Generalized full-information item bifactor analysis.

Full-information item bifactor analysis is an important statistical method in psychological and educational measurement. Current methods are limited to single-group analysis and inflexible in the types of item response models supported. We propose a flexible multiple-group item bifactor analysis framework that supports a variety of multidimensional item response theory models for an arbitrary mixing of dichotomous, ordinal, and nominal items. The extended item bifactor model also enables the estimation of latent variable means and variances when data from more than 1 group are present. Generalized user-defined parameter restrictions are permitted within or across groups. We derive an efficient full-information maximum marginal likelihood estimator. Our estimation method achieves substantial computational savings by extending Gibbons and Hedeker's (1992) bifactor dimension reduction method so that the optimization of the marginal log-likelihood requires only 2-dimensional integration regardless of the dimensionality of the latent variables. We use simulation studies to demonstrate the flexibility and accuracy of the proposed methods. We apply the model to study cross-country differences, including differential item functioning, using data from a large international education survey on mathematics literacy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evidence-based parent involvement interventions with school-aged children.

This paper reviewed 24 studies of parent involvement for school-aged children conducted between 1980 and 2002 and evaluated them according to the criteria developed by the Task Force on Evidence-Based Interventions in School Psychology. The parent involvement component of all studies had parents helping children learn at home, with most targeting a change in academic performance, including reading skills, mathematics skills, spelling, and homework completion. Results yielded a wide range of treatment effectiveness. The strongest evidence for parent involvement was provided for programs that implemented parent tutoring in the home and targeted a single academic problem of the elementary school-aged child, primarily reading and mathematics skills. Despite promising evidence for the effectiveness of parent home tutoring, it was concluded that the evidence base for the effectiveness of parent involvement as an intervention for children's academic problems is inconclusive due to methodological weaknesses in the studies reviewed. Recommendations for future empirical research are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

An examination of predictive bias for second grade reading outcomes from measures of early literacy skills in kindergarten with respect to English-language learners and ethnic subgroups.

The assessment of early literacy skills during the kindergarten year can provide useful information about student performance in prereading skills, which are predictors of later reading achievement. This study examined the use of fluency-based prompts of student phonemic awareness, alphabetic principle, and oral reading at the end of kindergarten for predicting later reading achievement at the end of second grade. Predictive validity and bias studies were undertaken with respect to English-language learners (ELLs) and four selected ethnic subgroups: European American (EA), African American (AA), Asian American (AsA), and Hispanic American (HA). Results indicated that the predictive validity of the early literacy measures was strong, and no evidence of predictive bias for ELL and non-ELL groups was found. However, evidence of a small amount of predictive bias was found between the EA and HA students with respect to intercept differences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Score comparability of a state mathematics assessment across students with and without reading accommodations.

This study investigated the factorial invariance of a fourth-grade state mathematics assessment across groups of general education students and students with learning disabilities with and without reading accommodations. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess the fit of a 2-factor model to each of the 3 groups. In addition to the overall fit of this model, several levels of constraint were investigated. Invariance across the 3 groups was supported for factor loadings and intercepts. However, invariance of the factor covariances across the general education group and the groups of students with learning disabilities was not supported. Because of the implications for aggregating reported scores, further research is needed into the relationship between the factors in the different groups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cognitive predictors of achievement growth in mathematics: A 5-year longitudinal study.

The study's goal was to identify the beginning of 1st grade quantitative competencies that predict mathematics achievement start point and growth through 5th grade. Measures of number, counting, and arithmetic competencies were administered in early 1st grade and used to predict mathematics achievement through 5th (n = 177), while controlling for intelligence, working memory, and processing speed. Multilevel models revealed intelligence and processing speed, and the central executive component of working memory predicted achievement or achievement growth in mathematics and, as a contrast domain, word reading. The phonological loop was uniquely predictive of word reading and the visuospatial sketch pad of mathematics. Early fluency in processing and manipulating numerical set size and Arabic numerals, accurate use of sophisticated counting procedures for solving addition problems, and accuracy in making placements on a mathematical number line were uniquely predictive of mathematics achievement. Use of memory-based processes to solve addition problems predicted mathematics and reading achievement but in different ways. The results identify the early quantitative competencies that uniquely contribute to mathematics learning. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

The PANAS structure revisited: On the validity of a bifactor model in community and forensic samples.

