Construct validity of the Moral Development Scale for Professionals (MDSP)

The aim of this study was to investigate the construct validity of the Moral Development Scale for Professionals (MDSP) using structural equation modeling. The instrument is a 12-item self-report instrument, developed in the Scandinavian cultural context and based on Kohlberg’s theory. A hypothesized simplex structure model underlying the MDSP was tested through structural equation modeling. Validity was also tested as the proportion of respondents older than 20 years that reached the highest moral level, which according to the theory should be small. A convenience sample of 339 nursing students with a mean age of 25.3 years participated. Results confirmed the simplex model structure, indicating that MDSP reflects a moral construct empirically organized from low to high. A minority of respondents >20 years of age (13.5%) scored more than 80% on the highest moral level. The findings support the construct validity of the MDSP and the stages and levels in Kohlberg’s theory

Translation and testing of the Risk Assessment Pressure Ulcer Sore scale used among residents in Norwegian nursing homes

Published version of an article in the journal: BMJ Open. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2012-001575 Open accessObjective. The purpose of this study was to translate and test the psychometric properties of the Norwegian-language version of the Risk Assessment Pressure Sore scale. Background. Risk assessment scales for pressure ulcer prevention have become an aspect of quality improvement in healthcare, but their effectiveness depends on the reliability and validity of the scale. Methods. A convenience sample of 481 residents in 15 nursing homes in rural Norway was included between January and June 2007. The English-language version of the Risk Assessment Pressure Sore scale was translated into Norwegian, and this scale was used to collect the data, including a skin examination. The number of pressure ulcers and grades were documented. Reliability was assessed in a small group of 26 residents and construct validity in the total study group. Results. Equivalence between two assessments regarding total scores of the Risk Assessment Pressure Sore scale was reflected in an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.95. Construct validity was supported, and the Risk Assessment Pressure Sore scale could define groups with expected low and high scores. Further evidence of construct validity was shown in a confirmatory factor analysis. Conclusion. The Norwegian version of the Risk Assessment Pressure Sore scale has shown sufficient psychometric properties to be considered a reliable and valid scale for identifying risk of pressure ulcers among nursing home residents. However, further testing is needed

Factorial validity and measurement invariance across gender groups of the German version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index

The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) is the most widely used measure of empathy, but its factorial validity has been questioned. The present research investigates the factorial validity of the German adaptation of the IRI, the "Saarbrücker Persönlichkeitsfragebogen SPF-IRI". Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFA) and Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) were used to test the theoretically predicted four-factor model. Across two subsamples ESEM outperformed CFA. Substantial cross-loadings were evident in ESEM. Measurement invariance (MI) across gender groups was tested using ESEM in the combined sample. Strict MI (invariant factor loadings, intercepts, residuals) could be established, and variances and covariances were also equal. Differences for latent means were evident. Women scored higher on fantasy, empathic concern, and personal distress. No significant differences were found for perspective taking. Mean differences were due to real differences on latent variables and not a result of measurement bias. Results support the factorial validity of the German SPF-IRI. The heterogeneity of empathy and the unclear differentiation between cognitive and emotional aspects might be a source for the unclear differentiation of scales

Desempeño cognitivo y rendimiento académico: ¿cómo confluyen familia y escuela?

Children enter the school system with different educational experiences, leavingalso with different levels of learning and school results. In this study, we intend to understandthe impact of family and school on children’s cognitive performance and academic achievementduring elementary education. The sample consists of 406 Portuguese children, from preschooland the 1st cycle of Basic Education, aged from 4 to 10 years old. Through full structural equationmodel, it was observed that the latent variable family (parents’ schooling and socioeconomiclevel) and the latent variable school (community and type of school) have a significant impacton academic achievement. However, only family presents a significant impact on cognitiveperformance. These data suggest that the impact of school on intelligence quotient is notexpressive in early academic years, where family present higher explanation of the variance.Los niños ingresan en el Sistema Educativo con diferentes experiencias escolares, alcanzando también diferentes niveles de aprendizaje y resultados escolares. En este estudio, nuestra pretensión es comprender el impacto de la familia y de la escuela en el desempeño cognitivo y el rendimiento académico de los niños durante la educación primaria. La muestra se compone de 406 niños portugueses de preescolar y del 1° ciclo de Educación Primaria, con edades comprendidas entre los 4 y los 10 años. Por medio de modelo completo de ecuaciones estructurales, se observa que la variable latente familia (nivel de escolaridad y nivel socioeconómico) y la variable latente escuela (comunidad y tipo de escuela) tienen un impacto significativo en el rendimiento académico. No obstante, solo la familia presenta un impacto significativo en el desempeño cognitivo. Estos resultados sugieren que el impacto de la escuela en el cociente de inteligencia no es tan relevante en los primeros años o niveles escolares, donde la familia presenta mayor explicación de la varianza.This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, IP (FCT) and the POCH/FSE under Grant SFRH/BD/85110/2012.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Policy implications of achievement testing using multilevel models: the case of Brazilian elementary schools

