Search

The quality of English language education in universities is vital in preparing individuals for the increasingly globalized world. Assessing the efficacy of English teaching programs is therefore crucial to ensuring such quality. Consequently, this study aims to evaluate the optional English preparatory program of a state university using the CIPP model dimensions: context, input, process, and product. The current study employs a mixedmethods research approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data to address the research questions. The study sample comprised 247 preparatory graduate and 77 preparatory students, as well as 6 lecturers. In the quantitative part, The CIPP scale (Context, Input, Process, and Product), developed by the researchers based on item analysis, second-order exploratory factor analysis, reliability analysis, criterion validity, and content validity, was used to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the English preparatory program based on responses of participants to the items in four dimensions of the scale. The qualitative aspect of the study involved obtaining responses from participant students through open-ended questions and conducting semi-structured interviews with lecturers. These responses were analyzed, and the resulting excerpts were used to support and complement the findings obtained from the quantitative findings. The results indicate that the participants were highly satisfied with the optional nature of the program and held positive perceptions of it. However, some improvements, particularly in the physical conditions of the program's context dimension, such as the library, laboratory, and school building, were required. The findings from the input and process dimensions reveal the importance of increasing target language use and prioritization of speaking skills in the product dimension. The developed CIPP scale, which is statistically reliable and valid, can be utilized by researchers to evaluate English preparatory programs using the CIPP model. The study concludes by offering several key recommendations for creating a more effective English preparatory program based on the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To produce and validate a digital booklet on the use of masks in the COVID-19 pandemic context. Method: An online methodological study was conducted, comprising the following steps: search for themes and theoretical study, creation of the digital booklet, expert validation, adjustments following expert validation, validation by the target audience (general population), adjustments following validation by the target audience, and publication. Validation was based on a satisfactory Content Validity Index (CVI) of ≥0.70. Results: The booklet "Safe Use of Masks: How to Protect Myself and Others" was produced and validated by 20 specialists and 19 target audience members, with an overall average CVI of 0.99. The content and appearance were validated with indices ranging between 0.94 and 1.00. Conclusion: The booklet is valid and appropriate, assessed as a motivating educational technology that is easily understandable regarding mask use, contributing to increasing the population's knowledge in the pandemic context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Hardy personality construct as proposed by Kobasa is defined by three dimensions: engagement, control, and challenge. It was Originally designed to assess Hardy personality (HPA) in work environment. HPA has been accepted and validated in different Latin American countries, nonetheless, in Mexico, its psychometric properties haven't been validated. Aim: To analyze psychometric properties of HPA in Mexican adults. Methodology: A non-randomized sample of 357 adults participated and reported being healthy. HPA was adapted to face ordinary life. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis allowed to estimate three models, the one that showed better adjustment of fit was the trifactorial (engagement, control, and challenge) with a second-order factor (hardy personality), internal consistency of HPA was acceptable and construct validity indicated positive correlations in HPA dimensions with life satisfaction, optimism, and general efficacy, and negative correlations with axiety and social disfunction. Conclusions: Results indicated that HPA has satisfactory psychometric properties and that can be used to assess hardy personality (engagement, control, and challenge) in Mexican adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Design and validate two scales of sexual communication with the partner in men who have sex with men, which together evaluate five components of communication, content, extension, style, time and context. Methodology: It was divided into two phases, the first to develop the items that make up each scale, and the second to obtain their psychometric properties. 200 men participated in the first phase and 1,190 men participated in the second phase, in both cases with an active sexual life, single and who reported having sex with men, half of them diagnosed with hiv and whose route of infection was through sexual contact. The strategy of modified natural semantic networks was applied to obtain the main ones defined for the stimuli: sexual themes and sexual communication with the partner, based on the results, the items were designed to form two scales. In both phases, the application was carried out in a clinic specialized in the care of people with hiv. Results: The results of the validation show evidence of construct validity (efa and cfa) and concurrent validity, as well as good internal consistency indexes (α, ω) in each scale showing adequate psychometric properties. Conclusions: It is necessary to evaluate communication considering all its components, for which culturally valid instruments such as the scales presented in this research