Development and validation of a short form of the Chinese version of the State Anxiety Scale for Children

Background: There is a lack of a simplified instrument for use in busy clinical settings to measure and differentiate anxiety levels of children. Objectives: To develop a short form of the Chinese version of the State Anxiety Scale for Children (CSAS-C) and test psychometric properties of the new form. Design: The study was divided into two phases with phase one aimed at developing a short form of the CSAS-C, while phase two aimed at testing psychometric properties of the new form. A test-retest, within-subjects design was employed. Children (7-12 years of age) admitted for surgery in a day surgery unit during two consecutive years' summer holiday were invited to participate in the study. In phase one, selected participants (N = 1 1 2) were asked to respond to the CSAS-C. In phase two, selected participants (N = 8 2) were asked to respond to the short form of the CSAS-C. Results: Using exploratory factor analysis, a subset of 10 items, which was highly correlated with scores obtained from the full form (r = 0.9 2) and, which had acceptable internal consistency (r = 0.8 3) was developed. The psychometric properties of this short form have been empirically tested, showing adequate internal consistency reliability, good concurrent validity, and excellent construct validity. Conclusion: This study addresses a gap in the literature by developing a 10-item short form of the CSAS-C. Results indicate that this short form is an appropriate and objective assessment tool for measuring anxiety levels of Chinese children in a busy clinical setting where time constraints make unfeasible the use of the full form. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.postprin

DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENTIFIC LITERRACY BASED MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS ON THE CONCEPT OF MOLE

Research has been conducted on "the development of multiple choice questions based on scientific literacy on the concept of mole material". The purpose of this study was to find out how to develop questions based on scientific literacy on the concept of the mole, how to test the validity, reliability of questions based on scientific literacy and how students respond / respond to multiple choice questions based on scientific literacy. The type of research used is research and development (R D) with a 4-D development model (define, design, develop, and disseminate). The target subjects in this study are Chemistry FKIP students. Data collection techniques using questionnaires, interviews and test results. The research instrument used was an interview sheet, a questionnaire sheet and a multiple choice question sheet based on scientific literacy with a total of 20 questions that had been validated by 2 validators. The results of qualitative data validity analysis from the validation of the items, the percentage of each was above 80% with very high criteria and declared valid and the questions were feasible to use. While the quantitative data validity analysis the resulting percentage as a whole is 65% low category, 25% moderate category and 10% high category with a reliability coefficient value of 0.828 including very high and reliable categories. The results of the analysis of the responses obtained an average value of 78, meaning that the 30 students were more dominant in giving a positive response to the questions

Constructing One Component of a Survey Instrument to Measure the Influence of an Athletic Trainer\u27s Worldview in his Decision Making Process

Athletic trainers are often put in situations where they may be pressured to make morally compromising decisions regarding issues ranging from insurance fraud to substance abuse. The Athletic Training Department at Liberty University seeks to produce findings based on the results of a survey focusing on the role that an athletic trainer\u27s worldview plays in these decision-making processes that shows a correlation between an individual\u27s worldview and the types of decisions he makes. It is the goal of the Liberty University Athletic Training Program to determine how significant the effects of an athletic trainer\u27s worldview would have on the decisions that he makes in a given situation. The purpose of this research project was to develop one of two surveys which will be combined to form the final survey instrument that the Athletic Training Program will use to collect and classify the data concerning the effects of an athletic trainer\u27s worldview in his decision-making process. Designing this research instrument included tasks such as pre-testing reliability, establishing objectivity, and determining variables. These, among other things, were all considerations during the process of constructing such a survey instrument. It is important to note that the purpose of this project was to develop only one of the two surveys which will then be combined to form the final instrument that will be used in a future study by the Athletic Training Program at Liberty University

Brazilian WHOQOL-OLD module version: a Rasch analysis of a new instrument

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the Brazilian version of WHOQOL-OLD Module and to test potential changes to the instrument to increase its psychometric adequacy. METHODS: A total of 424 older adults living in a city in Southern Brazil completed the WHOQOL-OLD instrument, in 2005. Rasch analysis was used to explore the psychometric performance of the scale, as implemented by the RUMM2020 software. Item-trait interaction, threshold disorders, presence of differential item functioning and item fit, were analyzed. RESULTS: Two ("death and dying" and "sensory abilities") out of six domains showed inadequate item-trait interactions. Rescoring the response scale and deleting the most misperforming items led to scale improvement. The evaluation of domains and items individually showed that the "intimacy" domain does perform well in contrast to the findings using the classical approach. In addition, the "sensory abilities" domain does not derive an interval measure in its current format. CONCLUSIONS: Unidimensionality and local independence were seen in all domains. Changes in the response scale and deletion of problematic items improved the scale's performance

