Educational Measurement
Year:2017 | Volume:7 | Issue:28 |Papers Count:9

The aim of the research was identification of Wechsler intelligence scale for children (WISC-IV) basic attributes based on Cattle- Horn- Carrol (CHC) narrow abilities by using generalized DINA (G-DINA) cognitive diagnostic model. The population of the research was all of Iranian primary school students which randomly 1222 students selected. We use Wechsler intelligence scale for children (WISC-IV) for gathering data. Results show that from the nearly 70 CHC narrow abilities, 9 narrow ability (visualization, induction, working memory, general verbal information, lexical knowledge, flexibility of closure, memory span, language development, general sequential reasoning) Identified as basic attribute of WISC-IV. Also from the constrained models, the LLM model based on Wald statistics was chosen. Additionally, most of student mastered in lexical knowledge and the lowest rate of mastering belongs to flexibility of closure. finally, the probability of guessing parameter in easy items was high and probability of slipping in difficult items was high.

Background: Educational success and determining the effects of personal and environmental factors on the construct is among the most important concerns of educational systems that guarantee the success of the educational consulting procedure.Aim: This study was aimed at designing and evaluating a model for educational success including personal and environmental factors, determining their importance and comparing them in terms of the student’s majors.Method: The design of the study was ex post-facto and the population of the study consisted of all of the students studying at high schools of Yazd. Using random cluster sampling method 550 students were selected. The sample were administered Major Choice Success Questionnaire, Myers- Briggs Type Indicator, Strong Interest Inventory and Multiple Intelligence Test. Data Analysis was done using structural equation modelling.Results: The results indicated that all five factors (interests, personality, intelligence, educational performance and environmental factors) had meaningful, direct impact on educational success. Interest played the most important role and environmental factors were the least important component. Moreover, educational background, interest and multiple intelligence were the most important factors in empirical science and mathematics major.Conclusions: For counseling purposes the role of personal and environmental factors in each major should be considered.

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the reflective leadership assessment instruments at schools. Literature review suggests, although reflective learning is not new knowledge, reflective leadership is a novel approach at school management and leadership, and in few studies in this field have not established valid tools for revealing this concept at schools. Extensive research literature review, the dimensions and statements of the principals’ reflective leadership scale were stablished based on Castelli’s (2012) reflective leadership model, and the data was compiled with the participation of 327 secondary teachers. Along with the face and content validity assessment of the items and dimensions by educational management practitioners, teachers and applying their views, participants' comments on the ambiguity, repetition, and relationship of the statements with the concepts and dimensions through the implementation of the scale in pilot study were applied. Results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis show that 29 items are in five factors: sense of safeness, openness, purpose, challenging beliefs and feedback provide reflective leadership measurement tools. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was calculated for each factor and the total reliabilityy was estimated 0.97. This study is a pioneer research in measuring principals’ reflective leadership at schools. Reflective leadership is a fundamental factor in the positivist paradigm shift to interpretation at Iranian schools. Research findings for education practitioner will be useful in assessing and deploying reflective leadership at schools.

Background: Task cost and its dimensions in the theory of expectance-value are important antecedents to achievement behaviors. The present study aims to validate an instrument to measure the task cost in high school students. Method: The participants were 363 high school students (172 Male, 191 Female) in second and third grades who were selected through random multistage sampling and completed task cost scale of Fluke et al, Pintrich' s questionnaire of task value, Vallerand's Questionnaire of academic motivation, and Semnan's questionnaire of task value. Data were analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis. Results: The results show that a four- factor structure (the inside effort cost, the loss of valued alternatives cost, emotional cost, and outside effort cost) fits the structure of cost task. Cronbach's alpha for the total scale was 0.97 and for the subscales of the inside effort cost 0.87, the loss of valued alternatives cost 0.90, emotional cost 0.91, and outside effort cost 0.93. Correlation analysis shows that there is a significant relationship between the scores of subscales of task costs and task value in the range of -0.39 to -0.48. The scores of achievement value, value of internal interest, and value of external interest have a significant relationship with components of task cost in the range of -0.35 to -0.56. Furthermore, the subscales of task cost and reluctance have a significant relationship in the range of 0.22 to 0.29.Conclusion: The Persian version of the task cost scale has acceptable psychometric characteristics for the students and can be used as a valid instrument in psychological researches

