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There is a strong and growing focus on self-determination in French-speaking countries, and this pilot study reports the technical adequacy of the Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report (SDI:SR) French Translation. Data were collected with 471 French-speaking youth with and without disabilities in Canada (Quebec), Switzerland, France, and Belgium. Key findings showed it was feasible to use 20 (of 21) items to represent the self-determination construct in the French-speaking sample. The same set of items function in the same way across students with and without disabilities, and students with disabilities descriptively scored lower. Overall, this study provides promising evidence for reliability and validity of the SDI:SR French Translation and suggests ongoing development and larger-scale testing of the SDI:SR French Translation is warranted.

In the absence of a contemporaneous measure, the present study aimed to validate a French language translation of the Multidimensional Test Anxiety Scale (MTAS). In addition, measurement invariance was tested for gender and age. The participants were 520 secondary school students aged 11-16 years. A four-factor model of the MTAS showed a good fit to the data, good internal consistency, and the expected relations with trait anxiety and fear of assessment (positive), and examination performance (negative). Scalar invariance was shown for gender and age. Female students reported higher test anxiety scores. Older students reported higher scores on just one MTAS factor (cognitive interference); remaining factors were stable with age. The translated measure will greatly assist researchers and practitioners in the assessment of test anxiety in French language populations.

The present study sought to examine the psychometric properties of new German, Portuguese, and Spanish versions of the Revised Short Form of the Physical Self-Inventory (PSI-S-"R"), and to contrast these properties against those from the original French version of this instrument. Participants (n = 1802) were 288 French youth, 177 German youth, 848 Portuguese youths and 489 Spanish youth. Results from exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) analyses supported the factor validity and reliability of PSI-S-"R" across the overall sample and each linguistic sample. Subsequent analyses supported the weak, partial strong, and strict invariance of this measure, and revealed a lack of differential item functioning (i.e., measurement bias) as a function of age, body mass index, sex and sport involvement across all linguistic versions. However, latent mean differences were observed as a function of these predictors and countries.

The present study sought to examine the psychometric properties of the French and German versions of the Physical Self-Concept Questionnaire for Elementary School Children-Revised (PSCQ-C-R). A sample of 519 children participated in this study. Of those, 197 were French-Canadian and 322 were German. Results support the factor validity and reliability of PSCQ-C-R across the overall sample and the French-Canadian and German samples. Subsequent analyses not only supported the weak, partial strong, and strict invariance of the PSCQ-C-R across samples, but also showed significant latent mean differences across samples. Moreover, analyses revealed a lack of differential item functioning as a function of age, body mass index, and sex between samples, as well as latent mean differences (that were invariant between samples) as a function of children's age, body mass index, and sex. Finally, analyses confirmed the measurement invariance of the PSCQ-C-R over a nine-month period in the German sample.

The development of early numeracy skills in preschoolers is an important predictor of future academic performance. A multiplicity of tasks or tests measure early numeracy skills in the English-language. Nevertheless, no tools are currently in French for evaluating and monitoring the development of young children's early numeracy skills. The present study addressed this situation by creating a set of early numeracy tasks in French. In addition to examining the psychometric properties of those early numeracy tasks, we used multiple regression analyses to examine possible links between early numeracy skills and children's characteristics (sex, age, socioeconomic status). Results obtained on a sample of 167 French kindergarten students (Mean = 5.17 years, Standard Deviation = 0.59) showed the tests to have good psychometric properties. Moreover, model fit for our data were better for a single-factor model than for a two-factor model. In addition, we found links between different dimensions of early numeracy and both children's age and socioeconomic status.

The aim of this study is to propose advantages provided by computerized tools when assessing reading ability. A new computer-based reading assessment evaluating both word reading and reading comprehension processes was administered to 687 children in primary (N=400) and secondary (N=287) schools. Accuracy (weighted scores) and speed of access (response times) automatically recorded by the software were analyzed based on developmental issues (ANOVAS), correlation matrices, structural equation modeling, and clinical interpretation. Results underlined the validity and reliability of the tool. The discussion addresses the limitations of the present computer-based assessment and presents perspectives for taking fuller advantage of computerized technologies.

The aim of this study was to validate the French version of the Career Decision-Making Difficulties Questionnaire (CDDQ) and to assess its measurement invariance across gender, age groups, countries, and student versus career counseling samples. We also examined the sensitivity of this instrument to discriminate a career counseling population from a general student sample. Third, we studied the relationship between career decision-making difficulties, career decision-making self-efficacy, and self-esteem in a sample of 1,748 French and French-speaking Swiss participants. A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the overall hierarchical structure of the CDDQ. Multigroup analysis indicated that the level of invariance across groups almost always reached configural, metric, and scalar invariance. Differences between countries were very small, whereas differences between the general population and career counseling subsamples were much larger. Both self-esteem and self-efficacy significantly predicted career decision-making difficulties. Moreover, as expected, self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between self-esteem and career decision-making difficulties.