are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the importance of reading strategies for the reading comprehension process, an instrument was developed to examine the use of reading prediction by elementary school students. The purpose of this study is to present the process performed to validate the content and reliability of this reading prediction task usage applied to 6th grade elementary school students. For content validation, there was a panel of judges that evaluated the instrument for conceptual relevance, clarity, language adequacy, and presentation. Content validity was also verified through the analysis of the students' answers. For the reliability analysis, the internal consistency of the items was verified. The results indicated that there was content validity through the analysis of the judges and the students' answers. The reliability of the task was also established using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Through this validation, it was considered possible to apply the instrument to a larger and more representative sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the performance of 4th and 6th grade students in the Task of Spelling Words and Pseudowords (TEPP). It was analyzed validity evidence based on the relationship with criteria (correlation with age, and comparison of groups by year of schooling and gender), as well as convergent validity through correlations among TEPP with the Balanced Dictation instrument and the Child Neuropsychological Assessment Instrument NEUPSILIN-Inf. In addition, it is presented normative data for students of 4th and 6th grades of Elementary School. It included 181 students from public schools, being 55.8% girls, with aged between 9 and 12 years old. Higher scores were identified for older and more educated students; in addition higher scores were found for girls in some TEPP measures, reinforcing the criterion validity of the instrument. The TEPP instrument has been related to spelling, attention, memory, executive functions, language and arithmetic skills, showing evidence of convergent validity. The normative data of TEPP are presented, considering the two school years of the participants, contributing to the professionals who use this instrument in clinical practice and also in the educational setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the theoretical model regarding Leader-Subordinate Relational Identity (LSRI) from the work of Tsai, Cheng, and Chou (2015), we developed the construction and measurement of LSRI scale. We also explore the relationships between leader’s LSRI and leadership behavior, subordinate’s LSRI and subordinate effectiveness to further verify the validity of the scale. There were four studies conducted in this research: Study 1, we used Critical Incident method to collect the contents of LSRI and creat the items of LSRI based on inductive approach. Study 2, employed the Proportion of Substantive Agreement method to verify the content validity of the scale. Study 3, based on the scale from Study 1 and Study 2, the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted for leader sample to filter items and to test its internal consistency and reliability. Besides, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was used with subordinate sample to verify the fitness index to ensure the discrimination among four constructs. Study 4, with the sample of 350 subordinates and 58 leaders, the effects of subordinate’s LSRI on subordinate’s effectiveness and leader’s LSRI on leader’s leadership behavior were examined to verify the relational validity of the scale. Lastly, the major findings, contributions, limits, and future directions of this research were also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System, fourth edition (DPICS IV) is a behavioral observation measure used to assess parent-child interactions. The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to examine the psychometric properties of the DPICS IV in a clinically referred Taiwanese sample of children aged 3-11 and their caregivers, (2) to provide normative data for this population, and (3) to examine normative age differences. A total of 104 Taiwanese clinically referred caregiver-child dyads completed the pre-treatment assessment for Parent-Child Interaction Therapy. Parent-report measures completed by the caregivers, as well as the DPICS IV observational data, were used for analysis. The DPICS IV had good inter-observer reliability and adequate discriminant, convergent and divergent validity for some DPICS IV indicators, including negative talk in child-led play and child compliance in parent-led play and clean-up. Differences were noted in parent-child interactions assessed by the DPICS IV based on the child’s age. The results of this study highlight good psychometrics for the DPICS IV in a clinically referred Taiwanese sample, and its established normative data can provide performance reference on the DPICS IV for this population. Future studies are needed to examine the test-retest reliability and predictive validity of the DPICS IV and to establish its normative data and psychometric properties with a non-referred Taiwanese sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Postgraduate training curricula should not be based on time-spans or predefined numbers of performed procedures. One ap- proach to link competencies to clinical tasks is the concept of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPA). The goal of this study was the definition, ranking and validation of EPAs for anaesthesiology postgraduate training and the creation of an anaesthesiologic core curriculum. Methods: Anaesthesiologists of different levels of training participated in the study (single-center, cross-sectional). First, an expert group defined a preliminary list of EPAs. Then a first Delphi round (n= 47 participants) was applied to identify