International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAPs) are recommended to support physical educ... more Comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAPs) are recommended to support physical education (PE) and increase the amount of physical activity (PA) youth receive each day. However, adoption of CSPAPs in the United States is low. PE teachers are well positioned to lead the implementation of CSPAPs, but research is needed to better understand (a) PE teachers’ confidence to assume the multiple roles involved with CSPAP implementation and (b) the factors that are associated with such confidence. This study examined PE teachers’ role breadth self-efficacy (RBSE) as a measure of PE teachers’ CSPAP-related confidence and its association with seminal life experiences as framed within teacher socialization theory. A survey was emailed to a stratified-random sample of 2976 PE teachers and distributed on social media, garnering a total of 259 responses. Exploratory structural equation modeling supported a three-factor solution for teacher socialization variables (acculturation, profe...
OBJECTIVE This 2-part study was conducted to validate nurse manager (NM) leadership competencies ... more OBJECTIVE This 2-part study was conducted to validate nurse manager (NM) leadership competencies that support clinicians in using evidence-based practice (EBP). BACKGROUND Numerous studies validate the critical need for NM support among clinicians seeking to engage in EBP. METHODS In phase 1, a Delphi study was conducted to establish the validity of a set of NM leadership competencies that support EBP. In phase 2, descriptive analyses, tests of significance, and reliability coefficients were used to assess reliability. RESULTS An expert panel achieved consensus on a set of 22 NM leadership competencies that constitute effective support for EBP. Further quantitative analyses demonstrated excellent levels of internal consistency and overall consistent outcomes across time. CONCLUSION A valid set of 22 NM leadership competencies with evidence of reliability that successfully support clinicians to engage in EBP in clinical settings was established.
This study investigated reading motivation among teachers in PK–12 schools. Teachers (N = 1,052) ... more This study investigated reading motivation among teachers in PK–12 schools. Teachers (N = 1,052) from across the U.S. completed the Adult Reading Motivation Scale (ARMS; Schutte & Malouff, 2007), a survey that proposes to measure four dimensions of adult reading motivation. Using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), the researchers sought to determine the factors that underlie the data and the relationship between reading motivation latent and observed variables. Results revealed five factors, namely importance of reading (F1), reading for recognition (F2), reading for occupational effectiveness (F3), reading to be challenged (F4), and reading self-efficacy (F5). Additional latent profile analysis (LPA) yielded five latent profiles of teacher reading motivation: (a) the largest group labeled AVG (LP1) had close to average scores on all five factors; (b) the second-largest latent profile labeled AA-Low F2 (LP2) had overall above-average factor scores except for F2; (c) an...
Purpose: Drawing from the diffusion of innovations theory, this study aimed to develop a survey t... more Purpose: Drawing from the diffusion of innovations theory, this study aimed to develop a survey to measure physical education teachers’ perceived attributes of comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAPs) and examine the differences between adopters’ and potential adopters’ perceived attributes.Method: The authors created an electronic survey and e-mailed it to 2,955 physical education teachers identified from a random sample of all public schools in the United States. The participants’ (N = 407) responses were analyzed using the exploratory structural equation modeling framework.Results: The exploratory structural equation modeling yielded five factors: (a) compatibility, (b) relative advantage, (c) observability, (d) simplicity, and (e) trialability (χ2/df = 3.2; root mean square error of approximation = .074; comparative-fit index = .983; Tucker–Lewis index = .971; weighted root mean residual = .668). Compared with potential adopters, teachers who had already adopted ...
Application of Structural Equation Modeling in Educational Research and Practice, 2013
School climate and its importance to education and student learning have intrigued researchers fo... more School climate and its importance to education and student learning have intrigued researchers for approximately 50 years (Anderson, 1982). A favorable school climate provides the structure within which students, teachers, administrators, and parents function cooperatively and constructively. Edmunds (1982) and Lezotte (1990) were prominent in linking climate directly to school effectiveness more than 20 years ago. School climate has been found to positively affect academic achievement (Greenberg, 2004; Lee & Burkham, 1996), and to influence a student’s decision to remain in school (Byrk & Thum, 1989; Rumberger, 1995).
Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a relatively new research method for analyzing multivariate... more Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a relatively new research method for analyzing multivariate data. This article provides an introduction and overview of what SEM is and identifies some potential uses of this technique for occupational therapy researchers. The application of SEM in the areas of test construction and treatment effectiveness is highlighted, some cautionary measures related to this technique are presented, and resources that provide more detailed and advanced reading on the subject are included.
Accountability pressures faced by teachers and leaders may lead well-intentioned educators to eng... more Accountability pressures faced by teachers and leaders may lead well-intentioned educators to engage in strategic reporting and operational practices to increase test scores, graduation rates, and other indicators of student success. Such practices are referred to as gaming behaviors. School district personnel attending a Georgia educational conference (N=146) reported a significant prevalence of two such practices – purging data for students enrolled for a short period of time and fabricating withdrawal forms in case of audit. Exploratory factor analysis yielded three categories of strategies employed by school districts to improve reported graduation rates: a) practices that directly contradict the rules governing ethical reporting of data (Factor1); b) legitimate educational practices aiming to enhance student learning (Factor2); and c) possible gaming strategies aiming to exclude low performing students from the computation of graduation rates (Factor3). Latent profile analysis ...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAPs) are recommended to support physical educ... more Comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAPs) are recommended to support physical education (PE) and increase the amount of physical activity (PA) youth receive each day. However, adoption of CSPAPs in the United States is low. PE teachers are well positioned to lead the implementation of CSPAPs, but research is needed to better understand (a) PE teachers’ confidence to assume the multiple roles involved with CSPAP implementation and (b) the factors that are associated with such confidence. This study examined PE teachers’ role breadth self-efficacy (RBSE) as a measure of PE teachers’ CSPAP-related confidence and its association with seminal life experiences as framed within teacher socialization theory. A survey was emailed to a stratified-random sample of 2976 PE teachers and distributed on social media, garnering a total of 259 responses. Exploratory structural equation modeling supported a three-factor solution for teacher socialization variables (acculturation, profe...