The Perceptions of Inclusion Questionnaire (PIQ) measures emotional well-being at school, social inclusion, and academic self-concept of students aged 9 to 15 years, with and without Special Educational Needs (SEN). This study aimed to validate the PIQ with French students in 6th grade. The sample included 288 students with an average age of 11 years and 4 months. Confirmatory factor analyses supported construct validity of the 3-factors. Correlations with tests already validated in French were between 0.41 and 0.60, which demonstrate the convergent validity of the different domains of the PIQ. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability are quite satisfactory (Cronbach's [alpha] > 0.70 and r > 0.73). The strict scalar invariance of the scale was verified according to gender. Furthermore, differential analyses according to gender and the presence of SEN revealed that girls show a slightly higher emotional well-being than boys and that students with SEN have a significantly lower academic self-concept than students without SEN. No other significant differences regarding gender and SEN were found. It was concluded that the French student-version of the PIQ has good psychometric properties and can be used as a simple tool for measuring inclusion of pupils with and without SEN.

This article develops and validates the Positive and Negative Adolescent Life Experiences (PANALE) scale, a 11-item tool that enables researchers to measure adolescent stressors in a more valid and efficient manner than existing adolescent stressors scales. The PANALE presents good psychometric qualities, in terms of construct validity (factorial structure, measurement invariance, and composite reliability) and concurrent validity with regard to eustress and distress symptoms in a French sample of high school adolescents (N = 1513). Overall, the PANALE provides a viable alternative to existing methods for conducting quantitative research on adolescent stress processes, notably those related to school disengagement and dropout processes.

Negatives attitudes toward children with autism are an important barrier to school inclusion. Despite the increasing amount of research, no psychometrically sound scale reliably measures these attitudes in young students. Our aim was to develop and validate a tool (Children's Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire) to evaluate attitudes (three dimensions) of students in elementary school toward peers with autism. Elementary school students (N = 204) completed the Children's Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire and two other scales assessing behavioral intentions toward peers with mental disability (Shared Activities Questionnaire-B) and familiarity with disability and autism. The confirmatory factor analysis first showed a satisfactory model fit (X[superscript 2/df] = 3.65, root mean square error of approximation = 0.114, adjusted goodness of fit index = 0.970, standardized root mean square residual = 0.067, comparative fit index = 0.967, and non-normed fit index = 0.963) and internal consistency for each dimension was good (>0.70). Second, attitudes were more positive in girls, older children, and children familiar with disability (but not with autism). The behavioral dimension of the Children's Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire had the strongest association with the Shared Activities Questionnaire-B. The Children's Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire is the first scale (1) to assess the three dimensions of attitudes toward autism (2) among children (from the age of 6 years old) and (3) to show good psychometric quality. With the Children's Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire, researchers can reliably measure children's attitudes toward peers with autism, which is especially necessary when evaluating the effectiveness of much-needed anti-stigma programs.

High rates of depressive disorders are reported among young people on the autism spectrum. This condition is generally assessed using measures validated for typically developing young people. Tools adapted to children on the autism spectrum are not tailored to detect Major Depressive Disorder, nor have they been used among samples with an intellectual disability. To fill this gap, this article builds a novel "Scale for evaluating depressive symptoms among youth on the autism spectrum" ("Echelle d'évaluation de la symptomatology dépressive spécifique à l'autisme") and evaluates its performance using a sample of 153 young people on the autism spectrum in France. The "Echelle d'évaluation de la symptomatology dépressive spécifique à l'autisme" was completed by parents of children and adolescents (aged 3-17 years) via an interview with a psychologist. The "Echelle d'évaluation de la symptomatology dépressive spécifique à l'autisme" has very good internal consistency, as well as good content validity. The scale is composed of two factors: (1) behavioral changes and (2) emotional and cognitive changes. Future studies should replicate this validation study with a larger sample size and investigate interrater reliability. Overall, results suggest preliminary support for using the "Echelle d'évaluation de la symptomatology dépressive spécifique à l'autisme" among youth on the autism spectrum.

Based on previous research and the limitations of existing questionnaires on teachers' value orientations (VOs), the purpose of this study was to develop and provide validity evidence of two French-language versions of a physical education (PE) teachers' VO questionnaire (OVEPS). The two versions are based on a model of 3 VOs (i.e., motor skills, self-awareness, and social knowledge). This paper describes the development of two forms of the OVEPS, i.e., a Likert-scale OVEPS and a forced-choice OVEPS. Two studies were conducted; the first developed evidence of the internal structure (reliability and factorial structure) of the Likert-scale OVEPS. The second presented evidence of the internal structure of the forced-choice OVEPS and its relations to other variables (convergent and divergent correlations). The results showed that the forced-choice OVEPS was the best solution and revealed three distinct PE teacher priorities in France. This questionnaire is expected to be useful for developing future studies.

