Achievement Emotions Questionnaire-Mathematics (AEQ-M) in Adolescents: Factorial structure, measurement invariance and convergent validity with personality

Published article at: European Journal of Developmental PsychologyAbstract: The Achievement Emotions Questionnaire-Mathematics (AEQ-M) is a self-report measure of emotions experienced in class, when self-studying, and during tests for the domain of mathematics. Our aim was to present a Portuguese version of this instrument for use with adolescents and to test its reliability, factorial structure, measurement invariance, and construct validity with personality dimensions. Our sample comprised 1,387 Portuguese students from the 7th, 8th and 9th grades (mean age = 13.2 years). Student responses to the AEQ-M were found to be reliable. Confirmatory factor analysis validated a seven-emotion × three-setting factorial structure. This model demonstrated measurement invariance across gender and grade. As a demonstration of construct validity, the emotions measured by the AEQ-M showed a pattern of associations with psychobiological personality dimensions that were in line with theoretical predictions. These results validate the AEQ-M as a suitable instrument for assessing adolescents’ mathematics-related achievement emotions and their associations with personality.Resumo: O Achievement Emotions Questionnaire-Mathematics (AEQ-M) é uma medida de autorrelato de emoções experimentadas em sala de aula, quando se estuda sozinho e durante os testes para o domínio da matemática. Nosso objetivo foi apresentar uma versão em português deste instrumento para uso em adolescentes e testar sua confiabilidade, estrutura fatorial, invariância de medida e validade de construto com dimensões de personalidade. A nossa amostra foi composta por 1387 estudantes portugueses dos 7º, 8º e 9º anos (média de idade = 13,2 anos). As respostas dos alunos ao AEQ-M foram consideradas confiáveis. A análise fatorial confirmatória validou uma estrutura fatorial de sete emoções × três configurações. Este modelo demonstrou invariância de medição entre gênero e série. Como uma demonstração de validade de construto, as emoções medidas pelo AEQ-M mostraram um padrão de associações com dimensões de personalidade psicobiológica que estavam de acordo com as previsões teóricas. Estes resultados validam o AEQ-M como um instrumento adequado para avaliar as emoções de realização relacionadas à matemática dos adolescentes e suas associações com a personalidade

Applying the transtheoretical model to adolescent academic performance using a person-centered approach : a latent cluster analysis.

This document is the authors’ version of the final accepted manuscript, published in 2020 by Learning and Individual Differences. doi: 10.1016/j.lindif.2019.101818 Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Prof. Paulo Moreira, Instituto de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, Universidade Lusíada, Rua de Moçambique 21 e 71, Porto 4100-348, Portugal. Email: [email protected] to the transtheoretical model (TTM), intentional behavioral change to improve academic performance at school is a process that involves a progression through five discrete stages: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance. The current person-centered study assessed the emotional and sociocognitive characteristics of adolescent students (n = 343) with distinct academic performance stage of change profiles. Latent class analysis revealed five emergent groups. These groups mapped well onto the different academic performance stages of change: (1) students in a precontemplation stage; (2) students transitioning from precontemplation to contemplation; (3) students in a contemplation/preparation stage; (4) students in an action/maintenance stage; and (5) students outside the change process due to strong prior academic performances. In accordance with the TTM, group differences in personality, wellbeing, emotional/behavioral problems, learning approaches, and engagement with school indicated students in the more advanced stages of change had more adaptive psychological resources

Assessing the dimensionality of student school engagement survey : support for a multidimensional bifactor model

This document is the authors’ version of the final accepted manuscript, published online in 27.4.2020 by Revista de Psicodidáctica (English ed.). doi: 10.1016/j.psicoe.2020.03.001 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S253038052030006XCorrespondence concerning this article should be addressed to Prof. Paulo Moreira, Instituto de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, Universidade Lusíada, Rua de Moçambique 21 e 71, Porto 4100-348, Portugal. Email: [email protected] concerning this article should be addressed to Prof. Paulo Moreira, Instituto de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, Universidade Lusíada, Rua de Moçambique 21 e 71, Porto 4100-348, Portugal. Email: [email protected] Student School Engagement Survey (SSES) is used to evaluate student engagement interventions run by the National Center for Student Engagement in the U.S. It was designed to measure the behavioral, emotional, and cognitive components of engagement, but its factorial structure has not been validated. To address this limitation, we tested the factorial structure of the Portuguese version of the SSES using a representative sample of 4,866 adolescents. An exploratory factor analysis revealed five theoretically meaningful factors describing subtypes of emotional and behavioral engagement, and teacher support for learning. A confirmatory factor analysis supported modelling a shortened version of the SSES with a bifactor model. Bifactor indices indicated total SSES scores are interpretable as a measure of a single student engagement construct. Finally, as evidence of concurrent validity, the scale had a strong positive correlation with an established measure of student engagement. The proposed version of the SSES is a psychometrically adequate measure of student engagement, although cannot be said to measure cognitive engagement

