The Addiction of Sultan Qaboos University Students to Social Networking Sites (SNS)

The present study aimed at identifying the prevalence of addiction of SNS among the students of Sultan Qaboos University, analyzing the most common symptoms of SNS addiction among them, and determining the categories which are most vulnerable to addiction to SNS. The study sample consisted of 237= 67% females and 33% males. The Alpha Cronbach coefficient for the SNS scale was 0.92, while for its three dimensions: emergence and relapse 0.85, endurance and conflict 0.81, mood adjustment and withdrawal 0.81. The results showed that the prevalence of SNS addiction among university students reached 21.1%. Endurance and conflict were the most common symptoms of SNS addiction among students. The multiple variance tests revealed that there were no significant differences among university students in terms of SNS addiction related to gender, while there were significant differences among them related to number of usage hours, GPA, and household income level

Parenting styles and psychological needs influences on adolescent life goals and aspirations in a South African setting

The present study examined the role of parenting styles and basic psychological needs in the adoption of goals and aspirations of learners, as well as for their psychological wellbeing (positive versus negative affect) in a South African sample of learners. A cross-sectional design was used to conduct this study with a sample of 853 learners at public schools in the Western Cape of South Africa (females = 57%, mean age 16.96 years, SD = 1.12). Data were collected using the Parenting Style and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ), Psychological Needs Scale, Aspiration Index and the Positive And Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The results suggest that authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles influence the adoption of life goals and psychological wellbeing of adolescents with fathers’ negative parenting possibly reducing adolescent wellbeing. Extrinsic life goals was a significant predictor of positive affect, while need frustration was a significant predictor of negative affect. These findings suggest parenting styles and basic psychological needs influence life aspirations and psychological wellbeing of learners in a developing country context

Relationship of Academic Self-Efficacy with Psychological Adjustment among Students in Grades 7-12 in the Sultanate of Oman

This study investigated the relationship between academic self-efficacy and psychological adjustment among 2821 students (grades 7 to 12) who were selected from all Omani school districts. It also aimed at exploring the predictive possibility of academic self-efficacy by psychological adjustment, and identifying the differences in academic self-efficacy and psychological adjustment according to gender and age. Two scales of academic self-efficacy and psychological adjustment were applied in order to obtain study data, after verifying their validity and reliability. The results showed statistically significant differences due to gender and class in both academic self-efficacy and psychological adjustment. Moreover, results of the multiple regression analysis showed that the adaptive adjustment subscale was the only significant predictor of academic self-efficacy and contributed with a percentage of (15.2%) in explaining the difference in students' scores in the academic self-efficacy scale

Teachers engagement at work: An international validation study

This study explored the validity of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale in a sample of 853 practicing teachers from Australia, Canada, China (Hong Kong), Indonesia, and Oman. The authors used multigroup confirmatory factor analysis to test the factor structure and measurement invariance across settings, after which they examined the relationships between work engagement, workplace well-being (job satisfaction and quitting intention), and contextual variables (socioeconomic status, experience, and gender). The 1-factor version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale was deemed preferable to the 3-factor version and showed acceptable fit to the cross-national data. The 1-factor Utrecht Work Engagement Scale showed good internal consistency and similar relationships with workplace well-being and contextual variables across settings. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale was invariant within broadly construed Western and non-Western groups but not across Western and non-Western groups. The authors concluded that the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale needs further development before its use can be supported in further cross-cultural research

Parenting Styles: A comparative study between Omani and Saudi female students

هدفت الدراسة إلى مقارنة أنماط التنشئة الوالدية في كل من سلطنة عمان والمملكة العربية السعودية، والكشف عن أثر التفاعل بين بعض المتغيرات الديمغرافية على أنماط التنشئة الوالدية، واعتمد الباحثون المنهج الوصفي المقارن، وتكونت عينة الدراسة من 529 طالبة من طالبات كلية التربية بجامعة السلطان قابوس بسلطنة عمان، وطالبات كلية التربية بجامعة حائل بالمملكة العربية السعودية. واستخدم الباحثون مقياس التنشئة الوالدية لبيوري (Buri, 1991)، وكشفت نتائج الدراسة عن وجود فروق دالة إحصائيًّا في أنماط التنشئة الوالدية بين طالبات البلدين في نمطي الأم المتساهل والأب المتساهل، ولصالح طالبات المملكة العربية السعودية. كما دلت النتائج على عدم وجود أثر دال إحصائيًّا للتفاعل بين كل من السنة الدراسية والتحصيل الدراسي والمستوى التعليمي للأب، والمستوى التعليمي للأم على أنماط التنشئة الوالدية. ووجود أثر صغير للتفاعل بين عدد أفراد الأسرة، والترتيب الولادي على النمط السلطوي للأب.This study aimed at comparing parenting styles in the Sultanate of Oman and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study also examined interaction effects of some demographic variables on the parenting styles levels. Using a descriptive and comparative approach to conduct this study, the researchers applied an Arabic version of the Parenting Authority Questionnaire (PAQ, Buri, 1991) on a sample of 529 female education students from Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman, and from University of Hail in Saudi Arabia. The results showed statistically significant differences on the perceptions of permissive parenting styles for both mothers and fathers, favoring female Saudi students. No country differences were found on the authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles. The results also indicated non-significant interaction effects on the parenting styles based on school year, achievement level and father and mother educational levels. A small statistically significant interaction effect between number of family members and birth order was found in the authoritarian father parenting style

Measurement invariance of the Brief Multidimensional Student’s Life Satisfaction Scale among adolescents and emerging adults across 23 cultural contexts

Abstract: There is hardly any cross-cultural research on the measurement invariance of the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scales (BMSLSS). The current article evaluates the measurement invariance of the BMSLSS across cultural contexts. This cross-sectional study sampled 7,739 adolescents and emerging adults in 23 countries. A multi-group confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit of configural and partial measurement weights invariance models, indicating similar patterns and strengths in factor loading for both adolescents and emerging adults across various countries. We found insufficient evidence for scalar invariance in both the adolescents’ and the emerging adults’ samples. A multi-level confirmatory factor analysis indicated configural invariance of the structure at country and individual level. Internal consistency, evaluated by alpha and omega coefficients per country, yielded acceptable results. The translated BMSLSS across different cultural contexts presents good psychometric characteristics similar to what has been reported in the original scale, though scalar invariance remains problematic. Our results indicate that the BMSLSS forms a brief measure of life satisfaction, which has accrued substantial evidence of construct validity, thus suitable for use in cross-cultural surveys with adolescents and emerging adults, although evaluation of degree of invariance must be carried out to ensure its suitability for mean comparisons