Purpose: The current intelligibility tests performed on speakers with atypical speech production are limited by the ability of listeners to restore distorted sequences. This results in a measure that is overvalued when compared with the real articulatory performance. In this article, we present a new intelligibility test in order to neutralize the commonly encountered bias in traditional perception-based assessments. We present the construction of the acoustic-phonetic decoding task and its first test during a perceptual judgment test of intelligibility and during a result comparison with a global perceptual evaluation. Method: We developed a very large pseudoword directory including about 90,000 forms that respect French phonotactic constraints. From this directory, we have created lists of pseudowords intended to be recorded for the constitution of the corpus. These lists are established due to an algorithm integrating predefined linguistic constraints and produced by 47 speakers (nine healthy and 38 patients). We then performed a perceptual judgment of intelligibility test with 20 listeners who transcribed these productions. Results: At the end of the data processing stage, we obtained a Perceived Phonological Deviation (PPD) score for each speaker that reflects the average number of features altered per phoneme. We then compared the PPD score with a global intelligibility score derived from a global perceptual assessment of intelligibility and of the alteration severity. Conclusions: The current findings confirm that a speech intelligibility test based on pseudowords in French achieves fine-grained PPD scores, which enables discrimination between patients and healthy speakers. Moreover, the PPD score is related to the global intelligibility score, especially in severity. Further studies are needed to better understand the discrimination power of this intelligibility test based on an acoustic-phonetic decoding task.

In large-scale educational assessments, it is generally required that tests are composed of items that function invariantly across the groups to be compared. Despite efforts to ensure invariance in the item construction phase, for a range of reasons (including the security of items) it is often necessary to account for differential item functioning (DIF) of items "post hoc." This typically requires a choice among retaining an item as it is despite its DIF, deleting the item, or resolving (splitting) an item by creating a distinct item for each group. These options involve a trade-off between model fit and the invariance of item parameters, and each option could be valid depending on whether or not the source of DIF is relevant or irrelevant to the variable being assessed. We argue that making a choice requires a careful analysis of statistical DIF and its substantive source. We illustrate our argument by analyzing PISA 2006 science data of three countries (UK, France and Jordan) using the Rasch model, which was the model used for the analyses of all PISA 2006 data. We identify items with real DIF across countries and examine the implications for model fit, invariance, and the validity of cross-country comparisons when these items are either eliminated, resolved or retained.

There is currently no scale assessing test anxiety in physical education (PE), despite the specificities of this class (e.g., body image, failure in front of peers). Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to develop a specific scale named the "Revised Test Anxiety and Regulatory Dimension of Anxiety in Physical Education" (RTAR-PE). Method: Self-report data were collected from 281 (Study 1) and 390 (Study 2) students in French schools (age range: 13-18 years). Results: Study 1 showed that the RTAR-PE scale has acceptable psychometric properties. Study 2 confirmed the results of Study 1 and showed the convergent, discriminant, and predictive validities of the scale. Gender differences were found, with girls showing higher PE test anxiety than boys. Discussion/Conclusion: The RTAR-PE is a newly available scale assessing the different facets of test anxiety in PE (worry, self-focus, bodily symptoms, somatic tension, and perceived control) considering the specificities of this class.

Reading difficulties in school are very challenging for teachers due to many different reader subtypes in one and the same class. Moreover, there are few easy-to-use tools enabling teachers to assess reading ability. According to the Simple View of Reading (Hoover and Gough in "Reading and Writing", 2(2), 127-160, 1990), efficient reading comprehension is the result of an interaction between word reading (through three word representation levels: orthographic, phonological, and semantic) and comprehension (through three processing types: literal, text-connecting, and gap-filling inferences). Difficulties in one of these components, or in both, should lead to difficulties in reading comprehension and bring about different reader subtypes. This study aims, first, to examine the validity of the tool and, second, to explore performance reading patterns of children with reading difficulties. A population of 485 typically developing French children from grade 2 to grade 9 was tested using three computerized tasks that recorded accuracy and speed: lexical quality to examine the three levels of word representation; silent reading and listening comprehension to examine both literal and inferential processing. Results showed the appropriateness of the tool but also identified a number of limits. It was possible with the results to detect 76 children with reading comprehension difficulties and to divide them into 5 clusters essentially according to their word reading performances. The results are discussed in relation to the theoretical frameworks used to build the tool.

Extending the discussion on replication in sociology and psychology, this article focuses on the adaption of scales in research. Drawing on a recently published scale, we highlight several validity issues in the scale's composition and development. Using data from two empirical studies, we subsequently show how scales can be tested and adapted. In doing so, this article provides a blueprint for scale testing and helps avoid the use of inappropriate scales in research.