The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) is a widely used inventory for the assessment of affect in psychology and other applied sciences. Despite its popularity, the structure of the PANAS is still under debate. On the one hand, there is evidence of the traditional 2-factor model with Positive Affect (PA) and Negative Affect (NA) as uncorrelated factors. On the other hand, a more complex structure of the PANAS has been discussed. To shed further light on the core dimensions of the PANAS, 2 studies investigated the structure of the PANAS in 2 German samples (N = 354 and N = 364, respectively) by means of confirmatory factor analysis. The factor analysis results of Study 1 for a traitlike time frame instruction suggested a suboptimal model fit for the uncorrelated 2-factor model and the 3-factor model with PA, Afraid, and Upset as factors, whereas a superior model fit occurred for a bifactor model with traitlike PA, NA, and a general 3rd factor named Affective Polarity. In Study 2, the bifactor model was replicated for a statelike PANAS time frame instruction and evidence of criterion validity was provided for PA, NA, and Affective Polarity factors in 2 sex offender subgroups and in a community sample. With Affective Polarity, we introduce an affect dimension that captures additional variance beyond PA and NA. Because of the adjectives with relevant loadings on Affective Polarity, this general factor represents an individual's orientation toward approach and withdrawal, respectively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Predicting reading and mathematics achievement in fourth-grade children from kindergarten readiness scores.

This study examined age and gender differences in verbal skills and visuomotor skills at kindergarten, in achievement in reading and mathematics at Grade 4, and in the link between skills at kindergarten and later achievement (n?=?281). Older children had higher verbal skills and visuomotor skills than younger children, and girls had higher visuomotor skills and reading achievement than boys. With controls for age, verbal skills uniquely predicted later reading achievement, whereas both verbal skills and visuomotor skills uniquely predicted later mathematics achievement. Readiness in the specific areas of auditory memory and verbal associations predicted later reading achievement, whereas readiness in the specific areas of auditory memory, number skills, and visual discrimination predicted later mathematics achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparative factorial analysis of semantic structures in monolingual Indian and American school children.

430 monolingual, Hindi-speaking elementary school children in India and 200 English-speaking Ss in the United States rated 15 concepts on 15 bipolar semantic scales. Factor analyses yielded a bifactor common space for the United States sample, and 3- and 4-factor space for the 8- and 12-yr-old Ss, respectively, in the Indian sample. The common denominator, evaluative, potency, and activity semantic space, was observed in both cultural samples. The 2 sample factor structures showed evidences of factorial congruence. Between sample factorial dissimilarities are suggested to be due to Culture-Concept-Scale interactions. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Health and environmental effects on the academic readiness of school-age children.

Secondary analysis was used to examine how health and environmental risk affect mathematics and reading readiness in a sample of 867 5- and 6-year-old children from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Measures of risk included low birth weight, length of hospitalization at birth, rehospitalization during the first year of life, family income, maternal education, and the quality of the home environment. Although academic readiness was largely explained by environmental risk, child morbidity had a significant independent impact on reading performance. Furthermore, interaction analyses indicated that child morbidity was predictive of poor mathematics performance only for children from impoverished homes. In contrast, results also indicated that low birth weight children may be less able to benefit from higher levels of maternal education in terms of reading performance. These findings are discussed in the context of developmental risk. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Beyond correlational analysis of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS): A classification validity study.

This study investigated the classification validity of the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) using a sample of kindergarteners (N = 177). Results indicated the cutoff scores for determining at-risk status on the DIBELS produced substantial false negative rates. Cutoff scores identifying students as at some risk produced substantial false positive rates. At both levels of risk status, the DIBELS showed low positive predictive power, but high negative predictive power, indicating it was far better at identifying students with adequate reading skills than those with inadequate reading skills. Recommendations for appropriate use of the DIBELS for reading screening and suggestions for future research are provided. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessing students' metacognitive awareness of reading strategies.

