Engagement scolaire, bien-être personnel et autodétermination chez des étudiants à l’université.

This article describes a study that was conducted with a sample of 266 university students and which was guided by two objectives: (a) applying a three-dimensional model of commitment to the academic area, while therein including new motivational considerations and, (b) exploring the nature of the psychological mechanisms by which academic commitment and self-determination interact to predict students’ personal well-being. Exploratory factor analyses allowed the validation of a first version of the Academic Commitment Scale. Correlational and multiple regression analyses permitted the corroboration of the hypothesis pertaining to the positive relationship between academic commitment and personal well-being amongst students. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses led to the corroboration of the hypothesis pertaining to the mediating role of academic commitment in the association between students’ self-determination and personal well-being. The worth of using academic commitment, self-determination, and personal well-being as main targets of investigation while trying to elaborate a model of optimal academic functioning is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

La mesure de perfectionnisme: Validation canadienne-fran?aise du Positive and Negative Perfectionism Scale.

The purpose of this study was to verify the validity of a French version of the Positive and Negative Perfectionism Scale developed by L. A. Terry-Short (1995). This instrument measures the type as well as the level of perfectionism in adolescents. The instrument was first administered to 734 7th, 9th, and 11th grade students. Four weeks later, 596 Ss were invited to answer the questionnaire once more. The factorial structure, temporal stability and internal consistency of each subscales of the translated version of the instrument correspond to those of the original version. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

L'échelle de développement pubertaire: équivalence en langue fran?aise du <>.

The Pubertal Development Scale from A. C. Petersen and L. J. Crockett (1985) is a self-report instrument that measures levels of pubertal maturation in adolescence. The main goal of this study was to validate the French version of the instrument on a high school population. The latter was administered on 3 occasions to 255 students during their 1st and 2nd high school years. The measure's internal consistency and the sequence of bodily changes of boys and girls allowed the authors to establish the reliability of the students' perception of their pubertal development. Like J. M. Tanner (1962) and Petersen et al. (1985, 1988), 5 categories identifying different pubertal status were labeled. Results show satisfactory reliability from such a pubertal classification system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Powerlessness regarding health-service barriers: construction of an instrument

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to develop a scale to calculate college students' powerlessness regarding health service barriers (PHSB). METHODS: Scale items were generated to represent two domains of interest: powerlessness and college students' powerlessness regarding health service barriers. The final 20-item instrument was subjected to multiple measures of validity with college students and panels of nurse experts in the area of nursing diagnosis. Reliability was assessed by two samples (n = 92 and n = 33) of college-age students. A final administration was conducted with 197 college students. FINDINGS: The PHSB scale was determined to be an accurate and consistent measure. CONCLUSIONS: This instrument will provide a reliable and valid measure to conduct research.     

élaboration et validation du Questionnaire des but ex contexte scolaire (QBCS).

Recent research on school motivation underlines the crucial role played by the types of goals chosen by students in determining their functioning and achievement. The aim of this study was to create and validate a questionnaire of goals in the academic setting adapted for a population of French students from high school to university. The 1st study comprised 542 students, and the factor analysis confirmed that the instrument allows for the discrimination of mastery, performance, and avoidance goals. The temporal stability of the instrument was shown in the 2nd study comprising 292 students, whereas the 3rd study, involving 355 students, confirmed its concurrent validity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mesure de l'estime de soi à l'adolescence: Version canadienne-fran?aise de Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents de Harter.

The purpose of this study was to verify the psychometric equivalence of a French-Canadian version of the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents developed by S. Harter (1988). This instrument measures global self-esteem in adolescents as well as their perceptions of competence in 8 other different domains. The instrument was first administered to 731 7th, 9th, and l1th grade students. Four wks later, 594 Ss were invited to answer the questionnaire once more. Results confirm that the factorial structure and the internal consistency of each domain of the translated version correspond to those of the original version. A test-retest procedure also reveals the temporal stability of the translated version. Regarding the mean scores for each domain and their interrelations with each other and particularly with global self-esteem, similar results to those reported by Harter were obtained with the translated version. This reinforces the conclusion about the psychometric equivalence of the translated version. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Student and faculty perceptions of educational values.