There is a strong international demand for official certification of French competence. A range of tests are available to meet this goal. Among the recognized tests available for this purpose is the "DELF" ("Diplôme d'études en langue française"). The "DELF" has been awarded the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE) Q-mark, a quality indicator attesting to the fact that this exam has been audited and found to meet all 17 of ALTE's quality standards. This review focuses on the "DELF tout public" at the B2 (Independent User) level, which is the minimum standard required for studying at most French-medium universities. DELF B2 is a two-and-a-half-hour pen-and-paper exam with a 30-minute listening section followed by reading and writing sections, each lasting one hour. A one-on-one speaking test of 20 minutes' duration is scheduled separately, either before or after completion of the other three components. In France, responsibility for test administration is assigned to the French Local Education authorities, Outside France, this responsibility falls under the authority of the French Cultural Office or the relevant French embassy in the country of concern. The DELF B2 fulfils the important dual functions of certifying achievement on French language courses and at the same time measuring proficiency or readiness to use the language in real world contexts such as academia.

The goal of the experiment was to examine the relevance of a new French web-based assessment, Tinfolec (Test INFOrmatisé d'évaluation de la LECture), the aim of which is to evaluate the reading abilities of children in primary grades. The participants were 1,016 children from Grades 2 to 5. They completed the five tasks of Tinfolec designed to assess the efficiency of the two procedures used to identify written words (the nonlexical route and the lexical orthographic route). We tested the reliability and validity of the new tool in a subsection of this sample. Correlational analyses provided evidence of the reliability and validity of Tinfolec. The results are consistent with the conventionally observed effect of lexical factors (length, consistency, and frequency) on written word processing. The results confirm the relevance of the proposed tasks. The study produced promising results and would allow practitioners to perform online assessments of reading skills.

Background: Reliability of nonprobability online volunteer panels for epidemiological purposes has rarely been studied. Objectives: To assess the quality of a questionnaire on sexual and reproductive health (SRH) administered in a nonprobability Web panel and in a random telephone survey (n = 8,992; n = 8,437, age 16-49 years). Especially, we were interested in the possible difference in the association of sociodemographic variables and some outcome variables in the two surveys that are in the reliability of analytical epidemiological studies conducted in such panels. Methods: Interventions to increase response rate were used in both surveys (four e-mail reminders, high number of call attempts and callbacks to refusals). Both were calibrated on the census population. Sociodemographic composition, effects of reminders, and prevalence were compared to their telephone counterpart. In addition, the associations of sociodemographic and sexual behaviors were compared in the two samples in multivariate logistic regressions. Results: The online survey had a lower response rate (20.0 percent vs. 44.8 percent) and a more distorted sociodemographic structure although the reminders improved the representativeness as did the analogous interventions on the telephone survey. Prevalences of SRH variables were similar for the common behaviors but higher online for the stigmatized behaviors, depending on gender. Overall, 29 percent of the 63 interactions studied were significant for males and 11 percent for women, although opposite effects of sociodemographic variables were rare (5 percent of the 171 tested for each gender). Conclusion: Nonprobability online panels are to be used with caution to monitor SRH and conduct analytical epidemiological studies, especially among men. [This paper was written with the FECOND research Team.]

Background: The quality of life (QOL) of children with and without intellectual disability (ID) has become a growing concern in the literature but the QOL instruments are not adapted for use with young children and children with ID. The objective of this study was to validate a French adaptation of the abbreviated form of the Multidimensional Student's Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS). Method: Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on the data collected from 411 children aged between 5 and 11 years old. Internal consistency, test-retest fidelity, and convergent validity were tested. Results: The preliminary results of this study show that the model fitted the data collected to assess the life satisfaction of children, X[superscript 2](395) = 705.340; p < 0.001; CFI = 0.911; TLI = 0.902; RMSEA = 0.044. Very good levels of internal consistency were obtained for both children with and without ID, with coefficients ranging from 0.70 to 0.88. The test-retest coefficients calculated after a 2-week interval highlighted a moderate (coefficients lower than 0.70) to weak temporal stability, which seemed more pronounced in children with ID. Conclusion: Despite some limitations, this instrument could be very useful for childhood professionals. It will enable them to assess the perception that children have of their wellbeing in the perspective of promoting their QOL. This scale also provides researchers in psychology with the opportunity to enrich their knowledge on the QOL of children with ID.

The majority of episodic memory (EM) tests are far removed from what we experience in daily life and from the definition of this type of memory. This study examines the developmental trajectory of the main aspects of episodic memory--what, where, and when--and of feature binding in a naturalistic virtual environment. A population of 125 participants aged from 6 to 24 years was asked to navigate, by using a joystick, in a virtual urban environment composed of specific areas, and to memorize as many elements as possible (e.g., scenes, details, spatial and temporal contexts). The ability to recall factual content associated to details or spatiotemporal context increased steadily from the age of 8 to young adulthood. These results indicate main developmental differences in feature binding abilities in naturalistic events which are very sensitive to age in comparison with a standard EM assessment. Virtual reality therefore appears to be an appropriate technique to assess crucial aspects of EM development in children and adolescents and it should provide helpful tools for the detection of subtle memory deficits.

