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Evaluation of child-friendly school (CFS) policies is essential to determine the achievements of school efforts in reducing violence cases. This research aims to proving the reliability and validity of CFS policy evaluation instruments in elementary schools with different locations. This investigation uses the Context Input Process Product (CIPP) evaluation model to confirm the factor structure or dimensions of several observed variables (items) to evaluate the reliability and validity of the CFS policy evaluation tool in elementary schools. The validity and reliability of previously created instruments are evaluated quantitatively, but this study utilises different subjects and study sites. There were 320 respondents, with 145 school principals and 175 teachers taken randomly. Confirmatory factors analysis (CFA) results show goodness of fit (GOF), and the model is acceptable. The CFS evaluation instrument can be accepted after eliminating several question items and modifying them. All items of the teal instrument meet the goodness of fit criteria in terms of chi-square and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). The instrument for evaluating CFS policies in primary schools using the CIPP model has met a valid and reliable psychometric property test so that it can be applied.

It is widely recognized that students encounter difficulties with proof across all grades and beyond, yet standardized instruments related specifically to students' perceived self-efficacy for mathematical proof have not been readily available. The purpose of this study was to develop and investigate preliminary validity evidence for a new instrument for measuring self-efficacy for mathematical proof that can be of importance to the field. The new Perceived Self-Efficacy for Proof (PSEP) questionnaire is a self-administered, 8-item questionnaire that quantifies experimentation, conjecturing, inductive reasoning, justification, and validation. To validate the PSEP, two studies with 260 eleventh grade students--recruited from three Dinaledi schools in EThekwini metropolitan area, South Africa--were conducted. In Study 1 (n=128), face and content validity were evaluated, and an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed. In Study 2 (n=132), a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted and external validity was investigated. In both samples, the PSEP was found to possess good internal consistency reliability with relatively high factor loadings on a single component. Although the findings in this report represent preliminary validation evidence, it can be concluded that the PSEP is a valid, reliable and sensitive measure of 11th grade students' perceptions of their ability to construct a proof and may serve as a meaningful outcome in mathematical proof research and classroom proof education.

Education currently only prioritizes mastery of scientific aspects and students' intelligence. Math problems are still related to fictitious general knowledge. For this reason, local wisdom-based learning is needed whose learning is packaged using objects, events, and various things that are close to students' lives to raise the local potential of regions in Indonesia. Therefore, the researchers developed Realistic Mathematics Problems Based on Local Wisdom (RMPBLW) Sidoarjo. The question is expected not only as a measuring tool for students but also as a step in character building by introducing local cultures to students. The purpose of this study was to develop mathematical problems based on Sidoarjo's local wisdom on valid and reliable flat-shaped materials. This type of research is research and development or Research and Development (R&D). This study uses 3 stages of test tests, namely expert validation to test the feasibility of the questions, test the practicality in terms of readability of the questions with small group students, and test the validity of the items and the reliability of the questions with quantitative methods. This study produced 15 mathematical questions based on Sidoarjo's local wisdom on flat-shaped material that had been declared valid with an r-[subscript value] > r-[subscript table] (0.4438) and was declared reliable with a reliability value of 0.97.

Mathematical thinking beliefs are a significant element in supporting teachers' practices of learning and teaching school mathematics. Most prior researches on mathematics beliefs have focused on teachers' beliefs about learning and teaching mathematics in general. This research aimed to validate a Mathematical Thinking Belief instruments (MTB). The instrument was distributed to 523 mathematics teachers in Omani public schools. These teachers were asked to write their opinion in an instrument with a 5-point Likert scale. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis have been applied to test the MTB using AMOS 25.0. All constructs show acceptable internal consistency reliability. The model meet a good model fit for the mathematical thinking beliefs measurement model through different fit index tests such as CMINDF, CFI, GFI, SRMR, RMSEA, and TLI. The results show that all indices of fit criteria were achieved. It is also indicated that acceptable validity, construct reliability and variance extracted values.