"A questionnaire asking respondents to rank nine sets of phrases" representing different objectives of higher education was the basic instrument. 4 hypotheses were formulated as follows: "(a) there is a significant difference between what students wish to gain from college and what faculty consider as worthy objectives of higher education, (b) the expectancies of freshmen and seniors are different, (c) seniors are better able than freshmen to predict expressed faculty goals, and (d) more students than faculty feel that their educational goals are being met at the university." The first hypothesis was confirmed, data on the second hypothesis "led to a rejection," and the third hypothesis "was not confirmed by the data." The "students as a group reported substantially more goal fulfillment than did the faculty." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward higher education and course evaluation.

Tested the hypothesis that course evaluations are related to (a) students' and instructors' own and perceived attitudes toward higher education and college teaching and (b) congruence between students' and instructors' own and perceived attitudes. Two experiments were conducted with 24 college instructors and 889 students. The evaluation measure contained 18 5-step items drawn from previous studies; factor analysis yielded 4 factors—Intellectual Challenge, Student–Instructor Rapport, Content/Structure, and Teaching Method—accounting for 64% of the variance in the final instrument. Regression analyses show that attitudes accounted for close to 50% of evaluative variance. The most efficient subset of predictors was instructors' attitudes as perceived by students such that the attribution to instructors of attitude items preferred by students was associated with positive course evaluation. These items tended to be progressive or social in orientation. Results support the hypotheses which were derived from directive state and balance theories. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Structure of human values: Testing the adequacy of the Rokeach Value Survey.

Examined the extent to which the 36 items of the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS) provide comprehensive and representative coverage of the value domain in 2 experiments. In Exp I, intensive semistructured interviews, based on the RVS, were conducted with 73 adults drawn from an electoral roll. Test–retest reliabilities were examined over 4 wks with 208 university students. In Exp II, factor structure was explored with 483 adults from the general population and with 688 university students. All Ss completed inventories of goal values, mode values, and social values. Data provide qualified support for the comprehensiveness of the instrument. The major weaknesses in sampling involved the facets of physical well-being and individual rights. Other areas not represented were thriftiness and carefreeness. The need for multi-item indices for value constructs is discussed, as are the advantages of a rating procedure over a ranking procedure from both psychometric and empirically valid perspective. An alternative instrument based on the work of Rokeach is proposed. (31 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factors influencing college student health: Development of the Psychological Distress Inventory.

Describes the 3-phase development of the Psychological Distress Inventory (PDI), and instrument designed primarily to measure life stress in college students. In Phase 1, the responses of 198 students were studied to select items empirically and to construct the clinical scales. Phases 2 involved cross-validating the measure with an independent sample of 242 students. Phase 3 consisted of a criterion-related validity study. Standard psychometric information is presented, including reliability, validity, and some effects of response set on the measure. In addition to measuring life stress, the PDI allows users to separately assess degree of depression, anxiety, and somatic discomfort. It is suggested that in college populations, this instrument has broad utility as a research and clinical tool. (36 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Increased weight gain and effects on production parameters of Holstein heifer calves that were allowed to suckle from birth to six weeks of age

Forty Holstein heifer calves were assigned to two treatments. Control calves (n = 20) were fed milk replacer in open buckets, and calves that were allowed to suckle (n = 20) were paired and suckled the same dam three times daily. Treatments were conducted during the first 6 wk following birth; thereafter, all calves received the same management, and weaning was at 60 d of age. During treatment, calves that were allowed to suckle had significantly higher average daily gains than did control calves. However, at 12 wk of age, calves that were allowed to suckle had significantly lower body weights (BW) than did control calves. Age at conception was significantly lower, and BW at conception and conception rate tended to be higher, for calves that were allowed to suckle. Calving age was significantly earlier for heifers that had been allowed to suckle as calves, and BW at calving also tended to be higher. Height at the withers after calving was also significantly higher for those heifers. Milk production during first lactation tended to be higher for the heifers that had been allowed to suckle as calves. Our results indicated that heifer calves that suckled milk during the first 42 d of age had higher average daily gains, higher height at the withers, an earlier age at calving, and a tendency for greater milk production than did calves fed milk replacer.     

