure the attitudes toward mathematics suitably for Saudis and Saudi culture. The scale may be a helpful tool for teachers and school counselors interested in determining individuals who may have low mathematics performance and achievement because of their attitudes.

Studies indicate that African American men report more personal experiences with discrimination than do African American women. According to the subordinate male target hypothesis, this gender difference reflects an underlying reality in which African American men are the primary targets of anti-Black discrimination. From the perspective of intersectionality theory, African American women and men experience racial discrimination differently; and therefore greater reports of discrimination among African American men might be a result of measurement bias that favors the experiences of African American men vis-à-vis African American women. To assess these perspectives, the authors analyze data from the 1995 Detroit Area Study and the 2001–2003 National Survey of American Life. The authors use multiplegroup confirmatory factor analytic models with latent means and categorical outcomes to observe the degree to which gender bias in measurement accounts for disparities in perceived discrimination among African American women and men. The results show that gender bias in the measures most often used to assess unfair treatment in social surveys is responsible for the gender gap in certain kinds of perceived discrimination among African Americans. Measures of everyday discrimination are mostly gender balanced, but measurement bias is responsible for a large portion of the gap in perceptions of major life discrimination and the entire gap when major life discrimination is attributed to race. The results highlight the importance of intersectionality theory for assessing discrimination, and the authors argue that revisions in the measurement of perceived discrimination are required to better reflect the experiences of African American women.

The 64-item Hare Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (Hare SRP; Paulhus, Neumann, & Hare, in press) is the most recent revision of the SRP, which has undergone numerous iterations. Little research has been conducted with this new edition; therefore, the goal of this study was to elucidate the factor structure as well as the criterion-related, convergent, and discriminant validity of the measure in a large sample of college students (N = 602). Confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the best fitting model was the original 4-factor model proposed by the authors of the Hare SRP (compared to a 1-factor, 2-factor, and 4-factor random model). The 4-factor model revealed superior fit for the data relative to the other alternative models. In addition, we elaborated on the psychometric properties of this 4-factor model in this sample. The Hare SRP total and factor scores evidenced good internal reliability as well as promising criterion-related, convergent, and discriminant validity in terms of predicting scores on conceptually relevant external criteria. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.

Objective
Confirm the three correlated factors model of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) using robust estimations and evaluate its internal consistency with a sample of Ecuadorian adolescents.
Method
Descriptive and instrumental analysis that includes confirmatory factor analysis with robust estimation and the calculation of its internal consistency.
Participants
A total of 1113 adolescents in which 56.1% are men and 43.9% are women), and they were between 11 and 19 years old (⁠X¯¯¯¯= 14.9 years; s = 1.67). Students from eight educational centres in Cotopaxi (54.1%) and Tungurahua (45.9%) in Ecuador were also included.
Results
The three correlated factors model from the AUDIT is confirmed with χ2 = 95.67; P < 0.001; df = 32; χ2/df = 2.98; comparative adjustment index = 0.93; Tucker-Lewis index = 0.90; standardized root mean square residual = 0.046; root mean square error of approximation = 0.042; 95% confidence interval [0.033–0.052].
Conclusions
The three correlated factors model from the AUDIT using robust estimations has an adequate fit and is also reliable in a sample of Ecuadorian adolescents.

Importance. Interest is considered a significant educational construct. A validated instrument that can reliably be used to measure interest across different subject domains is however not available. 
Objective. To report the findings of two studies that were conducted to test the validity and reliability of a newly designed Individual Interest Questionnaire (IIQ).
Design. Study 1 was a construct validation study involving three independent high school samples from different disciplines. In Study 2 the predictive validity of the IIQ was tested by examining how well the IIQ predicts cognitive engagement and on-task behaviors and attitudes of students.
Participants. A sample of 230 chemistry, geography, and history high school students (Study 1) and 82 biology high school students (Study 2).
Setting. High schools in Singapore.
Main Outcome Measures. Confirmatory factor analysis, Hancock’s coefficient H, test of multi-group invariance, cognitive engagement and on-task behaviors and attitudes (i.e., curiosity, enjoyment, self-efficacy, attention, and boredom).
Results. Confirmatory factor analysis for the three samples suggest adequate fit of the data with the hypothesized model: History: χ2/df = 1.47; p = .13, RMSEA = .08, CFI = .96; Chemistry: χ2/df = 1.41; p = .17, RMSEA = .07, CFI = .98; and Geography:  χ2/df = 1.51; p = .11, RMSEA = .09, CFI = .94. Reliability analysis revealed high levels of reliability of the IIQ: coefficient H History: .81; coefficient H Chemistry: 85; and coefficient H Geography: .85. The test for multi-group invariance was ns, suggesting that the factor structure of the IIQ was invariant across the three subjects. The data fitted the predictive path model well: χ2/df = 1.60; p = .11, CFI = .98, RMSEA = .09 and the standardized regression weights of individual interest for the outcome measures ranged from:.69 (p < .001) cognitive engagement to -.24 (p = .03) boredom.
Conclusion and Relevance. The results suggest that the IIQ is a reliable and valid instrument to measure individual interest across different disciplines and demonstrated adequate predictive validity for cognitive engagement and on-task behaviors and attitudes. The IIQ fills the gap in the literature for a generic instrument to measure individual interest.

Background: With ever increasing educational expectations and demands, burnout has emerged as a major problem negatively affecting the wellbeing of different student populations. Even though the validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) is widely assessed across the globe, there is a paucity of related literature in the South Asian settings. Hence, this study was aimed at assessing the factorial structure, validity, and reliability of the MBI-SS among collegiate cycle students in Sri Lanka. Methods: The pre-tested Sinhala version of the MBI-SS was administered to a sample of 194 grade thirteen students in the Kurunegala district, Sri Lanka. The construct validity of the MBI-SS was assessed using multi-trait scaling analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), while reliability was assessed using internal consistency and test-retest reliability, which was assessed after an interval of two weeks.