Charting Success: Using Practical Measures to Assess Information Literacy Skills in the First-Year Writing Course

Objective – The aim was to measure the impact of a peer-to-peer model on information literacy skill-building among first-year students at a small commuter college in the United States. The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is the state’s flagship public university and UNH Manchester is one of its seven colleges. This study contributed to a program evaluation of the Research Mentor Program at UNH Manchester whereby peer writing tutors are trained in basic library research skills to support first-year students throughout the research and writing process. Methods – The methodology employed a locally developed pre-test/post-test instrument with fixed-choice and open-ended questions to measure students’ knowledge of the library research process. Anonymized data was collected using an online survey with SurveyMonkey™ software. A rubric was developed to score the responses to open-ended questions. Results – The study indicated a positive progression toward increased learning for the three information literacy skills targeted: 1) using library resources correctly, 2) building effective search strategies, and 3) evaluating sources appropriately. Students scored higher in the fixed-choice questions than the open-ended ones, demonstrating their ability to more effectively identify the applicable information literacy skill than use the language of information literacy to describe their own research behavior. Conclusions – The assessment methodology used was an assortment of low-key, locally-developed instruments that provided timely data to measure students understanding of concepts taught and to apply those concepts correctly. Although the conclusions are not generalizable to other institutions, the findings were a valuable component of an ongoing program evaluation. Further assessment measuring student performance would strengthen the conclusions attained in this study

Measuring measuring: Toward a theory of proficiency with the Constructing Measures framework

This paper is relevant to measurement educators who are interested in the variability of understanding and use of the four building blocks in the Constructing Measures framework (Wilson, 2005). It proposes a uni-dimensional structure for understanding Wilson’s framework, and explores the evidence for and against this conceptualization. Constructed and fixed choice response items are utilized to collect responses from 72 participants who range in experience and expertise with constructing measures. The data was scored by two raters and was analyzed with the Rasch partial credit model using ConQuest (1998). Guided by the 1999 Testing Standards, analyses of validity and reliability evidence provide support for the construct theory and limited uses of the instrument pending item design modifications

Quantitative research

This article describes the basic tenets of quantitative research. The concepts of dependent and independent variables are addressed and the concept of measurement and its associated issues, such as error, reliability and validity, are explored. Experiments and surveys – the principal research designs in quantitative research – are described and key features explained. The importance of the double-blind randomised controlled trial is emphasised, alongside the importance of longitudinal surveys, as opposed to cross-sectional surveys. Essential features of data storage are covered, with an emphasis on safe, anonymous storage. Finally, the article explores the analysis of quantitative data, considering what may be analysed and the main uses of statistics in analysis

The Challenges of Developing an Instrument to Assess Health Provider Motivation at Primary Care Level in Rural Burkina Faso, Ghana and Tanzania.

The quality of health care depends on the competence and motivation of the health workers that provide it. In the West, several tools exist to measure worker motivation, and some have been applied to the health sector. However, none have been validated for use in sub-Saharan Africa. The complexity of such tools has also led to concerns about their application at primary care level. To develop a common instrument to monitor any changes in maternal and neonatal health (MNH) care provider motivation resulting from the introduction of pilot interventions in rural, primary level facilities in Ghana, Burkina Faso, and Tanzania. Initially, a conceptual framework was developed. Based upon this, a literature review and preliminary qualitative research, an English-language instrument was developed and validated in an iterative process with experts from the three countries involved. The instrument was then piloted in Ghana. Reliability testing and exploratory factor analysis were used to produce a final, parsimonious version. This paper describes the actual process of developing the instrument. Consequently, the concepts and items that did not perform well psychometrically at pre-test are first presented and discussed. The final version of the instrument, which comprises 42 items for self-assessment and eight for peer-assessment, is then shown. This is followed by a presentation and discussion of the findings from first use of the instrument with MNH providers from 12 rural, primary level facilities in each of the three countries. It is possible to undertake work of this nature at primary health care level, particularly if the instruments are kept as straightforward as possible and well introduced. However, their development requires very lengthy preparatory periods. The effort needed to adapt such instruments for use in different countries within the region of sub-Saharan Africa should not be underestimated

Optical instrument employing reticle having preselected visual response pattern formed thereon

An optical instrument for use in locating indicator lights or the like on a work surface is described. It comprises a tubular housing, a lens mounted within the housing and including an inner surface coated with a dichroic material that is capable of reflecting a portion of the light incident thereon, a plate mounted within the housing opposite the lens and having a central aperture, a transparent substrate disposed within the housing intermediate the lens and the plate, the substrate including a first surface disposed in a facing relationship to the dichroic material, and a reticle formed on the first surface and comprised of a material capable of reflecting light