Assessing Satisfaction With Online Courses: Spanish Version of the Learner Satisfaction Survey

The aim of this study was to develop a Spanish version of the Learner Satisfaction Survey (LSS-S) and to analyze its psychometric properties. The questionnaire was administered to a sample of 1,194 university students. Validity evidence based on the instrument’s internal structure and on relationships with other variables (personality and motivation) were analyzed. In addition, reliability of test scores and differences by gender and area of knowledge were examined. The results revealed a factor structure with adequate fit indices based on five first-order factors (learner–content, learner–instructor, learner–learner, and learner–technology interactions, and general satisfaction) and one second-order factor (total score for academic satisfaction). Scores on the LSS-S were positively correlated with scores on conscientiousness, intrinsic motivation, and identified regulation, and negatively correlated with scores on neuroticism and amotivation. Although the magnitude of correlations with personality traits was small, those with motivational factors were moderate or strong. Reliability of LSS-S factor scores may be considered satisfactory, with McDonald’s omega ranging from 0.80 to 0.86. These results indicate that the LSS-S has satisfactory psychometric properties and that it is an adequate tool for measuring satisfaction with online courses among Spanish learners in higher education

Development and Psychometric Properties of the Questionnaire for Assessing Educational Podcasts (QAEP).

The aim of this research was to develop and validate the Questionnaire for Assessing Educational Podcasts (QAEP), an instrument designed to gather students’ views about four dimensions of educational podcasts: access and use, design and structure, content adequacy, and value as an aid to learning. In study 1 we gathered validity evidence based on test content by asking a panel of experts to rate the clarity and relevance of items. Study 2 examined the psychometric properties of the QAEP, including confirmatory factor analysis with cross-validation to test the factor structure of the questionnaire, as well as item and reliability analysis. The results from study 1 showed that the experts considered the items to be clearly worded and relevant in terms of their content. The results from study 2 showed a factor structure consistent with the underlying dimensions, as well as configural and metric invariance across groups. The item analysis and internal consistency for scores on each factor and for total scores were also satisfactory. The scores obtained on the QAEP provide teachers with direct student feedback and highlight those aspects that need to be enhanced in order to improve the teaching/learning process.The research reported in this paper was supported by a Teaching Innovation Project (PIE17-012), funded by the University of Malaga

Psychometric properties of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale in women with breast cancer.

Background/Objective:: The aim was to analyse the psychometric properties of the 10-item version of the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 10©) in breast cancer patients. Method: A sample of 169 Spanish women who had undergone surgery for breast cancer completed the CD-RISC 10©, along with questionnaires assessing life satisfaction, emotional intelligence, self-esteem, and positive and negative affect. Results: Confirmatory Factor Analysis supported a single-factor structure with adequate fit indices. Reliability was analysed by calculating McDonald’s omega coefficient, which yielded a value of .83. Validity evidence based on relationships with other variables was provided by positive and significant correlations between scores on the CD-RISC 10© and scores on emotional intelligence (clarity and repair), life satisfaction, self-esteem and positive affect, and by a negative and significant correlation with negative affect. The majority of these correlations were above |.50|. Conclusions: The CD-RISC 10© has satisfactory psychometric properties and is a suitable tool for measuring resilience in patients with cancer. The instrument is quick and easy to apply and may be used in both clinical and research contexts. Published by Elsevier Espa˜na, S.L.U. on behalfThis research was supported by a grant from the Junta deAndalucía (Group CTS-110

Life Satisfaction and Character Strengths in Women With Breast Cancer: Zest and Hope as Predictors.