Research has shown that emotions play a significant role in the learning process and academic achievement. However, the fact that measurement of emotions during or after instruction usually requires written responses on lengthy research instruments has been given as a reason why researchers have tended to avoid research on this topic in classrooms. Consequently, we developed a short Likert-scale instrument which used only three items within the three factors of interest, well-being and boredom to measure adolescent emotions during instruction in science education. We present four different studies in four populations to assess the validity of the scale. In order to determine the reliability and validity of the instrument, it was administered to pupils across a range of grades (grades 6-12) after being taught standardised lessons by 14 teachers in south-western Germany. The data generated were analysed statistically in terms of their reliability and validity. As the three independent factors (interest, well-being and boredom) had been derived from theoretical constructs, confirmatory factor analysis was applied. In a second study based on pupils from different age groups, grades and school subjects, we found different scores according to age and subject, suggesting that the scale is sensitive to these parameters. A third study used two standardised educational programs in zoology and botany for 5th and 6th graders to assess the scale's sensitivity towards changes in emotions. Pupils rated the zoological topic as more interesting than the botanical topic, as less boring and they felt better. External validity was determined by correlating the data that was generated using our scale in a fourth study on University students with the data generated by an established measurement of motivation (the shortened German version of the KIM--"Kurzskala zur Intrinsischen Motivation"). The data generated suggest that the three factors cluster satisfactorily and that the instrument, which can be administered with minimum disruption of classroom time, is both reliable and valid. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.)

The purpose of this investigation was twofold: (a) to explore the use of a new rating scale that measures teachers' attitudes toward their students and (b) to investigate the attitudes of inclusive teachers toward their students with disabilities using the rating scale. Fifty inclusive elementary teachers in 12 northeast Ohio schools rated all of their students with disabilities (N = 156) and 4 students without disabilities in each of their classrooms in the attitudinal categories of attachment, concern, indifference, and rejection. Results indicated that (a) the rating procedure exhibited modest test-retest reliability and moderate concurrent validity with a previously validated nomination procedure; (b) in comparison to students without disabilities, included students with disabilities received significantly higher ratings of teacher concern, indifference, and rejection, and significantly lower attachment ratings; and (c) average teacher indifference ratings toward their included students related positively and significantly to presence of paraprofessionals, and average teacher rejection ratings of included students were inversely and significantly related to school district socioeconomic status. Implications for practice and policy are discussed.

The recent influx of students with disabilities into postsecondary education has generated a concomitant increase in the demand for psychoeducational assessments that include a measure of cognitive ability, either to identify ability-achievement discrepancies or to rule out alternate or comorbid diagnoses. The most commonly recommended cognitive ability measure for adults is the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III). However, evidence regarding the psychometric fitness of the WAIS-III for postsecondary assessments is needed. Of particular interest is its structural validity among these students. This study applied exploratory factor analysis to the WAIS-III scores of 183 students at a large Mid-Atlantic university who were referred for determination of postsecondary disability eligibility. The same four-factor model proposed by Wechsler (1997) for the general population was also appropriate for these students. Thus, these results support the use of the WAIS-III with postsecondary students with suspected disabilities. (Contains 3 tables.)

Background: Interest in the role of metacognition has been steadily rising in most forms of education. This study focuses on the construction of a questionnaire for measuring metacognitive knowledge, metacognitive regulation and metacognitive responsiveness among students in higher education and the subsequent process of testing to determine its validity. Purpose: The aim of the study was to construct an original instrument for measuring features of metacognition, henceforth referred to as the Awareness of Independent Learning Inventory (AILI), and further to establish the similarities and differences between this model and existing instruments for measuring metacognition. Sample: The AILI questionnaire was distributed to 1058 students in various types of Teacher Training Institutes in the Netherlands and Belgium. The abridged English version of the questionnaire was administered to another sample of 729 students reading Economics and Business Administration at the University of Maastricht in the south of the Netherlands. Design and methods: The AILI instrument was constructed on the basis of a facet design along two dimensions: components of metacognition and topics of concern to students in higher education. The data gathered with the instrument was analyzed by means of a generalisability study and a decision study, respectively. The validity of the instrument was investigated by using confirmatory factor analysis. Results: The generalisability study showed that the reliability of the instrument was satisfactory. The decision study revealed that the number of items included in the questionnaire could be reduced substantially by leaving out two components of one of the dimensions in the facet design, without losing too much generalisability. The validity study showed that there was a considerable level of congruity between parts of the AILI questionnaire and the relevant parts of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Conclusions: The AILI questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring metacognitive knowledge, regulation and responsiveness. It is suitable for use in the evaluation of the effects of interventions that purport to increase metacognitive knowledge, regulation and responsiveness of students in higher education. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)