daily anaesthesiology tasks with the goal to define EPAs. From the first Delphi round a new set of EPAs was defined, using the template and mapping method. Through an alignment process, conducted by the expert group, the preliminary EPAs and the new set of EPAs from the first Delphi round were summarised into a new list of EPAs. This list was presented to the study participants in a second Delphi round (n=80 participants), with the goal to validate and rank each EPA and to define the year of entrustment. For this purpose, participants were asked in the second Delphi round if each EPA should be included into an anaesthesiology core curriculum and in which year of training entrustment should take place. Furthermore, they were asked to rank each EPA on a numeric scale, defining its importance. From this numeric scale, the content validity index (CVI) for each EPA was calculated. Consensus of the results from the second Delphi round was calculated, using the one-way random effects model to calculate Intra-Class-Correlations (ICC). Percentages of agreement among the whole set of EPAs of this study and a previously published set of EPAs were computed. Results: A core-curriculum comprising of 39 EPAs was developed. The EPAs were subdivided into superior/high and inferior/low scoring EPAs, reflecting their importance and were mapped to the year of entrustment. The results reached high consensus among the different participating anaesthesiologist groups (overall agreement was 0.96 for the CVI of each EPA and 0.83 for the year in which the EPAs should be entrusted). Agreement with the previously defined set of EPAs was 73.3%. Conclusion: This study provides a further step in transforming postgraduate anaesthesiology training into a more contemporary approach. Other studies are necessary to complete and amend the presented core curriculum of EPA based postgraduate anaesthesiology training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to adapt the Student Expectations of Online Learning Survey Revised [SEOLS-R] developed by Harris, Larrier and Castano-Bishop (2011) into Turkish. For this purpose, the adaptation process of the scale, which consists of 7 factors and 43 items in the 5-point Likert structure, started first with the necessary permissions, and then a translation and cultural adaptation process was carried out. After the cultural adaptation process, the construct validity of the scale was tested with 411 students who study in distance education programs of Amasya University. After the construct validity findings, the reliability values of the scale were examined. In line with the findings, it was concluded that the Turkish version of the SEOLS-R scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool suitable for Turkish culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: to develop and validate a care complexity assessment system adapted for mothers and newborns, based on two pre-existing scales. Methods: this is a cross-sectional study of psychometric validation of instruments, applied in a roomming-in, in 2016. The instrument has 13 indicators, submitted to the evaluation of a panel of judges for validation. For the psychometric analysis of the instrument, five criteria were adopted: a) internal consistency through Cronbach's alpha (

It is aimed to conduct the Turkish validity and reliability study of Cyberchondria Severity Scale and to adapt it into the Turkish society. This study was conducted methodologically between April - June 2017 in Ataturk University. 411 students who used smartphones and agreed to participate in the study were included in the study. In the validity-reliability analysis, language, scope, construct validity, and reliability analyses were used. In explanatory factor analysis, it was found that KMO value was 0.91 and Barlett's test result was X2=5026.785; p<0.000. As a result of the factor analysis, it was determined that the scale had a five-factor structure and the factor loads were in the appropriate range. It was found that the Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.91. It was found that Cyberchondria Severity Scale has been an appropriate measurement tool for Turkish Language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) have emerged as a new approach to operationalise the workplace performance expect- ations for the transition from under- to postgraduate medical training. However, the transferability of such EPAs from one context to another appears limited. In this article, we report on the results of our approach to define a full set of core EPAs for entry into residency with the expectation to be performed under distant supervision. Methods: The EPA development involved a modified, three round Delphi study, conducted at the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin. The super- vision level was operationalised as supervisor being distantly available and findings being reviewed. The threshold for consent was reaching a content validity index of a least 80%. The Delphi study involved exper- ienced physicians (n=45) and resulted in a set of core EPAs with the descriptions of the categories: title, specification/limitations, conditions and implications of entrustment decision, knowledge, skills, and attitude, link to competencies and assessment sources. Results: The response rates were 76-80% in the Delphi rounds. Key to the content validation process for the performance expectation was deciding on "to act under distant supervision". The results are full descriptions of 12 core EPAs, organised into 5 overarching EPA domains. Conclusions: Our systematic approach yielded the definition of 12 core EPAs for entry into residency at the level of "act with distant supervision" according to the practice in our context. This report may support other medical schools who plan to implement EPAs into their curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]