Adaptation and validation of the Spanish-language Trauma Symptom Inventory in Puerto Rico.

Objective: This research was conducted to assess the Spanish-language Trauma Symptom Inventory's (Briere, 1995) suitability for use with a Puerto Rican sample. Minor revisions were made to the original instrument following a comprehensive appraisal involving a bilingual committee and pilot focus group. The present study outlines the review and adaptation process and examines the psychometric properties of the revised instrument, the Inventario de Síntomas de Trauma-Revisado (IST–R). Method: A sample of 225 students (155 women, 70 men) at the University of Puerto Rico, age 20 to 59 (M = 23.24, SD = 4.69), participated in the validation study. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire; a self-report trauma exposure instrument; and measures of psychological distress, including Spanish-language versions of the Beck Depression Inventory, Symptom Checklist—36, and the Dissociative Experiences Scale. Results: Reliability coefficients for the IST–R clinical scales ranged from .69 to .91 (mean α = .84), and correlation coefficients were strongest for scales measuring the same constructs. Factor loadings obtained were consistent with those reported in the literature. Results support the internal consistency and construct validity of the IST–R. Conclusions: Culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment instruments are needed to address the mental health needs of diverse populations. Results from this study provide evidence for the clinical and research promise of the IST–R as a screening tool for trauma-related symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Empirical evidence regarding relations among a model of epistemic and ontological cognition, academic performance, and educational level.

Models of personal epistemology have not been sufficiently integrated despite conceptual similarities. We attempted to model both dimensional and positional aspects of personal epistemology, as well as examine the domain specificity of these phenomena. The conceptual framework for this study was a new model of epistemic and ontological cognitive development that addresses numerous concerns in the literature. A model-based quantitative instrument was created and administered to 740 students ranging from middle-school through graduate school. Results of confirmatory factor and factor-mixture model analyses provided evidence for the construct validity and reliability of scores from the instrument as well as support for many aspects of the underlying conceptual model. Implications for further model development and research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-serving bias in the classroom: Who shows it? Who knows it?

Two studies were conducted to explore student and teacher attributions for success and failure. In the first study, college students were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 roles (student, teacher, or observer). The teacher constructed a written lesson for the student to study. Both teachers and students made self-serving attributions taking credit for success, but not for failure. Although their attributions differed, participants in each role were aware of how participants in the other roles would make their attributions. A second study surveyed college teachers, students, and staff concerning actual previous high and low grades. The results replicated those of the first study. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Instrument for locating students with suspected learning disabilities: a quantitative approach

The instrument to locate students with learning disabilities was developed to create equality and uniformity, so that such difficulties could be spotted independently of socialization factors, teachers and parents to whom the student had been exposed. The instrument was developed on the basis of research that defines the reading rate of students with reading disabilities in words per minute, the minimum number of errors for locating writing disabilities, and the number of answers and lines a student uses to reconstruct the content of a passage adapted to his or her age level. The research carried out in order to construct the instrument is the first to attempt to quantify disability, and on this basis to construct an instrument to locate students with disabilities in reading, writing and visual recall. The procedure can be carried out for a whole class in a single lesson period. One indirect conclusion from the research is that disability indicators remain with the learning disabled regardless of time since diagnosis or remedial help. Other implications related to combining the quantity component in diagnoses of degrees of difference in the disability identified, and in extra examination time for the learning disabled. The instrument should solve the problem of locating students with difficulty reading, writing or in visual recall, due to disability. Students thus identified will be directed to individual diagnosis to find out whether their difficulties are primary or secondary (e.g. a new immigrant who still has trouble with Hebrew). A personal corrective programme can then be constructed.     

Measuring the perceived support for innovation in organizations.