This article describes the development and validation of a new self-report instrument, the Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategies Inventory, which is designed to assess adolescent and adult readers' metacognitive awareness and perceived use of reading strategies while reading academic or school-related materials. There were 3 strategy subscales or factors: Global Reading Strategies, Problem-Solving Strategies, and Support Reading Strategies. The reliability and factorial validity of the scale were demonstrated. After a brief review of the literature, the development and validation of the instrument are described, and its psychometric properties are discussed. In addition, directions for administering and scoring the instrument are provided, and suggestions for interpreting the results obtained are offered. Finally, the scales' implications for reading research and instruction are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multivariate behavioral genetic analysis of achievement and cognitive measures in reading-disabled and control twin pairs

In recent years behavioral genetic studies have provided conclusive evidence that reading disability and related learning disorders, such as mathematics disability, are due at least in part to heritable factors (DeFries et al. 1987; Alarcón et al. 1997). Although the observed relationship between performance in these areas also may be due substantially to genetic influences (Light and DeFries 1995; Thompson et al. 1991), relatively few studies have examined the genetic and environmental etiology of this covariation in a multivariate framework. In the present study data from 196 identical (monozygotic; MZ) and 155 same-sex fraternal (dizygotic; DZ) twin pairs in which at least one member of each pair evidenced reading problems in school (reading disabled) were subjected to a multivariate behavioral genetic analysis. Structural equation models were fitted to twin data for verbal IQ (VIQ), phonological decoding ability (PHON), reading performance (READ), and mathematics performance (MATH) to assess the extent to which VIQ and PHON mediate the observed covariation between READ and MATH. Results suggest that VIQ and PHON account for most of the covariation between READ and MATH. Moreover, approximately 82% of the observed correlation between READ and MATH was due to genetic factors that also influence VIQ and PHON. When data from 132 MZ and 91 same-sex DZ control twin pairs in which neither twin had a history of reading problems were subjected to the same analyses, the covariation between READ and MATH was found to be due to both genetic and shared environmental influences. Thus genetic factors that influence VIQ and PHON also contribute to the observed covariation between READ and MATH in both a reading-disabled and a control twin sample.     

Father absence, educational preparedness, and academic achievement: A test of the confluence model.

Investigated predictions of academic deficits due to early and continuing parental absence, as derived from R. Zajonc and G. Markus's (see record 1975-09290-001) and Zajonc's (see record 1976-20589-001) confluence model. To test these predictions, equal numbers of father-present and father-absent lower-class Black kindergartners (60 of each sex) were assessed on 12 educational preparedness measures. Two years later, they were tested for reading, mathematics, and language arts achievement. A Father Absence?×?Sex analysis of covariance (with social class controlled) of preparedness factor scores revealed no significant effects. Similar multivariate analysis of the achievement criteria revealed main (favoring father-present Ss) and interaction effects on the mathematics test. Pair-wise comparisons suggested that father presence facilitated the mathematics performance of girls more than boys. Results only partially support the confluence model predictions. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An extension of developmental models that separate ontogenetic changes and cohort differences.

Briefly reviews the developmental models of P. B. Baltes, R. B. Cattell, and K. W. Schaie. Baltes's original criticisms of Schaie's trifactor model are reinforced on the basis of additional considerations. Cattell's proposal for separating developmental curves into genetic and environmental additive component curves is closely scrutinized. Baltes's bifactor model (age and cohort), which involves longitudinal and cross-sectional sequential methods for data gathering, is extended to include a 3rd strategy in the form of the time-lag sequential method. 2 new possibilities for applying the bifactor developmental model to ability factors are considered: (a) changes in heritability ratios, and (b) changes in cognitive complexity or the trait pattern (the number of factors and their interrelationships). Some methodological problems associated with the proposed extensions and implications for future research are briefly discussed. (90 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The structure of personality disorders in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Research on the structure of personality disorders (PDs) has relied primarily on exploratory analyses to evaluate trait-based models of the factors underlying the covariation of these disorders. This study used confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate whether a model that included both PD traits and a general personality dysfunction factor would account for the comorbidity of the PDs better than a trait-only model. It also examined if the internalizing/externalizing model of psychopathology, developed previously through research on the structure of Axis I disorders, might similarly account for the covariation of the Axis II disorders in a sample of 245 veterans and nonveterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. Results indicated that the best fitting model was a modified bifactor structure composed of nine lower-order common factors. These factors indexed pathology ranging from aggression to dependency, with the correlations among them accounted for by higher-order Internalizing and Externalizing factors. Further, a general factor, reflecting a construct that we termed boundary disturbance, accounted for additional variance and covariance across nearly all the indicators. The Internalizing, Externalizing, and Boundary Disturbance factors evidenced differential associations with trauma-related covariates. These findings suggest continuity in the underlying structure of psychopathology across DSM–IV Axes I and II and provide empirical evidence of a pervasive, core disturbance in the boundary between self and other across the PDs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