Aim: The purpose of this study was to create and validate the Communication Function Classification System (CFCS) for children with cerebral palsy (CP), for use by a wide variety of individuals who are interested in CP. This paper reports the content validity, interrater reliability, and test-retest reliability of the CFCS for children with CP. Method: An 11-member development team created comprehensive descriptions of the CFCS levels, and four nominal groups comprising 27 participants critiqued these levels. Within a Delphi survey, 112 participants commented on the clarity and usefulness of the CFCS. Interrater reliability was completed by 61 professionals and 68 parents/relatives who classified 69 children with CP aged 2 to 18 years. Test-retest reliability was completed by 48 professionals who allowed at least 2 weeks between classifications. The participants who assessed the CFCS were all relevant stakeholders: adults with CP, parents of children with CP, educators, occupational therapists, physical therapists, physicians, and speech-language pathologists. Results: The interrater reliability of the CFCS was 0.66 between two professionals and 0.49 between a parent and a professional. Professional interrater reliability improved to 0.77 for classification of children older than 4 years. The test-retest reliability was 0.82. Interpretation: The CFCS demonstrates content validity and shows very good test-retest reliability, good professional interrater reliability, and moderate parent-professional interrater reliability. Combining the CFCS with the Gross Motor Function Classification System and the Manual Ability Classification System contributes to a functional performance view of daily life for individuals with CP, in accordance with the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.

In this paper, the author aims to provide novice researchers with an understanding of the general problem of validity in social science research and to acquaint them with approaches to developing strong support for the validity of their research. She provides insight into these two important concepts, namely (1) validity; and (2) reliability, and introduces the major methods to assess validity and reliability as they relate to behavioural research. The paper is organised as follows. The first section presents what reliability of measurement means and the techniques most frequently used to estimate reliability. Three important questions researchers frequently ask about reliability are discussed: (1) what affects the reliability of a test?; (2) how can a test be made more reliable?; and (3) what is a satisfactory level of reliability? The second section presents what validity means and the methods to develop strong support for validity in behavioural research. Four types of validity are introduced: (1) statistical conclusion validity; (2) internal validity; (3) construct validity; and (4) external validity. Approaches to substantiate them are also discussed. The paper concludes with a summary and suggestions. (Contains 2 figures.)

In the United States, students who are deaf or hard of hearing (SDHH) are required to participate in high-stakes standardized assessments under No Child Left Behind reforms. In 2006-2007, states added science to reading and mathematics as a tested content area. Many SDHH participate in these assessments using testing accommodations, but teachers have few evidence-based resources to draw upon when making accommodations decisions. Two research questions guided this study: (a) What were patterns of SDHH 2006-2007 test accommodations use in state standardized assessments in mathematics, reading, and science? (b) What evidence did teachers use to determine the effectiveness of accommodations for SDHH? A total of 290 participants described their assessment practices with SDHH via an online and paper-and-pencil survey. Extended time, small group, and test directions interpreted were the most frequently used accommodations by SDHH, but there were some different patterns in science for accommodations that included changes to the test items. Teachers reported both student satisfaction and test score validity epistemologies of accommodations' effectiveness.

The difference in gain scores produced by traditional pretests and those produced by retrospective pretests when compared to posttest scores on the Science Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument for preservice teachers was investigated in this study. Results indicated that gain scores using the traditional pretest produced significant improvement in one factor, but not in the other, which is congruent with most other results for this instrument found in the literature. However, gain scores produced by using retrospective pretests produced a greater magnitude of significance for the first factor, and also produced significant gains for the second factor. Follow-up interviews with participants provided evidence for greater internal validity for the retrospective pretest. Findings support the notion that retrospective pretests may produce gain scores with greater validity and greater statistical power.

A study investigated the usefulness of two U.S. instruments for measuring college student perceptions of teacher effectiveness. Although the measures showed internal consistency, most items were seen as appropriate, and each item was considered of importance by some students, further analysis suggests cross-cultural validity may be weak. (Author/MSE)