Early ASD screening has the potential to reduce delays between initial parental concerns and diagnosis, and promote early intervention. The aim of this study was to validate the M-CHAT on a French population sample of 24 month-old children. This study included a low-risk sample of 1,227 children. A total of 20 children screened positive on the M-CHAT. Twelve out of 20 of these children received a diagnosis of ASD at 36 months, yielding a PPV of 0.60. These results add to the evidence that the M-CHAT is a useful screening instrument and further demonstrates the importance of the follow-up interview in primary care settings. This study provides French practitioners with guidelines regarding the use of the M-CHAT at 24 months.

To investigate whether the type of keyboard used in exams introduces any construct-irrelevant variance to the TOEFL iBT Writing scores, we surveyed 17,040 TOEFL iBT examinees from 24 countries on their keyboard-related perceptions and preferences and analyzed the survey responses together with their test scores. Results suggest that controlling for their TOEFL iBT Reading, Listening, and Speaking scores, examinees' Writing scores were statistically significantly associated with examinees' prior awareness of the TOEFL iBT keyboard policy, the type of keyboard they used during the test, or examines' perceptions of the type of keyboard used. However, the score differences associated with these factors were negligible, supporting the argument that the current practice of mandatorily using the U.S. standard keyboard poses limited threat to the validity of test scores. Survey results also revealed that although most examinees considered the keyboard used during the test convenient and efficient, two-fifths of them reportedly preferred a more familiar local keyboard, which suggests room for improvement in the keyboard-related test-taking experience.

Educational systems in Lebanon are bilingual. They simultaneously impose two handwriting systems in Arabic and Latin. This historically driven situation could constitute a significant impact on the process and development of handwriting skills. Using an accurate and valid handwriting evaluation tool standardized for the Lebanese population is a necessity. This study presents normative and discriminant data for the Concise Evaluation Scale for Children's Handwriting (BHK) in Lebanese children, followed by a comparison to the BHK norms developed in France with unilingual children. The BHK was standardized with a sample of 763 Lebanese children from grades 1 to 5. Four trained raters were involved in the data collection. Data analysis addressed the development of norms, reliability, and pilot administration of discriminant validity. The BHK differentiates between Lebanese children with and without handwriting difficulties. In those without handwriting difficulties, the number of letters written in 5 minutes and writing proficiency increases throughout the first five school years and are gender related, favoring the girls. Lebanese children display better handwriting proficiency than French children, except for the handwriting quality that develops better among French children as of Grade 2. The BHK is a promising tool for the detection of dysgraphia and poor handwriting in Lebanese children.

Research and scholarship into educational effectiveness research (EER) is comprehensively reviewed from the UK, The Netherlands, the US, Cyprus, Belgium, Sweden, France, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, and other societies, dating from the field's origins in the 1970s. Issues include its history, methodological and theoretical advances, scientific properties of school effects, processes at school and classroom level behind these effects, the somewhat limited translation of findings into policy and practice across the world, and future directions for research and practice in EER and for all of the discipline more generally. Future research needs are argued to be a further concentration upon teaching/teachers, more longitudinal studies, more work on possible context specificity, exploration of the cross-level transactions between schools and their teachers/classrooms, the adoption of "efficiency" as well as "effectiveness" as outcome measures, and a renewed focus upon the education of the disadvantaged, the original focus of our discipline when it began.

This study presents the validation of a French version of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale in four Francophone countries. The aim was to re-analyze the item selection and then compare this newly developed French-language form with the international form 2.0. Exploratory factor analysis was used as a tool for item selection, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) verified the structure of the CAAS French-language form. Measurement equivalence across the four countries was tested using multi-group CFA. Adults and adolescents (N = 1707) participated from Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. Items chosen for the final version of the CAAS French-language form are different to those in the CAAS international form 2.0 and provide an improvement in terms of reliability. The factor structure is replicable across country, age, and gender. Strong evidence for metric invariance and partial evidence for scalar invariance of the CAAS French-language form across countries is given. The CAAS French-language and CAAS international form 2.0 can be used in a combined form of 31 items. The CAAS French-language form will certainly be interesting for practitioners using interventions based on the life design paradigm or aiming at increasing career adapt-ability. (Contains 5 tables.)

We assessed the accuracy of the French version of the "Autism Spectrum Quotient" ("AQ") in adolescents with Asperger syndrome (AS) and high-functioning autism (HFA) compared to healthy controls and adolescents with psychiatric disorders (PDs). Three groups of adolescents, aged 11-18, were assessed: 116 with AS/HFA (93 with IQ [greater than or equal to] 85 and 20 with 70 [less than or equal to] IQ less than 85), 39 with other PDs, and 199 healthy controls. The AS/HFA group scored significantly higher than the healthy control and PD groups. A cut-off score of 26 was used to differentiate the autism group from healthy controls with 0.89 sensitivity and 0.98 specificity. Scores did not vary by age or sex.