OBJECTIVE This 2-part study was conducted to validate nurse manager (NM) leadership competencies ... more OBJECTIVE This 2-part study was conducted to validate nurse manager (NM) leadership competencies that support clinicians in using evidence-based practice (EBP). BACKGROUND Numerous studies validate the critical need for NM support among clinicians seeking to engage in EBP. METHODS In phase 1, a Delphi study was conducted to establish the validity of a set of NM leadership competencies that support EBP. In phase 2, descriptive analyses, tests of significance, and reliability coefficients were used to assess reliability. RESULTS An expert panel achieved consensus on a set of 22 NM leadership competencies that constitute effective support for EBP. Further quantitative analyses demonstrated excellent levels of internal consistency and overall consistent outcomes across time. CONCLUSION A valid set of 22 NM leadership competencies with evidence of reliability that successfully support clinicians to engage in EBP in clinical settings was established.
This study investigated reading motivation among teachers in PK–12 schools. Teachers (N = 1,052) ... more This study investigated reading motivation among teachers in PK–12 schools. Teachers (N = 1,052) from across the U.S. completed the Adult Reading Motivation Scale (ARMS; Schutte & Malouff, 2007), a survey that proposes to measure four dimensions of adult reading motivation. Using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM), the researchers sought to determine the factors that underlie the data and the relationship between reading motivation latent and observed variables. Results revealed five factors, namely importance of reading (F1), reading for recognition (F2), reading for occupational effectiveness (F3), reading to be challenged (F4), and reading self-efficacy (F5). Additional latent profile analysis (LPA) yielded five latent profiles of teacher reading motivation: (a) the largest group labeled AVG (LP1) had close to average scores on all five factors; (b) the second-largest latent profile labeled AA-Low F2 (LP2) had overall above-average factor scores except for F2; (c) an...
Purpose: Drawing from the diffusion of innovations theory, this study aimed to develop a survey t... more Purpose: Drawing from the diffusion of innovations theory, this study aimed to develop a survey to measure physical education teachers’ perceived attributes of comprehensive school physical activity programs (CSPAPs) and examine the differences between adopters’ and potential adopters’ perceived attributes.Method: The authors created an electronic survey and e-mailed it to 2,955 physical education teachers identified from a random sample of all public schools in the United States. The participants’ (N = 407) responses were analyzed using the exploratory structural equation modeling framework.Results: The exploratory structural equation modeling yielded five factors: (a) compatibility, (b) relative advantage, (c) observability, (d) simplicity, and (e) trialability (χ2/df = 3.2; root mean square error of approximation = .074; comparative-fit index = .983; Tucker–Lewis index = .971; weighted root mean residual = .668). Compared with potential adopters, teachers who had already adopted ...
Application of Structural Equation Modeling in Educational Research and Practice, 2013
School climate and its importance to education and student learning have intrigued researchers fo... more School climate and its importance to education and student learning have intrigued researchers for approximately 50 years (Anderson, 1982). A favorable school climate provides the structure within which students, teachers, administrators, and parents function cooperatively and constructively. Edmunds (1982) and Lezotte (1990) were prominent in linking climate directly to school effectiveness more than 20 years ago. School climate has been found to positively affect academic achievement (Greenberg, 2004; Lee & Burkham, 1996), and to influence a student’s decision to remain in school (Byrk & Thum, 1989; Rumberger, 1995).
Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a relatively new research method for analyzing multivariate... more Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a relatively new research method for analyzing multivariate data. This article provides an introduction and overview of what SEM is and identifies some potential uses of this technique for occupational therapy researchers. The application of SEM in the areas of test construction and treatment effectiveness is highlighted, some cautionary measures related to this technique are presented, and resources that provide more detailed and advanced reading on the subject are included.
Accountability pressures faced by teachers and leaders may lead well-intentioned educators to eng... more Accountability pressures faced by teachers and leaders may lead well-intentioned educators to engage in strategic reporting and operational practices to increase test scores, graduation rates, and other indicators of student success. Such practices are referred to as gaming behaviors. School district personnel attending a Georgia educational conference (N=146) reported a significant prevalence of two such practices – purging data for students enrolled for a short period of time and fabricating withdrawal forms in case of audit. Exploratory factor analysis yielded three categories of strategies employed by school districts to improve reported graduation rates: a) practices that directly contradict the rules governing ethical reporting of data (Factor1); b) legitimate educational practices aiming to enhance student learning (Factor2); and c) possible gaming strategies aiming to exclude low performing students from the computation of graduation rates (Factor3). Latent profile analysis ...
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