Background: Foot and ankle problems are frequently prevalent, especially among the elderly, ranging from 70 to 80%. In primary care, foot, and ankle complaints stand out as one of the most frequent reasons for orthopedic consultations. Patient-reported outcome measures are significant in the assessment burden of any condition on the effects of intervention as well as research. The Foot Function Index (FFI) is a region-specific tool that was identified as one of the most commonly used evaluation tools for foot complaints. This study aimed to translate, cross-cultural adapt, and test the psychometric properties of FFI in the Urdu language. Methodology: The FFI was translated into Urdu language (FFI-U) following Beaton et al. translation guidelines. The data were collected from 230 Urdu-speaking participants with different foot and ankle pathologies. Data collection started after the written informed consent from the participants. All participants completed the FFI-U, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), SF-36, and the Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS) at baseline while only 30 participants completed ULFI-U after one week for test-retest reliability. The psychometric properties involved reliability and validity testing. Reliability was assessed where internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability through the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). FFI-U was tested for face validity and construct validity (convergent and discriminant). Psychometric criteria were examined against priori hypotheses, and alpha level (p-value < 0.05) was considered statistically significant. Results: FFI-U demonstrated good reliability with internal consistency (α = 0.86) and test-retest reliability with intra-class correlation coefficient = 0.845 (0.78–0.89). A moderate correlation was found using Pearson correlation between FFI-U total score and physical components of SF-36, VAS (pain, disability), and FAOS (γ= -0.65, 0.72, 0.71, -0.68) respectively, indicating convergent validity however, a weak correlation was found with mental components of SF-36 (γ=-0.25) demonstrating discriminant validity. Face validity was assessed at the pre-final testing stage by interviewing patients. There were no floor and ceiling effects found for FFI-U. Conclusion: The FFI-U has been found reliable, valid, and feasible tool to be used as a patient-reported outcome measure to assess functional levels with different foot and ankle disorders in Urdu speaking population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Physical resilience is known to minimize the adverse outcomes of health stressors for older people. However, validated instruments that assess physical resilience in older adults are rare. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to translate the Physical Resilience Scale (PRS) into Chinese and to validate its psychometric properties in a population of community-dwelling older adults following SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This study used a cross-sectional design and translated the Physical Resilience Scale into Chinese. A total of 426 older adults who had recovered from SARS-CoV-2 infection were chosen for assessment through convenience sampling. The measurement data were analyzed using the Rasch analysis. Results: Rasch analysis indicates that the Physical Resilience Scale demonstrates excellent reliability, validity, and unidimensionality. The Infit MNSQ and Outfit MNSQ of each entry were 0.77 ~ 1.19, and the degree of fit of each entry to the scale was good. Person and item separation reliability support the internal consistency of the studied samples and PRS items. Conclusions: The Physical Resilience Scale has good reliability and is suitable for the assessment of physical resilience tests in older people. However, the overall difficulty of the scale is not suitable for older adults of all ability ranges, and it is possible to add higher and lower difficulty items and adjust the difficulty spacing between items in a later study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Instruments to assess the knowledge about the rights of persons with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities, the attitudes toward their role as rights holders, and mental health professionals' practices related to substitute decision-making and coercion are either missing or lack evaluation of their validity and reliability. Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the validity and reliability of three instruments developed to fill this gap in the literature, the World Health Organization's QualityRights (WHO QR) Knowledge questionnaire, the WHO QR Attitudes questionnaire, and the WHO QR Practices questionnaire. Methods: A sample of participants was recruited and completed an online survey. Content validity and face validity were assessed for the three questionnaires. Based on the characteristics of the questionnaires, different approaches were used to assess their construct validity (confirmatory factor analysis, known group validity, and convergent and divergent validity). Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha and test re-test reliability using Pearson's and Spearman's r coefficients. Results: The analyses conducted indicate that the three questionnaires are valid and reliable instruments to evaluate the knowledge about the rights of persons with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities, the attitudes toward their role as rights holders, and mental health professionals' practices related to substitute decision-making and coercion. Conclusion: This finding lends support to the use of these instruments both within mental health services and in the general population for a better understanding of current knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to a human rights-based approach to mental health in mental health services and the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sense of Agency (SoA) refers to the individual's perception of control over actions and their subsequent impact on the external environment. SoA encompasses multiple dimensions, such as implicit/local and explicit/general, which can be quantitatively assessed through cognitive tasks and psychometric questionnaires, respectively. The explicit and general aspect of SoA is commonly evaluated using the Sense of Agency Scale (SoAS). This study's objective is to adapt and validate a Japanese version of the Tapal-SoAS. To achieve this, we distributed an online survey in three stages, gathering data from 8,237 Japanese participants aged between their 20s and 60s. Our analysis confirmed the bifactorial structure identified in the original study: the Sense of Positive Agency (SoPA) and the Sense of Negative Agency (SoNA). Metrics pertaining to test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity reached satisfactory thresholds. Furthermore, the two-factor models demonstrated suitable fit across various age cohorts. The Japanese version of the SoAS (J-SoAS) shows potential for cross-cultural comparisons of explicit and