Today's globalized world has become major source for competitive labour market, where organizations are fighting to get and retain best talent in their organizations. In this cut throat competition of attracting best talent, organizations use their internal employer branding to get top rank in the list of Universum 1. This paper aims to find a relationship between internal employer branding and employee engagement, in the hotel industry. A gap has been identified through extensive secondary research. Non-probabilistic sampling was used to select respondents for survey in NCR. Factor analysis on collected data revealed three main factors of internal employer branding having direct effect on employee engagement on which the hotels should focus on to get greater profitability.

Este trabajo pretende presentar la técnica del análisis factorial confirmatorio, compararla con el análisis factorial exploratorio y evaluar mediante un ejemplo empírico el uso que se le puede dar a esta técnica estadística. Se probará la validez de un modelo del rendimiento educativo de los estudiante en la prueba de lectura de la evaluación PISA 2009. El ejemplo se ilustra sobre la base de la evidencia empírica en cuanto a la construcción de los constructos.

Researchers are interested in the measurement of human behavior. They have devised many methods to assess human behavior using the principles of psychometrics. The measurement of self and its various dimensions were thoroughly investigated, assessment instruments are also available. While searching an instrument to measure self-confidence of an individual who speaks Malayalam is not available. To address this, 13 item Self-Confidence Scale was developed. The data collected using this scale was analyzed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) fit statistics indicated high fit with normed chi-square value of (CMIN/DF) 1.742; CFI value of 0.952; GFI value of 0.951; RMR value of 0.046; IFI value of 0.953 and RMSEA value of 0.048.

In this invited article, Cabrera-Nguyen provides guidelines for reporting scale development and validation results. Authors' attention to these guidelines will help ensure the research reported in JSSWR is rigorous and of high quality. This article provides guidance for those using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In addition, the article provides helpful links to resources addressing structural equation modeling, multiple imputation for missing data, and a general resource for quantitative data analysis.

The aim of the current study was to provide a valid and reliable instrument for the evaluation of the teaching effectiveness in the Greek higher education system. Other objectives of the study were: (a) the examination of the dimensionality and the higher-order structure of the Greek version of Students’ Evaluation of Educational Quality (SEEQ) questionnaire, and (b) the investigation of the effects of several background variables on Students’ Evaluations of Teaching (SET) scores provided by the Greek version of SEEQ. A total of 1264 students participated by filling in the questionnaires administered to them. The participants were selected from social science departments that belonged to eight universities of Greece. The results showed solid evidence of the applicability of the Greek version of SEEQ, by confirming the factor structure of the instrument and reassuring the multidimensionality of the teaching effectiveness construct. Additionally, the effects of several background variables on teaching effectiveness  further supported the validity of SET scores.

In confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), which is used quite often for scale development and adaptation studies, the selected estimation method, affects the results obtained from the data. Because of the selected estimation method, the model parameters and their standard errors, and the model data fit values may alter the results substantially. So that, the purpose of this research is to compare the performance of different estimation methods for CFA. Maximum likelihood (ML), unweighted least squares (ULS) and diagonally weighted least squares (DWLS) are used in this research as estimation methods. These methods are applied in data sets and regression coefficients and their standard errors, t values, fit indexes and iteration numbers obtained from these estimation methods are examined. As a result, ULS method can converge with the minimum number iterations and it seems to be the more accurate method for estimating the parameters. Keywords: Confirmatory factor analysis, weighted least square, unweighted least square, diagonally weighted least square Öz Ölçek geliştirme ve uyarlama çalışmalarında oldukça sık kullanılan doğrulayıcı faktör analizinde (DFA), hangi kestirim yönteminin kullanılması gerektiğine doğru karar vermek, çalışmadan elde edilen sonuçları etkilemektedir. Çünkü kullanılan kestirim yöntemi, model parametreleri ve onların standart hataları ve uyum indeksi değerleri gibi sonuçlar üzerinde etkiye sahiptir. Bu nedenle bu araştırmada, DFA'da kullanılan farklı kestirim yöntemlerinin performanslarını karşılaştırmak amaçlanmıştır. Araştırmada, maksimum olabilirlik maximum likelihood-ML), ağırlıklandırılmamış en küçük kareler (unweighted least square-ULS) ve diyagonal en küçük kareler (diagonally weighted least squares-DWLS) kestirim yöntemleri kullanılmıştır. Sınıflama ve sıralama düzeyinde olan veri setlerine bu kestirim yöntemleri uygulanmış ve bu kestirim yöntemlerinden elde edilen regresyon katsayıları ve bu katsayıların standart hatalar, t değerleri, uyum indeksleri ve tekrar sayıları incelenmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda ULS tekniğinin tüm veri setlerinde en az sayıda tekrar ile parametreleri tahmin ettiği ve ilgili örneklem verisine ait parametreleri tahmin etmek için en uygun teknik olduğu belirlenmiştir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Doğrulayıcı faktör analizi, ağırlıklandırılmış en küçük kareler, ağırlıklandırılmamış en küçük kareler, diyagonal ağırlıklandırılmış en küçük kareler

Giriş ve Amaç: Siberkondri, internette tekrarlayan tıbbi bilgi arama sonucu sağlık anksiyetesinin şiddetlenmesidir. Siberkondri ekonomik maliyeti arttırmasının yanı sıra sağlık hizmetlerinin fazla kullanılmasına da neden olmaktadır. Ülkemizde de yaygın olduğu düşünülen siberkondri ile ilgili yapılan çalışmalar sınırlıdır ve bu sorunun araştırılması için uygun ölçüm araçları gerekmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Siberkondri Ciddiyet Ölçeği (SCÖ)’nin ve Kısa Formu (SCÖ-15)’nun üniversite öğrencileri üzerinde geçerlilik ve güvenilirliğinin değerlendirilmesidir.