Students is a very specific population according to their manner to cope with stress. A coping questionnaire for students was developed and administered to 1100 French students at the beginning of the term (T1). Principal Component Analysis of responses, followed by varimax rotations, yielded three factors accounting for 50.5% of the total variance. Factors were identified as seeking social support, avoidance/emotion-focused coping and festive-addictive coping. Associations were observed between scores on these factors and a general coping scale (WCC-R), personal variables measured at the same time (T1), neuroticism, self-esteem, substance use, and four stress factors, as well as variables measured at the end of the term (T2), somatic symptoms, depressive symptoms, eating disorders, and life satisfaction. It would be very interesting to develop the students' personal competencies, so that they are learning how to adopt functional strategies of coping rather than of the harmful kind.

In this article, we present a French adaptation and validation of the Adult Dispositional Hope Scale (ADHS). The sample was composed of 310 French adults. We found that the ADHS scores demonstrated good reliability as well as adequate temporal stability. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) supported a bifactorial structure of the scale. The two factors (agency and pathways) were highly correlated, but discriminant validity was established by comparing their shared variance against their average extracted variance. Multiple-group CFAs revealed evidence of configural, metric, scalar, and factorial invariance across genders. ADHS total scores as well as scores on agency and pathways were significantly and negatively related to hopelessness, negative affectivity, anxiety, and depressive mood and positively correlated with optimism and positive affect. We believe these findings show evidence for the construct validity of the ADHS. (Contains 1 table.)

The aim of the study is to compare, in coronary artery disease patients, physical activity (PA) assessed with the Dijon Physical Activity Questionnaire (DPAQ) and the true PA objectively measured using an accelerometer. Seventy patients wore an accelerometer (MyWellness Key actimeter) throughout 1 week after a cardiac rehabilitation program that included therapeutic education about regular PA. Patients completed the DPAQ at the end of the week. The mean weekly active energy expenditure was 619.9 [plus or minus] 374.6 kcal, and the mean DPAQ score was 21.3 [plus or minus] 3.1/30 points. There were low but significant correlations between total active energy expenditure and the DPAQ score ([rho]=0.4, P=0.009). There were no correlations between peak power output and total DPAQ score. The DPAQ significantly correlates with objective measures given by the MyWellness Key actimeter. The choice between these tools relies on the clinician's appreciation, taking into account patients' characteristics and goals as well as the cost of the method and availability of the tool. (Contains 2 tables.)

The study of endophenotypes, notably with configured self-reports, represents a promising research pathway to overcome the limits of a syndromal approach of psychiatric diseases. The Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales (ANPS) is a self-report questionnaire, based on neuroethological considerations, that could help to assess emotional endophenotypes related to the activity in 6 core cerebral emotional systems (FEAR, ANGER, SADNESS, CARING, PLAYFULNESS, SEEKING). We further investigated its psychometric properties among 830 young adults and showed that they were satisfactory. As participants also completed several other self-reports that shared potential traits with the ANPS, we offer new validity evidence based on relations to other variables. We also provide additional evidence to consider that the ANPS scores can be validly interpreted for the characterization of emotional endophenotypes involved in a variety of psychiatric disorders. On the grounds of present results, of previous clinical studies, as well as some preliminary neuroimaging findings, we discuss new steps in the ANPS validation. (Contains 5 tables.)

According to the most widely accepted Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) model of intelligence measurement, each subtest score of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Adults (3rd ed.; WAIS-III) should reflect both 1st- and 2nd-order factors (i.e., 4 or 5 broad abilities and 1 general factor). To disentangle the contribution of each factor, we applied a Schmid-Leiman orthogonalization transformation (SLT) to the standardization data published in the French technical manual for the WAIS-III. Results showed that the general factor accounted for 63% of the common variance and that the specific contributions of the 1st-order factors were weak (4.7%-15.9%). We also addressed this issue by using confirmatory factor analysis. Results indicated that the bifactor model (with 1st-order group and general factors) better fit the data than did the traditional higher order structure. Models based on the CHC framework were also tested. Results indicated that a higher order CHC model showed a better fit than did the classical 4-factor model; however, the WAIS bifactor structure was the most adequate. We recommend that users do not discount the Full Scale IQ when interpreting the index scores of the WAIS-III because the general factor accounts for the bulk of the common variance in the French WAIS-III. The 4 index scores cannot be considered to reflect only broad ability because they include a strong contribution of the general factor. (Contains 3 figures and 2 tables.)