Large-scale educational assessment has been established as source of descriptive, evaluative and interpretative information that influence educational policies worldwide throughout the last third of the twentieth century. In the 1990s the Brazilian Ministry of Education developed the National Basic Education Assessment System (SAEB) that regularly measures management, resource and contextual school features and academic achievement in public and private institutions. In 2005, after significant piloting and review of the SAEB, a new sampling strategy was taken and Prova Brasil became the new instrument used by the Ministry to assess skills in Portuguese (reading comprehension) and Mathematics (problem solving), as well as collecting contextual information concerning the school, principal, teacher, and the students. This study aims to identify which variables are predictors of academic achievement of fifth grade students on Prova Brasil. Across a large sample of students, multilevel models tested a large number of variables relevant to student achievement. This approach uncovered critical variables not commonly seen as significant in light of other achievement determinants, including student habits, teacher ethnicity, and school technological resources. As such, this approach demonstrates the value of MLM to appropriately nuanced educational policies that reflect critical influences on student achievement. Its implications for wider application for psychology studies that may have relevant impacts for policy are also discussed

A systematic review of tests of empathy in medicine

Abstract Background Empathy is frequently cited as an important attribute in physicians and some groups have expressed a desire to measure empathy either at selection for medical school or during medical (or postgraduate) training. In order to do this, a reliable and valid test of empathy is required. The purpose of this systematic review is to determine the reliability and validity of existing tests for the assessment of medical empathy. Methods A systematic review of research papers relating to the reliability and validity of tests of empathy in medical students and doctors. Journal databases (Medline, EMBASE, and PsycINFO) were searched for English-language articles relating to the assessment of empathy and related constructs in applicants to medical school, medical students, and doctors. Results From 1147 citations, we identified 50 relevant papers describing 36 different instruments of empathy measurement. As some papers assessed more than one instrument, there were 59 instrument assessments. 20 of these involved only medical students, 30 involved only practising clinicians, and three involved only medical school applicants. Four assessments involved both medical students and practising clinicians, and two studies involved both medical school applicants and students. Eight instruments demonstrated evidence of reliability, internal consistency, and validity. Of these, six were self-rated measures, one was a patient-rated measure, and one was an observer-rated measure. Conclusion A number of empathy measures available have been psychometrically assessed for research use among medical students and practising medical doctors. No empathy measures were found with sufficient evidence of predictive validity for use as selection measures for medical school. However, measures with a sufficient evidential base to support their use as tools for investigating the role of empathy in medical training and clinical care are available.</p

The Development and Validation of the Empathy Components Questionnaire (ECQ)

Key research suggests that empathy is a multidimensional construct comprising of both cognitive and affective components. More recent theories and research suggest even further factors within these components of empathy, including the ability to empathize with others versus the drive towards empathizing with others. While numerous self-report measures have been developed to examine empathy, none of them currently index all of these wider components together. The aim of the present research was to develop and validate the Empathy Components Questionnaire (ECQ) to measure cognitive and affective components, as well as ability and drive components within each. Study one utilized items measuring cognitive and affective empathy taken from various established questionnaires to create an initial version of the ECQ. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to examine the underlying components of empathy within the ECQ in a sample of 101 typical adults. Results revealed a five-component model consisting of cognitive ability, cognitive drive, affective ability, affective drive, and a fifth factor assessing affective reactivity. This five-component structure was then validated and confirmed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in an independent sample of 211 typical adults. Results also showed that females scored higher than males overall on the ECQ, and on specific components, which is consistent with previous findings of a female advantage on self-reported empathy. Findings also showed certain components predicted scores on an independent measure of social behavior, which provided good convergent validity of the ECQ. Together, these findings validate the newly developed ECQ as a multidimensional measure of empathy more in-line with current theories of empathy. The ECQ provides a useful new tool for quick and easy measurement of empathy and its components for research with both healthy and clinical populations