Background:Empirical evidence shows that life satisfaction is positively related to character strengths, and although this association has been observed in different populations, it is scarce in breast cancer patients. This study analyzes the relationship between character strengths and life satisfaction in Spanish women diagnosed with breast cancer. Methods:A sample of 117 women completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and the Spanish version of the VIA Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS). Correlation analysis and regression modeling were performed to determine which strengths predict life satisfaction. Results:The results of the correlation analysis showed that 15 strengths were positively and significantly associated with life satisfaction, with the highest correlations corresponding to zest, hope, curiosity, social intelligence, love, gratitude, and judgment. Regression modeling indicated that of these, zest and hope were key strengths for predicting life satisfaction. Conclusions:These findings suggest that intervention programs based on the development of zest and hope could help to improve life satisfaction and, therefore, the psychological well-being of women with breast cancer.The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was supported Grupo de investigación consolidado CTS 110, Junta de Andalucí

Immunomodulatory Effects in Healthy Individuals Following a 4-Week Taoist Qigong Intervention: A Comparative Study.

Qigong, an ancient health preservation technique forming part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, combines slow body movements, breathing, and meditation. While this meditative movement system has been reported to offer various physical and psychological benefits, studies on the Taoist school of qigong are sparse. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate the effects of Taoist qigong on white blood cells and other immune parameters in healthy individuals. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty-eight participants were recruited for the study, with 21 assigned to the experimental group and 17 to the control group. Participants in the experimental group engaged in a four-week Taoist qigong program. Blood samples for immune parameter quantification, including leukocyte count, neutrophil, eosinophil, basophil, lymphocyte, and large unstained cell (LUC) counts, as well as concentrations of IgG, IgA, IgM, C3, and C4, were collected one day before the experiment started and one day after it ended. RESULTS Post-program, the experimental group exhibited significantly lower total leukocyte counts, and reduced numbers of lymphocytes and LUCs. Additionally, a higher percentage of monocytes was noted in this group. CONCLUSIONS Taoist qigong practice induced a distinct immunomodulatory profile, characterized by decreased counts of several white blood cell parameters and increased percentages of certain agranulocytes. This outcome presents intriguing implications from a psychobiological perspective and highlights the need for further research into the immune effects of Taoist mind-body practice

Development and psychometric properties of the stressors in Breast Cancer Scale.

Background: A diagnosis of breast cancer generates psychological stress, due not only to treatment and its side effects but also to the impact on different areas of the patient’s daily life. Although there are instruments for measuring psychological stress in the cancer context, there is currently no tool for assessing stressors specific to breast cancer. Aims: The aim of this study was to develop the Stressors in Breast Cancer Scale (SBCS). Method: A panel of experts evaluated the clarity and relevance of scale items, providing validity evidence based on test content. Psychometric properties of the scale were then analyzed. Results: Validity evidence based on the internal structure of the SBCS was obtained through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), following a cross-validation strategy. The CFA supported a second-order factor model with five dimensions: physical appearance and sex strains, health and daily difficulties, interpersonal relationship strains, healthcare strains, and worries and concerns about the future. This structure was invariant across two groups distinguished by time from cancer diagnosis (less than 3 and 3 years or more from diagnosis). Reliability, based on McDonald’s omega and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, ranged from 0.83 to 0.89 for factor scores, and reached 0.95 for total scores. Validity evidence was also provided by correlations with depression, anxiety, perceived stress, and perceived health and quality of life. Discussion: The results support the use of the SBCS for measuring stress as a stimulus in the breast cancer context. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.This study was supported by Grupo de investigación consolidado CTS-110, Junta de Andalucía y I Plan Propio y Transferencia de la Universidad de Málaga (ayuda de Publicación en Abierto, C.1

Repeated measures ANOVA and adjusted F-tests when sphericity is violated: which procedure is best?