Gereç ve Yöntem: Metodolojik tipteki bu araştırma Pamukkale Üniversitesi merkez yerleşkedeki (sağlıkla ilgili fakülteler/yüksekokullar hariç) öğrenciler üzerinde yapılmıştır. Örnekleme alınacak kişi sayısı, ölçekteki madde sayısının en az 5-10 katı kadar kişi sayısına ulaşılması gerekliliğine ve geçerlilik-güvenirlilik çalışmalarında örneklem büyüklüğünün 500’ün üzerinin çok iyi kabul edilmesine dayanarak belirlenmiştir. Araştırmaya 4 fakültenin ve 1 meslek yüksekokulunun son sınıf öğrencileri dâhil edilmiştir. Toplamda 1147 kişiye ulaşılmış, ancak ölçek sorularının %10’undan azına cevap vermiş olan 38 kişi çalışma dışında tutularak 1109 kişi analize dahil edilmiştir. 556 kişiye SCÖ, 553 kişiye ise SCÖ-15 uygulanmıştır. Veriler, katılımcıların sözel onamları alındıktan sonra 10-14 Ekim 2016 tarihleri arasında toplanmıştır. Veri toplama işlemi sosyodemografik özellikler ve sağlık hizmet kullanımını sorgulayan 24 soruluk anket formu ve ölçekler ile yapılmıştır. Siberkondri Ciddiyet Ölçeği (SCÖ) kişilerin siberkondri durumlarının değerlendirilmesi için McElroy ve Shevlin tarafından 2014’te geliştirilmiştir. Ölçeğin Türkçe geçerlilik ve güvenilirliği yetişkinler üzerinde 2016’da Uzun ve Zencir tarafından yapılmıştır. Barke ve arkadaşları ise 2016’da ölçeğin kısa formunun (SCÖ-15) geçerli ve güvenilir olduğunu göstermiştir. SCÖ ve SCÖ-15 zorlantı, aşırı kaygı, aşırılık, içini rahatlatma ve doktora güvensizlik alt boyutlarını içeren beşli likert tipinde ve sürekli ölçeklerdir. SCÖ 33 önermeden SCÖ-15 ise 15 önermeden oluşmaktadır. Puan aralıkları SCÖ için 33-165 ve SCÖ-15 için 15-75’dir. SCÖ ve SCÖ-15 yapı geçerliliği için açımlayıcı ve doğrulayıcı faktör analizleri (AFA, DFA) kullanılmıştır. Güvenilirlik ise Cronbach alfa iç tutarlılık ile sınanmıştır. Veri analizi için SPSS ve LISREL programları kullanılmıştır. Çalışma öncesinde Pamukkale Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Girişimsel Olmayan Klinik Çalışmalar Etik Kurul izni ve gerekli kurumsal izinler alınmıştır.

Bulgular: SCÖ için yapılan AFA sonucunda KMO katsayısı 0,90, Bartlett Testi sonucu 6621,668 ile anlamlı olarak yüksek bulunmuştur (p<0,001). AFA sonucuna göre ölçeğin faktör yük değerlerinin 0,311 ile 0,780 arasında değiştiği ve beş faktörden oluştuğu belirlenmiştir. Beş faktörde toplanan yapının açıkladığı toplam varyans miktarı %49,8’dir. Takiben ölçeğin orijinal alt boyutlarını içeren önermeler DFA ile yeniden sınanmıştır. Uyum indeksleri SRMR=0,061, GFI=0,85, RMSEA=0,066, CFI=0,94, NNFI=0,94 olarak saptanmıştır. Uyum indekslerinin mükemmel veya kabul edilebilir düzeyde olduğu ve 5 faktörlü yapıyı doğruladığı gösterilmiştir. SCÖ’nün güvenirliliği için hesaplanan Cronbach alfa katsayısı toplamda 0,87 iken alt boyutlarda 0,60 ile 0,85 arasında değişmektedir. SCÖ-15 için yapılan AFA sonucunda KMO katsayısı 0,78, Barlett Testi sonucu 2242,344 ile anlamlı bulunmuştur (p<0,001). AFA sonucuna göre ölçeğin faktör yük değerleri 0,310 ile 0,849 arasında değişmekte olup beş faktörden oluştuğu belirlenmiştir. Beş faktörde toplanan yapının açıkladığı toplam varyans miktarı %63,94’tür. Alt boyutta toplanan tüm önermeler orijinal ile tam uyum içerisindedir. Takiben yapılan DFA ile elde edilen uyum indekslerinin SRMR=0,070, GFI=0,93, RMSEA=0,070, CFI=0,94, NNFI=0,92 ile mükemmel veya kabul edilebilir düzeyde olduğu ve 5 faktörlü yapıyı doğruladığı saptanmıştır. Cronbach alfa katsayısı toplamda 0,62, alt boyutlarda 0,59 ile 0,75 arasında değişmekte olup SCÖ’ye göre daha düşüktür.

Sonuç ve Öneriler: SCÖ’nün ve SCÖ-15’in üniversite öğrencilerinin siberkondri düzeyini ölçmede geçerli ve güvenilir ölçme araçları olduğu gösterilmiştir. SCÖ-15’in geçerlilik ve güvenirliliğinin farklı gruplarda yeniden sınanmasına ihtiyaç vardır.


Anahtar Kelimeler: Siberkondri, geçerlilik, güvenilirlik, açımlayıcı faktör analizi, doğrulayıcı faktör analizi

E-learning is one of the recent trend and major technological advancement in Information technology, reshaping the mode of delivery of education in Universities. In light of this, the Universities have to take advantage of using e-learning to deliver education to students. A lot of factors must be put into consideration for any universities that need to venture into e-learning based courses. This paper is intended to examine the e-learning critical success factors (CSFs) as perceived by students. In this study, two main factors related to the e-learning CSFs within a university environment including technological and student factors were examined. The factors were tested by surveying 450 undergraduate students at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. The results revealed that internet browsing speed and instructor participation in discussion groups are most critical factors for e-learning.