The present study has been done with the purpose of investigating the dimensionality and differential item functioning of the test let- based test of Iran's PIRLS 2011. In order to analyze the dimensionality, graded response and bi-factor item- response theory models were used with full-information maximum likelihood estimation method and to analyze the differential item functioning multiple- group bi- factor model of Cai et al (2011) was applied. The results of the dimensionality investigation showed that the bi-factor model is better fitted to the data than the graded response model both in Iran's total sample and in boy and girl groups. The results of test lets effect variance showed that effects of second factors on Iranian students' performance in two test let related to literal comprehension, has caused dimensionality in Iran's PIRLS test lets. The results showed that there was no significant difference in average students' performance of the boy and girl in general latent trait of reading comprehension, but the difference between the average reading proficiency of the boy and the girl in three literal and three informational test let in favor of girls was significant. The result of differential items functioning based on the bifactor model showed that many items have an uniform and non-uniform differential item functioning, and boys in multiple-choice items and girls in constructed response items have better performances. In general, the results showed that in Iran's PIRLS 2011 test lets, the traits related to the two literal comprehension test lets were differently perceived between boy and girl students, and these two test let had more local item dependence among girls than boys. Also, the results indicated a difference between the performance of Iranian boy and girl students in the mixed items format test of PIRLS.

According to various cognitive models of emotional disorders, anxious and depressed individuals always give priority to negative information rather than positive and neutral ones. Moreover, tests and treatments designed to modify interpretation bias take advantage of limited tools developed in this respect. The Ambiguous Scenarios Test (AST) is also a pragmatic one to measure interpretation bias in clinical situations. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Ambiguous Scenarios Test (AST) in Iranian society and formulate it for application in research on interpretation bias relevant to depression. To this end, a total number of 240 university students (61 boys and 179 girls) enrolled at the University of Hormozgan were selected using simple random sampling method. The psychometric properties of the test were similarly examined using exploratory factor analysis, ROC curve, test- retest method with two- week interval, calculation of Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, correlation with mood states, diagnosis of people with high and low moods, and correlation with scores of the Dysfunctional Thoughts Scale. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the entire test and the correlation coefficient for the test- retest method with two- week interval were 0.78 and 0.72; respectively. The correlation between the given test and the Dysfunctional Thoughts Scale was equal to -0.57 and the correlation coefficient between group membership and the Ambiguous Scenarios Test (AST) was 0.38. Overall, the results showed that the given test was endowed with proper internal consistency, validity, and reliability and it could also distinguish individuals with negative interpretation bias from those with positive one.

Interactional pathologies between couples are those factors that cause conflict and discord between men and women and reduce their marital satisfaction and compatibility. The purpose of this study was constructing and finding the reliability and validity of the Questionnaire of Interactional Pathologies among men with the symptoms of avoidant personality. Therefore, after reviewing the relevant literature and implementing 14 semi- structured interviews, in a qualitative form, issues related to the construction of the questionnaire was revealed and the questionnaire was developed based on them. Then 200 people were selected purposefully among the married men who had referred to counseling centers and the questionnaire was administered on them. To determine the reliability of the questionnaire Cronbach's alpha, and to determine the validity of the questionnaire Marital Conflicts and Enrich Marital Satisfaction Questionnaires were used. The findings were analyzed using the SPSS software through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The analysis showed that Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the total test was 0.96, its convergent validity with Marital Conflict Questionnaire was 0.78 and its divergent validity coefficient with Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire was 0.85. So, it was concluded that the researcher-made questionnaire has acceptable reliability and validity and it can diagnose the interactional pathology of avoidant men in clinical researches and couple therapies. Designing a questionnaire to identify people with avoidant personality, based on Iranian native culture, is the value of this research.

The foundation of network data analysis in psychometrics rests on particular theory, special ontological assumptions and particular methodology. Therefore it is possible to call network analysis as an independent paradigm with given techniques for data gathering and data analysis. This study introduces the analysis of network data as a psychometric- mathematical technique, and its use in questionnaire item analysis. To achieve this goal, data gathered from implementation of a self- made questionnaire on 1000 Tehran's high school students. The questionnaire was made based on occupational- personality Holland theory. Researchers analyzed questionnaire’s items according to conventional methods (classical test theory, item response theory and factor analysis) and proposed method (network data analysis). Comparison of the results shows that a complete conformity between conventional methods final outputs and the outputs from network data analysis. Therefore, psychometricians can use network data analysis independently or alongside conventional methods to analyze questionnaires items. Advantages of such a method are simplicity, accuracy, being virtually and integrity.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the Factor analysis of the Adult Self-Transcendence Inventory among students in Bu Ali Sina University. The population was all of students in Bu Ali Sina University in 2014-2015 academic years. Research sample was 300 girls and boys students which were selected by using simple random sampling method. The instruments were Adult Self-Transcendence Inventory and scale. The data collected from the sample were put into SPSS- 18 and were analyzed using statistical methods, Bartlet’s test of sphericity, Kaiser- Olkin Measure, Varimax Method for rotations, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, Cronbach alpha coefficient. The factor analysis findings show that the test measures three factors named: self- independent, cosmic and alienation. The internal reliability coefficient (Cronbach's alpha) for total scale and all factors were high (0.63) and showed appropriate tool. Since wisdom is related to culture, so present study can be obtained factors for assesing the students' wisdom.