Introduction: One-way repeated measures ANOVA requires sphericity. Research indicates that violation of this assumption has an important impact on Type I error. Although more advanced alternative procedures exist, most classical texts recommend the use of adjusted F-tests, which are frequently employed because they are intuitive, easy to apply, and available in most statistical software. Adjusted F-tests differ in the procedure used to estimate the corrective factor ε, the most common being the Greenhouse-Geisser (F-GG) and Huynh-Feldt (F-HF) adjustments. Although numerous studies have analyzed the robustness of these procedures, the results are inconsistent, thus highlighting the need for further research. Methods: The aim of this simulation study was to analyze the performance of the F-statistic, F-GG, and F-HF in terms of Type I error and power in one-way designs with normal data under a variety of conditions that may be encountered in real research practice. Values of ε were fixed according to the Greenhouse–Geisser procedure (εˆ). We manipulated the number of repeated measures (3, 4, and 6) and sample size (from 10 to 300), with εˆ values ranging from the lower to its upper limit. Results: Overall, the results showed that the F-statistic becomes more liberal as sphericity violation increases, whereas both F-HF and F-GG control Type I error; of the two, F-GG is more conservative, especially with large values of εˆ and small samples. Discussion: If different statistical conclusions follow from application of the two tests, we recommend using F-GG for εˆ values below 0.60, and F-HF for εˆ values equal to or above 0.60.This research was supported by University of Malaga and grant PID2020-113191GB-I00 from the MCIN/AEI/10.13039/50110001103

Non-normal Data in Repeated Measures ANOVA: Impact on Type I Error and Power.

Background: Repeated measures designs are commonly used in health and social sciences research. Although there are other, more advanced, statistical analyses, the F-statistic of repeated measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA) remains the most widely used procedure for analyzing differences in means. The impact of the violation of normality has been extensively studied for between-subjects ANOVA, but this is not the case for RM-ANOVA. Therefore, studies that extensively and systematically analyze the robustness of RM-ANOVA under the violation of normality are needed. This paper reports the results of two simulation studies aimed at analyzing the Type I error and power of RM-ANOVA when the normality assumption is violated but sphericity is fulfilled. Method: Study 1 considered 20 distributions, both known and unknown, and we manipulated the number of repeated measures (3, 4, 6, and 8) and sample size (from 10 to 300). Study 2 involved unequal distributions in each repeated measure. The distributions analyzed represent slight, moderate, and severe deviation from normality. Results: Overall, the results show that the Type I error and power of the F-statistic are not altered by the violation of normality. Conclusions: RM-ANOVA is generally robust to non-normality when the sphericity assumption is met.This research was supported by grant PID2020-113191GB-I00 from the MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033

Test de la aleatorización en diseños de serie temporal interrumpida con grupo de control

Se presenta un método alternativo de análisis estadístico para los datos provenientes de los diseños de serie temporal interrumpida basado en el test de la aleatorización. El procedimiento se basa en la asignación aleatoria de los sujetos a los grupos experimentales y determinación aleatoria del punto de intervención. Se discuten los estadísticos pertinentes para evaluar la hipótesis acerca del cambio conductual basado en el cambio de medias, o en su caso, de tendencias entre grupos y fases de tratamiento

Diseño unifactorial de medidas repetidas: ejercicio práctico

A practical activity has been designed to be used as additional material that may assist in organizing the approach to the subject Experimental Methodology. This activity includes a hypothetical research following a repeated measures design, the data of which have been analyzed with SPSS for Windows (version 6.0.1). Aself-test multiple choice test have been developed which includes several aspects of the design and data analysis. After the answers of the test, a presentation of the results is offered ro provide a guide to write in the Result section of a scientific paper. Finally, the use of SPSS for Windows for the analysis of the data is shown.En el presente trabajo se expone una actividad diseñada como material de apoyo a clases prácticas de la asignatura Metodología Experimental en las CC. del Comportamiento. Se ha seleccionado una investigación hipotética que sigue un diseño de medidas repetidas y cuyos datos se han analizado siguiendo el programa SPSS para Windows (versión 6.0.1). La investigación va seguida de una serie de cuestiones que conforman un test de autoevaluación que contemplan diversos aspectos del diseño experimental y del análisis de datos. Tras la exposición de las soluciones, se ofrece una redacción de los resultados encontrados, que servirá de guía para aprender a plasmar los resultados estadísticos en un documento científico de forma ordenada y con los datos relevantes. Finalmente, se expone el procedimiento por el cual se ha realizado el análisis estadístico, ilustrado con las ventanas extraídas del SPSS para Windows, con el objetivo de que pueda ser replicado siguiendo los pasos pertinentes