Morowali Regency is one of the new autonomous regions in Central Sulawesi Province which was established in 1999 as a result of the division of Poso District. As a new autonomous region, of course the need for facilities and infrastructure for building construction is increasing. However, the construction does not always run smoothly, one of the important problems in the implementation of construction projects is the delay. The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors that of the study was the Commitment Making Officers and Service Providers namely contractors and supervisory consultants totaling 108 respondents in the Office of Public Works and Spati Teaching and the Regional General Hospital. By using the factor analysis method (SPSS 17) the research results are obtained, that there are 6 factors consisting of 26 variables that cause delays in building construc Morowali Regency, namely location and equipment characteristic factors, changes in work document factors, material and equipment factors, factors communication, inspection system factors, job control and evaluation factors and managerial facto Keywords-Delay; Building Projects Morowali Regency is one of the new autonomous regions in Central Sulawesi Province, which was founded in 1999. As a new autonomous region, the need for infrastructure for building con construction does not always run smoothly, one of the important problems in the implementation of construction activities or projects is the delay. As we know together that delays occur in almost every construction pro In the implementation of each construction work has a specific plan and implementation schedule, when the implementation of the work must begin, when it must be carried out how the work should be done and how the provision of resources. Planning construction plan was made. Therefore problems can arise if there is a mismatch between the plans that have been made with the actual reality. So that the punctuality of work get the trust of the owner of the activity. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, Which Permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited Morowali Regency is one of the new autonomous regions in Central Sulawesi Province which was established in 1999 as a result of the division of Poso District. As a new autonomous region, of course the need for astructure for building construction is increasing. However, the construction does not always run smoothly, one of the important problems in the implementation of construction projects is the delay. The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors that cause delays in building construction work in Morowali Regency. The sample of the study was the Commitment Making Officers and Service Providers namely contractors and supervisory consultants totaling 108 respondents in the Office of Public Works and Spati Teaching and the Regional General Hospital. By using the factor analysis method (SPSS 17) the research results are obtained, that there are 6 factors consisting of 26 variables that cause delays in building construc Morowali Regency, namely location and equipment characteristic factors, changes in work document factors, material and equipment factors, factors communication, inspection system factors, job control and evaluation factors and managerial factors. Building Projects; Factor Analysis; I. INTRODUCTION Morowali Regency is one of the new autonomous regions in Central Sulawesi Province, which was founded in 1999. As a new autonomous region, the need for infrastructure for building con construction does not always run smoothly, one of the important problems in the implementation of construction activities or projects is the delay. As we know together that delays occur in almost every construction pro In the implementation of each construction work has a specific plan and implementation schedule, when the implementation of the work must begin, when it must be carried out how the work should be done and how the provision of resources. Planning a construction work always refers to the estimates that existed at the time the construction plan was made. Therefore problems can arise if there is a mismatch between the plans that have been made with the actual reality. So that the punctuality of work get the trust of the owner of the activity.

The factor structure of the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) is discussed, with examples being drawn from about 13 disparate reported models. A systematic appraisal of procedural details of studies investigating the dimensionality of the ISI was performed. The databases CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, and PsycINFO were searched thoroughly, and all articles in English, published, and/or available online as of 14th March 2019, were included. Meta-analyses of Cronbach's alpha and structural validity measures were performed. Several inadequacies or omissions were found in analyses using the three groups of measures. Fifteen out of 20 studies did not employ either EFA or CFA, 10 studies did not report CFA, while five did not report EFA. The most common omissions related to multivariate normality, final model selection based on consideration of fit indices, parsimony, and failure to consider the theoretical construct in the final model selection. Meta-analysis showed that CFA outcome is more robust compared to EFA, two-factor solution is the vigorous presentation of dimensionality compared to a three-factor solution, and ISI has a high pooled Cronbach's alpha. Further validation of the disparate models of the ISI is needed with more comprehensive reporting guidelines, such as the one suggested in the present review.

ÖZET Bu çalışmada bir müşteri memnuniyeti ölçüm modeli geliştirilmiş ve geliştirilen modelin uygunluğu test edilmiştir. Söz konusu model oluşturulurken, Noumann'ın (1995) geliştirmiş olduğu ürün özellikleri (hizmet kalitesi) ve endüstriyel müşteriler için müşteri memnuniyeti ölçümü (INDSAT) modelleri kullanılmıştır. Modeli test edebilmek için bir araştırma anketi hazırlanmış ve bu anket bilgisayar sektöründe bulunan bir firmada, en az iki defa alışveriş yapmış olan müşterilerden rasgele seçilen 417 sine uygulanmıştır. Model uygunluğu ve model doğrultusunda oluşturulan hipotezler, toplanan verilere teyit edici (confirmatory) faktör analizi uygulanarak test edilmiştir. Sonuçlar; bilgisayar sektöründe modelin veri ile iyi bir uyuma sahip olduğunu ve müşteri memnuniyet ölçümünde kullanılabileceğini ortaya çıkarmıştır. ABSTRACT In this paper, a second order customer satisfaction model has been developed and goodness of fit of the developed model has been tested. When this model is formed, product properties (service quality) model, developed by Noumann (1995), and customer satisfaction measurement for industrial customers (INDSAT) have been used. A survey instrument has been prepared in the direction of the model and has conducted to randomly selected 417 customers of a single firm, who have bought the product at least the second time. Hypotheses based on the model are tested by using confirmatory factor analysis. The results revealed that the model had pretty high goodness of fit and it could have been be used in the measurement of customer satisfaction.