This article describes the development and two studies on the construct validity of the Academic Emotions Scale (AES). The AES is a French self-report questionnaire assessing six emotions in the context of school learning: enjoyment, hope, pride, anxiety, shame and frustration. Its construct validity was studied through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. A six-factor structure emerged from exploratory factor analyses on two different samples (N = 188; N = 516). These six factors correspond to six academic emotions. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to test the factorial structure of the final version of the AES. A hierarchical model with a second-order factor (valence) underlying the six first-order emotional factors was the most suited to the data. The psychometric characteristics of the AES justify the use of this questionnaire in future research. (An appendix provides the items of the final French version of the Academic Emotions Scale with proposed English translation. Contains 5 footnotes and 4 tables.)

Accumulating evidence suggests that anxiety sensitivity (fear of arousal-related sensations) plays an important role in many clinical conditions, particularly anxiety disorders. Research has increasingly focused on how the basic dimensions of anxiety sensitivity are related to various forms of psychopathology. Such work has been hampered because the original measure--the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI)--was not designed to be multidimensional. Subsequently developed multidimensional measures have unstable factor structures or measure only a subset of the most widely replicated factors. Therefore, the authors developed, via factor analysis of responses from U.S. and Canadian nonclinical participants (n = 2,361), an 18-item measure, the ASI-3, which assesses the 3 factors best replicated in previous research: Physical, Cognitive, and Social Concerns. Factorial validity of the ASI-3 was supported by confirmatory factor analyses of 6 replication samples, including nonclinical samples from the United States and Canada, France, Mexico, the Netherlands, and Spain (n = 4,494) and a clinical sample from the United States and Canada (n = 390). The ASI-3 displayed generally good performance on other indices of reliability and validity, along with evidence of improved psychometric properties over the original ASI.

From June to November 2003 an exploratory survey was made of the assessment of written English in a small sample of English language degrees in Europe. All programmes had similar components, the study of English language and literature, cultural or area studies, and English language development. Some involved the study of another language. Theoretical perspectives on test validity informed the construction of a questionnaire to collect quantitative and qualitative data from the programmes in the sample in order to investigate expectations about attainment of proficiency in written English. Responses were obtained from 32 English language degree programmes in 14 European countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The sample was not large enough to be representative of such degrees throughout Europe, but this exploratory study revealed a wide variation between countries, within the same country and, in some cases, within the same department with regard to what was measured, the contexts sampled, and the assessment instrument adopted and measures taken to ensure the reliability of the assessment. The study revealed variable evidence to support the outcomes of the assessment across the sample, leading to the conclusion that there was wide variation in what is attained in proficiency in written English on these English language degree programmes, which is indicative of similar degrees across Europe. The framework used for data collection yielded themes, practices, and concerns that would inform the development of common guidelines for assessment. (Contains 10 footnotes, 6 tables, and 3 figures.)

This article reports on the development of a short questionnaire to measure work engagement--a positive work-related state of fulfillment that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. Data were collected in 10 different countries (N = 14,521), and results indicated that the original 17-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) can be shortened to 9 items (UWES-9). The factorial validity of the UWES-9 was demonstrated using confirmatory factor analyses, and the three scale scores have good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Furthermore, a two-factor model with a reduced Burnout factor (including exhaustion and cynicism) and an expanded Engagement factor (including vigor, dedication, absorption, and professional efficacy) fit best to the data. These results confirm that work engagement may be conceived as the positive antipode of burnout. It is concluded that the UWES-9 scores has acceptable psychometric properties and that the instrument can be used in studies on positive organizational behavior. (Contains 4 tables.)

States that French authorities refused to make International Adult Literacy Survey results public, citing methodological flaws, the need for better procedural precautions, and a more adequate notion of literacy. Presents a synthesis of the counter investigations demanded by French authorities that justify their doubts on the IALS definitions and methods. (Contains 11 references.) (PGS)

A French study of 136 children (ages 20-139 months) with developmental disabilities investigated the reliability and validity of the Revised Behavior Summarized Evaluation Scale (BSE-R) in evaluating autistic behavior in children with developmental delays. The BSE-R was found to be useful for progressive recording of the evolution of patients treated therapeutically over the long and short term. (Author/CR)