Development of emergent literacy and early reading skills in preschool children: Evidence from a latent-variable longitudinal study.

Although research has identified oral language, print knowledge, and phonological sensitivity as important emergent literacy skills for the development of reading, few studies have examined the relations between these aspects of emergent literacy or between these skills during preschool and during later reading. This study examined the joint and unique predictive significance of emergent literacy skills for both later emergent literacy skills and reading in two samples of preschoolers. Ninety-six children (mean age?=?41 months, SD?=?9.41) were followed from early to late preschool, and 97 children (mean age?=?60 months, SD?=?5.41) were followed from late preschool to kindergarten or first grade. Structural equation modeling revealed significant developmental continuity of these skills, particularly for letter knowledge and phonological sensitivity from late preschool to early grade school, both of which were the only unique predictors of decoding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

On the dimensionality of the Dispositional Hope Scale.

The Dispositional Hope Scale (DHS; C. R. Snyder et al., 1991) consists of two subsets of items measuring Agency and Pathways. The authors used bifactor analysis to evaluate the dimensionality structure of the scale. Data from 676 persons (295 psychiatric patients, 112 delinquents, and 269 students) were analyzed. The authors conclude that although the Pathway items seem to explain some additional variance when the Hope scale variance is partionalized out, the DHS allows unidimensional measurement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Two competing attentional mechanisms in category learning.

This research provides evidence that there are 2 competing attentional mechanisms in category learning. Attentional persistence directs attention to attributes previously found to be predictive, whereas attentional contrast directs attention to attribute values that have not already been associated with a category. Three experiments provided evidence for these mechanisms. Experiments 1 and 2 provided evidence for persistence because increased attention to an attribute followed training in which that attribute was relevant. These experiments also provided evidence for contrast because attention was also increased to the values of an attribute when the values of another, more salient attribute had already been associated with categories. Experiment 3 provided evidence that persistence operates primarily at the level of attributes, whereas contrast operates at the level of attribute values. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intrinsic and extrinsic reading motivation as predictors of reading literacy: A longitudinal study.

The purpose in this study was to examine the longitudinal relationships of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation with reading literacy development. In particular, the authors (a) investigated reading amount as mediator between motivation and reading literacy and (b) probed for bidirectional relationships between reading motivation and reading literacy, controlling for previous reading literacy. A total of 740 students participated in a longitudinal assessment starting in Grade 3, with further points of measurement in Grades 4 and 6. Structural equation models with latent variables showed that the relationship between intrinsic reading motivation and later reading literacy was mediated by reading amount but not when previous reading literacy was included in the model. A bidirectional relationship was found between extrinsic reading motivation and reading literacy: Grade 3 reading literacy negatively predicted extrinsic reading motivation in Grade 4, which in turn negatively predicted reading literacy in Grade 6. Implications for research and practice are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment for instructional decisions: Toward a proactive/prevention model of decision-making for early literacy skills.

Uses a case study to illustrate a problem solving model of educational decision making using Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) measures to provide a local normative context, to monitor progress, and to evaluate the effects of interventions on an individual basis. The linkage between assessment information and educational decisions is demonstrated in the 4 phases of the problem solving model: Problem Identification, Problem Validation, Exploring Solutions, and Evaluating Solutions. For the case study, the problem solving model using DIBELS measures of phonological awareness provided important information regarding who to target for intervention, what skill to target in the intervention, and which interventions were effective. Using DIBELS measures of early literacy skills, educators can intervene early to prevent serious reading difficulties later. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)