This research was conducted to adapt the chemistry self efficacy belief (CSEB) scale using Confirmatory Factor
Analysis (CFI) and to examine pre service teachers’ CSEB in terms of some demographic features. This descriptive
study was carried out Dokuz Eylul University in 2008-2010 academic years. Firstly, for validity and reliability, the scale
was administered to 123 prospective chemistry teachers. In order to determine CSEB according to some variables
which are gender, class level, type of high school, and giving lecture, the scale was implemented 116 prospective
chemistry teachers. LISREL 8,71 and SPSS statistical programs were utilized to analyze the collected data. It was
confirmed whether CSEB scale has two factors or not by calculating fit indexes. Independent and ANOVA t-tests
were used to outline if there was a significant difference between self efficacies of prospective teachers according to
gender, class level, type of high school and giving lecture. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that fit
indexes values were found high and verified structure of the scale with two factors. According to the results of second
research question, there was no significant difference between gender and class levels, but there was a significant
difference between type of high school in favor of Anatolian teacher high school.

Self-regulated learning has been a widely researched subject for decades in educational psychology. Different instruments have been developed to understand learners' self-regulated learning in a specific subject domain. This study developed a measurement scale to assess English-as-a-foreign-language learners' self-regulatory capacity in English language learning and further examined the effects of gender on English-as-a-foreign-language learners' self-regulatory capacity. A series of psychometric analyses including exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and full structural equation modeling were undertaken to answer the research questions raised. The findings suggest that the scale can attain high reliability and strong validity in two different samplings, and the underlying construct of self-regulation in English language learning is shown to be multidimensional with a significant impact by gender. Theoretical and pedagogical implications are further put forward in light of the research findings.

Problem Durumu Sosyal, davranış ve eğitim bilimlerinde araştırma yapan çoğu araştırmacı genellikle doğrudan gözlenemeyen teorik kavramlar üzerinde çalışırlar. Bu kavramlar psikolojide motivasyon, kaygı olabileceği gibi eğitimde sayısal yetenek olabilir. Bahsedilen teorik kavramları test etmek ve ölçmek için araştırmacılar yapısal eşitlik modellerinden faydalanırlar (Byrne, 2010; Raykov ve Marcoulides, 2006). Yapısal eşitlik modellerinin bir türü doğrulayıcı faktör analizidir. Doğrulayıcı faktör analizi doğrudan gözlenemeyen kavramları yani incelenen yapıyı (faktör), gösterge değişkenlerin yani maddelerin ne kadar iyi ölçebildiğini belirlemektir (Hair, Black, Babin ve Anderson, 2014; Kline, 2011). Bahsedilen maddeler incelenen yapıyı belirlemeyi sağlayacak özelliklere ve davranışlara ilişkin ifadelerdir (Raykov ve Marcoulides, 2006). Faktör analizi yöntemleri gözlenen değişkenlerden az sayıdaki faktörü paylaşılan varyans-kovaryansa dayalı olarak oluşturur (Schumacker ve Lomax, 2010). Doğrulayıcı faktör analizi ise önceden belirlenen faktör ya da faktörlerin sürdürülebilirliğini test etmeyi sağlar ve yapı geçerliğine ilişkin kanıt oluşturur (Maruyama, 1998). Yani faktör yapısı önceden belli olduğu gibi hangi gösterge değişkenin hangi faktörle ilişkili olduğu da bellidir (Schumacker ve Lomax, 2010). Böylece ölçme modeli doğrulayıcı faktör analiziyle test edilerek faktör yükleri, faktör varyans ve kovaryansları, göstergelere ilişkin hata varyansları vb. ile ilgili parametreler elde edilir (Brown ve Moore, 2012). Doğrulayıcı faktör analizi gerçekleştirilirken kullanılan bir takım yöntemler bulunmaktadır. Bunlar; Pearson korelasyon matrisine dayalı olarak BAYES, en çok olabilirlik (ML), standart hatalarının ve ortalamaların düzeltildiği en çok olabilirlik yöntemi (MLM), güçlü en çok olabilirlik yöntemi (MLR), standart hatalarının, ortalamaların ve varyansların düzeltildiği en çok olabilirlik yöntemi (MLMV), standart hata, ortalama ve varyansların düzeltildiği ağırlıklandırılmış en küçük kareler (WLSMV) yöntemi ve tetrakorik korelasyon matrisine dayalı olarak BAYES, ML, birinci mertebeden türevler yardımıyla kestirilen en çok olabilirlik yöntemi (MLF), MLR, standart hata, ortalama ve varyansların düzeltildiği ağırlıklandırılmamış en küçük kareler (ULSMV), ağırlıklandırılmış en küçük kareler (WLS), standart hatalarının ve ortalamaların düzeltildiği ağırlıklandırılmış en küçük kareler (WLSM) ve WLSMV yöntemleridir. 1-0 verileri üzerinde doğrulayıcı faktör analizi gerçekleştirilirken kullanılan kestirim yöntemleri, üzerinde çok fazla araştırma gerçekleştirilmeyen bir konudur. Araştırmacılar kullandıkları ölçekler üzerinde doğrulayıcı faktör analizi yaparken bazı durumları gözden kaçırabilmektedir. Bunların başında uygun korelasyon matrisinin kullanımı gelmektedir. Bunun yanında kestirim yöntemi olarak alanyazında sıklıkla kullanılan belirli yöntemlerin (ML) tercih edilmesi ile karşılaşılmaktadır. Araştırmalarda yanlış korelasyon matrisi kullanımı ve yanlış yöntemin kullanılması nedeniyle kestirimlerin daha fazla hata ile sonuçlanacağı ve yanlış faktör yükleri elde edileceğinden hareketle bu araştırmanın yapılmasına ihtiyaç duyulmuştur. Buradan hareketle araştırmada yanıt aranacak sorular şu şekildedir: 1) Tetrakorik korelasyon matrisi ve Pearson korelasyon matrisi ile gerçekleştirilecek doğrulayıcı faktör analizi sonuçları farklılık göstermekte midir? 2) Pearson ve tetrakorik korelasyon matrisleri kullanılarak gerçekleştirilen doğrulayıcı faktör analizi sonuçlarına göre en az hata ve en doğru faktör yükü kestirimi hangi yöntemle elde edilmektedir? 3) Örneklem büyüklüğü farklılaştıkça faktör yükü kestirimleri ve hata miktarları değişmekte midir? 4) Monte Carlo simülasyon çalışması sonuçları gerçek veri ile örtüşmekte midir?