On the basis of previous analyses of a mental hospital and a university graduate program, 5 a priori dimensions characteristic of innovative organizations were postulated. A Likert-type scale measuring members' perception of their organizations on these dimensions was developed and piloted with teachers and students in a traditional and an innovative secondary school. The scale was then refined and administered to 1,899 additional Ss in 6 traditional high schools. A factor analysis of the responses revealed a major factor (support of creativity) and 2 smaller factors (tolerance of diversity and feelings of ownership). Reliable factor indices were created for the final 61-item instrument, and a validity study was conducted with 2 additional innovative schools. Results indicate significant differences on the scale between respondents from innovative and traditional schools. The results and implications are discussed and suggestions made for further use of the scale. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment of suicide risk in a psychiatric hospital.

Assessment of suicide risk is a serious responsibility of psychologists. Best practice instructs use of a standardized instrument and clinical interview to evaluate suicide risk. Six instruments used to assess suicide behavior and symptoms of anxiety and depression were examined. The sample was adults receiving acute psychiatric treatment in a public hospital. The study consisted of 2 groups: 25 patients admitted for suicidal behavior and 42 patients admitted for other reasons. Analyses were conducted to discriminate between the 2 groups on study instruments. No single instrument predicted suicide risk without significant error. Standardized assessments must be used as part of a structured clinical interview. Suicide risk should be assessed with all people admitted to the hospital regardless of admissions criteria. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A new admission procedure to dental education at The Karolinska Institute. An initial evaluation

This study compares the performance to date of dental under-graduates selected by a new, individual admissions procedure, and those admitted by the traditional centralised system (control groups). Admission to all full-time tertiary study in Sweden was centralised and administered by special national units until 1993, following which the universities were allowed to adopt their own admission system. The Dental School at The Karolinska Institute in 1993 introduced an individualised selection system, initially for one-third and subsequently for 60% of the freshmen intake, the remaining places being reserved for students applying through the national admissions centre. The main objective of the new selection procedure is to seek out highly motivated students (less likely to drop-out) with general competence, high academic achievement, and personal attributes considered important in a health professional. An Admissions Committee (AC) comprising seven faculty members, was appointed by the Vice-Chancellor, for the new system which has been used unaltered since 1993. In the first stage applicants with the highest academic grades are selected in descending order. In the second stage, the prospective students spend a day at The Dental School writing separate assignments, which are assessed by the AC according to defined criteria. Applicants who do well in the written assessment proceed to the third stage in which each applicant is interviewed by two AC members on separate occasions. In the final selection procedure, the AC considers the combined merits of all the interviewed applicants. Analysis of the first three intakes discloses few or no drop-outs among AC-selected undergraduates. In three major integrated examinations, designed to disclose not only factual knowledge but also comprehension and maturity and as such reflect clinical conditions, their performance is as good as or better than the control groups.     

Measuring Developmental Changes in Alcohol Expectancies.

The goal of this study was to measure shifts in alcohol expectancies from childhood into adolescence while controlling for changes in the psychometric properties of the instrument. One thousand nine hundred ninety-three 4th-grade and 1,632 9th-grade students from South Dakota rated the likelihood that 23 outcomes would result from alcohol use. These expectancies were modeled using a 2-factor confirmatory factor analysis. After differences in the psychometric properties of the instrument were controlled, the cohorts were distinguished by a large difference in Alcohol Positivity, with older participants viewing alcohol's effects more positively. Additionally, older participants displayed greater Alcohol Potency, believing that alcohol has a larger impact on all outcomes. There were also significant differences in the interpretation of the alcohol expectancies items across cohorts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Validation canadienne-fran?aise de l’échelle des styles d’orientation des buts (ESOB).

The Goal Orientation Scale (GOS) developed by VandeWalle, Cron and Slocum (2001) is used to assess learners’ goal orientation style. However, this scale is in English, limiting its applications with francophone populations. This study documents the psychometric properties of a French version of the GOS. The instrument was translated and verified by expert translators then administered to 219 French-speaking students enrolled in two Quebec Universities. The subjects also responded to a measure of fear of negative evaluation, general self efficacy and locus of control. Analyses of the factor structure, internal consistency, temporal stability and the pattern of correlations with external variables indicates that this French version converges with the original English instrument. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)