general SoA, particularly between Western and Eastern populations, and among distinct age groups, including young adults and the elderly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compile a scale of Chinese college students' perception of teachers' differential behavior and to provide a reference for college students to establish correct life values, promote college students' physical and mental health, and reduce teachers' differential treatment. Methods: Open-ended questionnaires and expert interviews were used to conduct interviews and correspondence with 58 college students, ten psychologists, and six psychologists to form an initial questionnaire. Then, the scale's exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and reliability and validity test were conducted on 7053 college students from 18 universities in 6 provinces (municipalities directly under the Central Government). Results: The Chinese college students' perception of teachers' differential behavior scale has two dimensions: teacher prejudice and preference. Each dimension includes three aspects: emotional feedback, behavior orientation, and opportunity privilege, and each aspect have a total of 4 items. The consistency test coefficients of each dimension and each factor of the prepared scale are all above 0.7, and the split-half reliability is above 0.6. Confirmatory factor analysis shows that the six-factor structural model fits well (χ2/df = 4.287, RMSEA = 0.066, CFI = 0.950, TLI = 0.919). Using the generalized anxiety disorder scale and the patient health questionaire-9items as empirical criteria, each factor in the scale demonstrated significant correlations with both the GAD scale and the patient health questionaire-9items. Conclusions: The Chinese college students' perception of teachers' differential behavior scale has a two-dimensional six-factor structure and has good reliability and validity. It can be used as an effective tool to measure Chinese college students' perceived teacher differential behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 imposed significant shifts in global health, particularly in understanding and addressing anxiety disorders precipitated by pandemic-related stressors. The current study aimed to adapt and validate the COVID-19 Anxiety Questionnaire (C-19 A) for Arabic-speaking populations (C-19 A-A), assessing its structural integrity, concurrent validity, factorial validity, and reliability. Methods: The data of 571 individuals, including age range, educational history, gender, and marital status, were collected through online platforms. The translation process of C-19 A-A underwent rigorous verification by linguistic and subject matter experts. Several advanced statistical procedures were used to examine the C-19 A-A's reliability, validity, and measurement invariances across demographic subsets. Results: The results indicated robust internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.889, confirming the questionnaire's reliability. Concurrent validity showed significant and positive correlations between C-19-A and FCV-19S (r = 0.77, p < 0.000). EFA revealed a dominant factor explaining 60.4% of the variance, bolstering the questionnaire's factorial validity. CFA further validated the model's adequacy across different demographic groups. Specifically, demographic factors such as age, gender, and educational level showed distinct patterns of COVID-19-related anxiety. Conclusion: The validated Arabic version of the C-19 A-A represents a pivotal tool for assessing pandemic-induced anxiety within Arabic-speaking communities. Its deployment enables targeted identification of vulnerable individuals, facilitating tailored health interventions and informing clinical strategies. This research underscores the pivotal role of culturally attuned assessment instruments in shaping effective public health responses and therapeutic interventions aimed at mitigating the psychological sequelae of global health crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Today's problems of cities make it necessary to pay attention to the idea of healthy cities more than in the past. A requirement to have a healthy city is to identify health indicators in different dimensions. The study of these indicators requires accurate and reliable measurement tools. In this regard, the study was conducted with the aim of designing and psychometrically and using the questionnaire of the indicators of Healthy city. Materials and Methods: A descriptive study was conducted in the first stage on 300 adults aged 20 and over in Isfahan city and in the second stage on 150 people in 1402. The initial questionnaire of healthy city indicators was designed with 107 items based on the opinions of professors and experts in the fields of urban planning, urban engineering, environmental health, psychology, health and social welfare, health policy, health in disasters. In different stages of psychometrics, face validity, content validity (CVR, CVI), criteria (divergent and convergent), exploratory factor analysis and reliability were measured using Cronbach's alpha method. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient, Student's t-test and analysis of variance were used to report the data in the software (version 26, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Results: In the phase of determining quantitative face and content validity (CVR greater than 0.51 and CVI greater than 0.79 was acceptable), 52 items out of 107 items of the questionnaire were removed. All the remaining 55 items had a significant correlation with the total score of the questionnaire in the internal consistency measurement stage. In the Varimax exploratory factor analysis stage, 5 factors had an eigenvalue greater than one and were named as follows: "welfare, support and social participation" by explaining 53.99% of the variance; "Public, health and sanitary services"; "Cultural, educational and residential accesses"; "Emergency, health and social management"; and "fitness and urban beauty". Convergent and divergent validity was confirmed due to the stronger correlation between each item's score with its respective dimension score (P<0.0001), and lower correlation with other dimensions. Reliability was calculated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the entire questionnaire at 0.959 and for the questionnaire scales in the range of 0.934 to 0.784. According to the findings of the application stage, no statistically significant difference was observed between the average score of the indicators of Healthy city by sex, education level, and employment status of the citizens. Conclusion: The psychometrics of the questionnaire of the indicators of Healthy city indicated that the evaluations carried out in different stages were approved, as a result, the questionnaire has sufficient validity and reliability and usability. The results of this study can be used by policy makers and agents of the urban area and benefit from the benefits of planning related to measuring and using the tools of all citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]