Zihinsel gelişim geriliği olan çocukların değerlendirilmesinde zekâ ölçeklerinin kullanılması kritik öneme sahiptir. Özellikle bu çocukların tanısal değerlendirmesi ve eğitim programlarının hazırlanması açısından zekâ ölçeklerinin yapısı da önem kazanmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı, zihinsel gelişim geriliği olan bir örneklem grubunda, Wechsler Çocuklar İçin Zekâ Ölçeği Geliştirilmiş Formu’nun (WÇZÖ-R) yapı geçerliliğini test etmektir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda Açımlayıcı Faktör Analizi (AFA) ve Doğrulayıcı Faktör Analizi (DFA) yöntemleri kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın örneklemini, Toplam Zekâ Bölümü (ZB) puanı 40-79 arası olan 520 çocuk oluşturmaktadır. Çocukların yaş ortalaması 10.78 ± 2.69, Toplam ZB ortalaması ise 60.34 ± 12.91 olarak bulunmuştur. AFA sonuçları, ölçeğin Wechsler’in bildirdiği gibi, iki faktörlü bir yapıya sahip olduğunu ortaya koymuştur. DFA sonuçları ise, bu çalışmanın örnekleminde, iki faktörlü yapının geçerli olduğunu göstermiş ve model uyum indeksi değerlerinin iyi uyuma işaret ettiği görülmüştür. [Ki-kare (31, N) = 520) = 101.98, Ki-kare/sd = 3.29, GFI = .96, AGFI = .93, CFI = .96, RMSEA = .06]. WÇZÖ-R’ın hem klinikte hem de eğitim alanlarında yaygın kullanımı göz önünde bulundurulduğunda, iki faktörlü modelden elde edilen puanların zihinsel gelişim geriliği gösteren bireylerde kullanımının daha güvenilir bilgiler vereceği düşünülmektedir.

Öz
Yazma kaygısı, bireyin yazma işlemine başlamadan önce ya da yazma sırasında yaşadığı bir gerilim tepkisidir. Bu durum yazma işleminden kaçınma, yazma isteksizliği gibi davranışları beraberinde getirmekte, yazma beceri ve eğilimini olumsuz etkilemekte, yazma alışkanlığı kazanımına engel olmaktadır. Bu araştırmanın amacı ortaokul öğrencilerinin yazma kaygılarını ölçmek amacıyla güvenilir ve geçerli Yazma Kaygısı Ölçeği geliştirmektir. Açımlayıcı faktör analizi 503, test-tekrar test işlemi 165, doğrulayıcı faktör analizi 509 ortaokul öğrencisi üzerinde gerçekleştirilmiştir. Açımlayıcı faktör analizi sonucunda %40.55 toplam varyans değeriyle 26 maddelik Yazma Kaygısı Ölçeği'nin üç faktörlü) yapısı doğrulayıcı faktör analiziyle doğrulanmıştır (x²=629.02, sd=296, RMSEA=.047, NFI=.94, NNFI=.96, GFI=.91, AGFI=.90, CFI=.97, SRMR=.052). Bu kapsamda ölçeğin genelinin ve alt boyutlarının Crombach's Alpha, Spearman Brown ve Guttman Split-Half güvenirlik değerleriyle, ölçeğin alt boyutlarının yapı güvenirliklerinin ve test tekrar test işlemiyle elde edilen iç tutarlılık katsayısının % 70'in üzerinde olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Bu sonuçlar doğrultusunda güvenilir ve geçerli bir Yazma Kaygısı Ölçeği elde edildiği söylenebilir.
Anahtar Sözcükler: Ana dili eğitimi, yazma kaygısı, yazma becerisi, doğrulayıcı faktör analizi, geçerlik, güvenirlik.
Abstract
Writing anxiety is a tension response that an individual experiences before or during writing. This situation causes writing behaviors such as avoidance of writing process, unwillingness to write; negatively affects writing skills and tendencies, and prevents writing habit. The aim of this study is to develop a reliable and valid Writing Anxiety Scale in order to measure writing anxiety of secondary school students. Exploratory factor analysis has been performed on 503, test-retest procedure on 165, confirmatory factor analysis on 509 middle school students. As a result of the exploratory factor analysis, the three-factor) structure of the Writing Anxiety Scale of 26 items with a total variance of 40.55% has been confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis (x² = 629.02, sd = 296, RMSEA = .047, NFI = .94. , NNFI = .96, GFI = .91, AGFI = .90, CFI = .97, SRMR = .052). In this context, Crombach’s Alpha, Spearman Brown and Guttman Split-Half reliability values of the scale general and its subdimensions; the structure reliability of the sub-dimensions of the scale; It has been found that the internal consistency coefficient obtained by the test retest process has over 70%. According to these results, a reliable and valid Writing Anxiety Scale has been obtained.
Keywords: Mother tongue education, writing anxiety, writing skill,
confirmatory factor analysis, validity, reliability.

Mediante un ejemplo empírico, se muestran las diferencias entre las técnicas estadísticas de análisis factorial exploratorio y confirmatorio. En la investigación en Ciencias Sociales en nuestro país es muy frecuente el uso de variables observables para analizar la relación directa entre estas y la variable respuesta. Más aún, es también frecuente el uso de la técnica de análisis factorial exploratorio por el desconocimiento sobre la correcta aplicación del análisis factorial confirmatorio, debido a que esta última requiere del planteamiento de una hipótesis a ser evaluada, mientras que en el análisis exploratorio no es necesario que el investigador tenga una conciencia clara sobre la hipótesis que desea evaluar, sino que espera que los datos por sí mismos muestren las relaciones con la variable respuesta. Con un ejemplo empírico utilizando datos de la prueba internacional PISA 2009 se ilustra las diferencias entre ambas y las bondades de utilizar el análisis factorial confirmatorio para evaluar hipótesis de investigación.