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Qualitative descriptors have been identified for osteoarthritis pain in 3 dimensions: localized, neuropathic-like, and deep pain. OASIS9 is a validated tool for osteoarthritis pain assessment. We describe here the development and validation of the Osteoarthritis Symptom Inventory Scale (OASIS), a new self-administered questionnaire specifically designed to evaluate the various osteoarthritis (OA) pain symptoms with different dimensions related to OA pain mechanisms. The initial development phase and qualitative study generated a list of 17 descriptors reflecting OA pain and other associated symptoms, leading to the first version of the questionnaire (OASIS17). Each item was quantified on a 0 to 10 Numerical Scale. Validation was performed using 123 consecutive patients with OA pain recruited at 28 centers in France, mainly general practitioner offices. Validation involved (1) determining the questionnaire's factorial structure through exploratory and confirmatory analyses, (2) analyzing convergent and divergent validities (ie, construct validity), (3) assessing each item's test–retest reliability, and (4) evaluating OASIS ability to detect treatment effects (ie, sensitivity to change). The final OASIS version includes 9 items discriminating and quantifying 3 distinct, clinically relevant OA pain dimensions sensitive to treatment. OASIS9 psychometric properties suggest that it could improve the characterization of OA pain profiles for 3 clinically relevant domains: localized, neuropathic-like, and deep pain. The OASIS9 questionnaire could be used to phenotype OA pain patients and identify responders to various therapeutic interventions as a function of OA pain dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have a significantly increased risk of sexual dysfunction. However, it is not properly included in commonly used questionnaires to assess health-related quality of life in RA. Qualisex is a questionnaire developed in France to assess the impact of RA on patients´ sexual function. Our aim was to adapt and validate this questionnaire for use with Spanish RA patients. Two independent translations and a backward translation were obtained. The final version was tested in a pilot study with 10 RA patients to detect any aspects that could hinder interpretation. The validity and reliability of the linguistically validated questionnaire were studied in a multicenter cross-sectional study, with a longitudinal component for reliability estimation. 125 RA patients were included. The response process, discrimination, internal consistency, internal structure, convergent validity (correlation with MGH-SFQ questionnaire, DAS-28, physician global assessment, patient global health assessment, RAID, HAQ, HADS and SF-12©) and reliability were analyzed. The inclusion of two extra items was proposed in the pilot study. The validity analysis detected responses for item 10 that were not coherent with responses for the rest of items. The Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.971. The highest correlation (0.665) was obtained with MGH-SFQ (questionnaire measuring sexual functioning), followed by RAID (0.516). The intra-class correlation was 0.880 (95% CI 0.815; 0.923), higher than 0.85, which indicates excellent reliability. All parameters used to assess this questionnaire show highly acceptable values. Qualisex allows for a global score of RA patients' sexual functioning and can be self-administered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to test the validity of dynamic tradeoff theory and argue that the speed of adjustment toward the target capital structure may vary depending primarily on some inherent firm characteristics. Design/methodology/approach: The objective of this article is to study the impact of the corporate governance arrangements on the capital structure behavior taken by listed French firms. The author measures the corporate governance arrangements in three different ways to capture its influences on the capital structure and analyze how it affects a firm's rebalancing behavior in the presence of relevant control variables. Assuming that costs related to deviations from the target leverage are positively correlated with the duration of the deviation, the author finds that firms with a strong governance system adjust at a faster rate because the longer the deviation lasts, the greater the loss in firm value. In addition, firms with more efficient governance structures face lower adjustment costs. Findings: The author measures corporate governance quality in different ways by using several proxies. The results make a major contribution to the literature and show that the quality of the governance system is an important factor in helping the company achieve fatly its target leverage. The authors produces further support for the initial finding by showing that the two extreme leverage deviation groups are dominated by firms with weak governance. The author also shows that the rebalancing speed is faster for firms with strong governance systems. Originality/value: The paper proposes that a firm characterized by a strong governance system will display a shorter-duration deviation from the target capital structure and a higher adjustment level than a firm with weak governance. In other words, the author argues that the deviation from the target capital structure and the adjustment level are related to the quality of corporate governance. The results indicate that firms with a stronger governance structure are characterized by shorter-term deviations from the target. The author also finds that firms belonging to the two subsamples where leverage deviation is at extremely high or low levels are characterized by a weak governance system. The results corroborate the hypothesis on the speed of adjustment toward the desired target leverage. Furthermore, the author empirically proves that the adjustment level of firms with stronger governance is higher in both extreme leverage situations. This paper extends the existing literature on capital structure adjustment by introducing the effect of corporate governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food literacy is gaining importance in nutrition education programs for children. To date, food literacy assessment tools have been developed in many countries, however, none exist in France. The objectives of this study were to develop a questionnaire and to evaluate its measurement properties among French schoolchildren aged 8–11 years. The questionnaire was developed in three phases: i) item selection (literature review and adaptation or creation of items) and content validity (submission to an expert panel), ii) questionnaire development including a pre-test in a small sample of children (n = 41) and item reduction and dimensionality based on the responses of children who completed the questionnaire in 31 schools between December 2022 and March 2023, and iii) questionnaire evaluation in terms of reliability, validity and acceptability. In total, 1187 responses were included in the analysis. The mean age of the children was 9.6 ± 0.7 years (girls: 51.2%, boys: 48.8%). The development process resulted in a 25-item questionnaire with good acceptability and satisfactory estimated reliability (McDonald omega coefficient = 0.73). Factor evaluation revealed a three-dimensional structure encompassing food and nutrition knowledge, participation in food preparation activities and food habits. To our knowledge, this study was the first to assess food literacy for schoolchildren in France. Our questionnaire can contribute to assess the factors that make food literacy vary, especially regarding socioeconomic variables to target priority populations for nutrition education actions and to describe changes in food literacy scores from a longitudinal perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]