ABSTRACT Using an empirical example, I show the differences between the statistical techniques of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyzes. In the social science research in our country is very common the use of observable variables to analyze the direct relationship between these and the response variable. Moreover, the exploratory factor analysis is too frequently used due to the ignorance about the correct application of confirmatory factor analysis, because the latter requires the approach of a hypothesis to be tested, while in the exploratory factor analysis it is not required to have a clear idea about the hypothesis to be evaluated. With an empirical example using data from the 2009 PISA international test, I show the differences between the two approaches and the benefits of using confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate research hypotheses.

Objective: to analyze the validity of the factorial structure for a questionnaire adapted from the Preschooler Feeding Questionnaire (PFQ) with subscales associated with control and parental pressure when eating. Methodology: a questionnaire was prepared with 11 items expressed with “Likert” type scales and grouped into two subscales: “maternal pressure when eating” and “maternal control when eating”. This was evaluated with 50 mothers, subsequently carrying out a factor analysis to identify the underlying factorial structure, evaluating the reliability with Cronbach's α and using a principal components extraction with a Varimax rotation and Kaiser normalization. A confirmatory factor analysis was subsequently performed with 430 mothers. Descriptive statistics studied both “control” and “pressure” parental practices, while an SEM model assessed the existence of causal relationships between BMI, child gender and these practices. Results: a factorial structure of two scales was validated, “Control” and “Pressure”, each composed of three items (x2 = 187.3, df. = 116, x2 / df. = 1.62, CFI = 0.998, GFI = 0.991, AGFI = 0.983, NFI = 0.994, IFI = 0.998, and RMSEA = 0.018). No causal relationship was established between these factors with the BMI or the gender of the infants, both factors being greater than the average. Conclusion: The adaptation of the questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool of future utility in the study of parental nutritional practices.

ABSTRACT Writing motivation supports the development of students' writing skills and their habit of using writing skills through lifelong interest, desire and pleasure. At this point, writing motivation is the driving force that enables the individual to perform the writing process with enthusiasm in order to achieve a successful writing result. The purpose of this research is to develop a reliable and valid Writing Motivation Scale to measure the writing motivation of students aged 9.5-14 (middle school 5, 6, 7, and 8th grade). The Cronbach Alpha, Spearman Brown and Guttman Split Half reliability values of the scale were above .85, and the scale was highly reliable. The internal consistency coefficient obtained by the test-retest process was .85, which indicates that the consistency of the scale was good. Different samples were determined with simple random and cluster sampling methods for each of the exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses with testretest operation. As a result of confirmatory factor analysis, a 13-item single-factor scalestructure with a total variance of 42.52% has confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis (x² = 83.05, sd = 61, RMSEA = .038, NFI = .97, NNFI = .99, CFI = .99, GFI = .95, AGFI =.93, SRMR = .039). Since the reliability of the scale is .89, it can be concluded that the scale structure is sufficiently reliable. As a result of the research, it can be stated that a onedimensional, valid and reliable measurement tool consisting of 13 items has been brought into the field.
Keywords: Mother tongue education, writing skill, writing motivation, confirmatory factor analysis, validity and reliability.
ÖZ
Yazma motivasyonu, öğrencilerin yazma becerilerini geliştirmenin yanında hayat boyu ilgi, istek, haz duyarak yazma alışkanlığı kazanmalarını sağlamaktadır. Yazma motivasyonu, yazma performansını artırdığı gibi bireyin öz düzenleme becerilerini de desteklemektedir. Bu noktada yazma motivasyonu bireyin başarılı bir yazma sonucuna ulaşabilmesi için coşkunlukla yazma işlemlerini gerçekleştirmesini sağlayan itici bir güçtür. Bu araştırmanın amacı 9.5-14 yaş (ortaokul 5, 6, 7, ve 8. sınıf) öğrencilerin yazma motivasyonlarını ölçmek amacıyla güvenilir ve geçerli bir Yazma Motivasyonu Ölçeği geliştirmektir. Açımlayıcı faktör, test-tekrar test işlemi, doğrulayıcı faktör analizlerinin her biri basit seçkisiz ve küme örneklemeyle belirlenen farklı örneklemler üzerinden gerçekleştirilmiştir. Ölçeğin Cronbach’s Alpha, Spearman Brown ve Guttman Split Half güvenirlik değerleri .85’in üzerinde olması nedeniyle ölçeğin yüksek düzeyde güvenilir olduğu söylenebilir. Test-tekrar test işlemiyle elde edilen iç tutarlılık katsayısının .85 bulunması ölçeğin tutarlılığının iyi düzeyde olduğuna işaret etmektedir. Açımlayıcı faktör analizi sonucunda %42.52 toplam varyans değeriyle 13 maddelik tek faktörlü ölçek yapısı, doğrulayıcı faktör analizi ile doğrulanmıştır (x²=83.05, sd=61, RMSEA=.038, NFI=.97, NNFI=.99, CFI=.99, GFI=.95, AGFI=.93, SRMR=.039). Ölçeğin yapı güvenirliğinin .89 değerinde hesaplanması, ölçek yapısının yeterli düzeyde güvenilir olduğuna işaret etmektedir. Araştırma sonucunda 13 maddeden oluşan, tek boyutlu, geçerli ve güvenilir bir ölçme aracının alana kazandırıldığı ifade edilebilir.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Ana dili eğitimi, yazma becerisi, yazma motivasyonu, doğrulayıcı faktör analizi, geçerlik ve güvenirlik.

This paper discusses the application of confirmatory factor analysis in the Business Administration theory construction. The research presents important theoretical contributions by way of a proposed research categorization, ranging from incipient knowledge, knowledge with conceptual definitions, and accumulated knowledge. The paper analyzes two measurement scales in the area of Organizational Behavior, in order to discuss the occurrence of "theory destruction" as a result of the replication of classical theories. In terms of its content, the research presents a set of empirical procedures devised to verify the adjustment of the conceptual model to the data collected, and the pertaining hypotheses related to the constructs. Starting from a common methodological perspective, situations arise in which the replicated scale did not maintain the same factor structure as the original scale, due to the improper use of the exploratory techniques (rather than confirmatory techniques).

In spite of its currency both in academic research and political rhetoric, there are numerous attempts to define and conceptualize the social cohesion concept but there has been paid little attention to provide a rigorous and empirically tested definition. There are even fewer studies that address social cohesion in a framework of cross-cultural validation of the indicators testing the equivalence of the factorial structure across countries. Finally, as far as we know there is no study that attempt to provide an empirically tested multilevel definition of social cohesion specifying a Multilevel Structural Equation Model. This study aims to cover this gap. First, we provide a theoretical construct of social cohesion taking into account not only its multidimensionality but also its multilevel structure. In the second step, to test the validity of this theoretical construct, we perform a multilevel confirmatory factor analysis in order to verify if the conceptual structure suggested in first step holds. In addition, we test the cross-level structural equivalence and the measurement invariance of the model in order to verify if the same multilevel model of social cohesion holds across the 29 countries analysed. In the final step, we specify a second-order multilevel CFA model in order to identify the existence of a general factor that can be called ''social cohesion'' operating in society that accounts for the surface phenomena that we observe.

The teachers take the role as the important human resources in creating effective learning conditions. Teacher's self-efficacy is one of the significant factors that determine how they carry out the process of learning and teaching in schools. Teacher's self-efficacy refers to their beliefs towards their abilities in managing and carrying out existing tasks and challenges which in accordance with their goals. This study aims to develop and validate Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (STEBI) in science teachers. The number of respondents involved was 223 science teachers who were selected using the purposive sampling technique. The results showed that the validity test using exploratory factor analysis produced four major factors that explained the concept of the measuring instrument. These major factors included positive pedagogical in motivating students (4 items), coping with changes and challenges (4 items), teacher's perception on ideal pedagogy (3 items), and enthusiasm (4 items). In addition, the confirmatory factor analysis test showed that each factor that appeared in the instrument fulfilled the model fit criteria (P-value > .05 and RMSEA < .05). Thus, it can be concluded that STEBI is a psychometrically valid instrument so that it can be used in measuring and exploring science teacher's self-efficacy.

Learning a language means not only studying four skills of proficiency, but also understanding the system of rules underlying. In this respect, learners’ attitudes towards grammar are also of vital importance. The main objective of this descriptive study is to determine English language learners’ attitudes towards grammar and to analyze these attitudes in the framework of several variables (gender, age, faculty, time spent on learning English, and proficiency level). The data were collected from 293 students who have English language education in preparatory school of Anadolu University in six different proficiency levels (beginner, elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate, upper-intermediate, pre-faculty) during 2014-2015 spring semester. The scale designed by the researchers to investigate the attitudes of learners towards learning grammar was determined as a reliable and valid tool including two factors. The analyses revealed that gender, age, time spent on learning English, and proficiency level variables did not create significant differences in the attitudes (p>.05) The only variable which created significant difference in the attitudes of learners was the faculties of students, and this was observed in the “Positive Attitude and Contribution” factor of the scale (p<.05). The results of the study indicated that students in faculties like Science, Humanities, Education, and Engineering have more positive attitudes towards learning grammar than Economics, Business Administration, and Communication faculty students.

Yolcu taşımada kullanılan otobüs için fiziksel ortam denildiğinde aracın uzunluğu, yüksekliği, koltuk sayısı, koltukların diz mesafesi, aydınlatma, pencere sayısı gibi koşullar ön plana çıkmaktadır. Yolculuk esnasında kişi için bu koşullar onun yolculuk süresince iyi bir yolculuk deneyimi geçirmesini etkiler. Bu bağlamda bu çalışmada şehir içi yolcu otobüslerinin fiziksel ortamlarının yolcuların memnuniyetine etkisi
incelenmeye çalışılmıştır. Sivas şehir merkezinde yaşayan ve şehir içi otobüslerini kullanan, kolayda örnekleme metoduyla belirlenmiş toplam 401 kişiyle, yüz yüze anket tekniği ile veriler toplanmıştır. Çalışmada
araştırmacı tarafından oluşturulan, 19 tanesi Fiziksel Ortamı ölçen, 7 tanesi ise Memnuniyeti ölçen 5’li Likert tipinde ve 7 tanede demografik
özellikleri ölçen toplam 33 maddelik bir veri toplama aracı kullanılmıştır. Daha sonra verilere AMOS programı aracılığıyla Yol Analizi uygulanmıştır. Yol analizi sonucunda geliştirilen model verilere iyi derecede uyum göstermektedir. Yine yol analizi sonuçlarına göre “Otobüs Fiziksel Ortam” faktörü “Memnuniyet” faktörünü yaklaşık olarak %36 oranında olumlu anlamda açıklamaktadır.

The purpose of this study is to develop a valid and reliable measure of change cynicism. In the development of the scale, literature regarding cynicism was examined and item pool was composed. For the content validation of the scale, draft of change cynicism scale was given to five experts. Having received feedback from the experts, the scale was ready for the plot practice with a sample group of 206 teachers and administrators in total. Following that, exploratory factor analysis was practised for construct validity and reliability analysis was conducted. Lastly, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to assess the three-factor structure of the change cynicism with a different sample consisting of 434 teachers and 119 administrators. Change Cynicism Scale consisting of 17 items, each rated on five-point likert type scale was developed. Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient of the total scale was calculated as .94; and .90, .93, .84 for the sub-dimensions respectively. Total variance explained by change cynicism was 69%. All factor loadings were upper than 44. This showed that the scale was valid and reliable. The three-factor structure of scale was confirmed with confirmatory factor analysis. The model fit indices yielded a good fit to the three-factor structured model.