Relativistic Orbital Optimized Density Functional Theory for Accurate Core-Level Spectroscopy

Core-level spectra of 1s electrons (K-edge) of elements heavier than Ne show significant relativistic effects. We combine recent advances in orbital optimized density functional theory (OO-DFT) with the spin-free exact two-component (X2C) model for scalar relativistic effects, to study K-edge spectra of elements in the third period of the periodic table. OO-DFT/X2C is found to be quite accurate at predicting energies, yielding $\sim 0.5$ eV root mean square error (RMSE) vs experiment with the local SCAN functional and the related SCANh hybrid functional. This marks a signficant improvement over the $>50$ eV deviations that are typical for the popular time-dependent DFT (TDDFT) approach. Consequently, experimental spectra are quite well reproduced by OO-DFT/X2C, without any need for empirical shifts for alignment between the two. OO-DFT/X2C therefore is a promising route for computing core-level spectra of third period elements, as it combines high accuracy with ground state DFT cost. We also explored K and L edges of 3d transition metals to identify possible limitations of the OO-DFT/X2C approach and discuss what additional features would be needed for accurately modeling the spectra of such electrons

High-Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of the Brown Dwarf Epsilon Indi Ba

We report on the analysis of high-resolution infrared spectra of the newly discovered brown dwarf Epsilon Indi Ba. This is the closest known brown dwarf to the solar system, with a distance of 3.626 pc. Spectra covering the ranges of 2.308-2.317 microns and 1.553-1.559 microns were observed at a spectral resolution of R=50,000 with the Phoenix spectrometer on the Gemini South telescope. The physical paramters of effective temperature and surface gravity are derived by comparison to model spectra calculated from atmospheres computed using unified cloudy models. An accurate projected rotational velocity is also derived.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures. Astrophysical Journal Letters, in pres

The Space Interferometry Mission Astrometric Grid Giant-Star Survey. I. Stellar Parameters and Radial Velocity Variability

We present results from a campaign of multiple epoch echelle spectroscopy of relatively faint (V = 9.5-13.5 mag) red giants observed as potential astrometric grid stars for the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM PlanetQuest). Data are analyzed for 775 stars selected from the Grid Giant Star Survey spanning a wide range of effective temperatures (Teff), gravities and metallicities. The spectra are used to determine these stellar parameters and to monitor radial velocity (RV) variability at the 100 m/s level. The degree of RV variation measured for 489 stars observed two or more times is explored as a function of the inferred stellar parameters. The percentage of radial velocity unstable stars is found to be very high -- about 2/3 of our sample. It is found that the fraction of RV-stable red giants (at the 100 m/s level) is higher among stars with Teff \sim 4500 K, corresponding to the calibration-independent range of infrared colors 0.59 < (J-K_s)_0 < 0.73. A higher percentage of RV-stable stars is found if the additional constraints of surface gravity and metallicity ranges 2.3< log g < 3.2 and -0.5 < [Fe/H] < -0.1, respectively, are applied. Selection of stars based on only photometric values of effective temperature (4300 K < Teff < 4700 K) is a simple and effective way to increase the fraction of RV-stable stars. The optimal selection of RV-stable stars, especially in the case when the Washington photometry is unavailable, can rely effectively on 2MASS colors constraint 0.59 < (J-K_s)_0 < 0.73. These results have important ramifications for the use of giant stars as astrometric references for the SIM PlanetQuest.Comment: Astronomical Journal, in press, 22 pages, 11 Postscript figures, uses aastex.cl

Therapeutic reactance in adolescents: the psychometrics of the Therapeutic Reactance Scale in adolescents

Corresponding author: [email protected] of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Lusíada-Norte (Porto), Psychology for Positive Development Research Center (CIPD), PortugalPublished article at: Scandinavian Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology.Background: The Therapeutic Reactance Scale (TRS) is a classic measure of psychological reactance, yet only two studies have evaluated its factorial structure. Both proposed different multidimensional structures based on exploratory analyses. Not only is the factorial structure of the TRS unclear, but the scale has yet to be validated in adolescents. Objective: This study aimed to test the factorial structure of the TRS in adolescents. Methods: The authors conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and analyses of reliability and validity, with a sample of 1,344 adolescents. Results: A four-factor model fits well to the data. Three of the four TRS dimensions (not susceptibility to influence, SI) were correlated with the Hong Psychological Reactance Scale (HPRS). These three dimensions were also correlated with novelty seeking, cooperativeness and persistence components of personality (Cloninger’s psychobiological model of personality), while SI showed a different pattern. Conclusions: Overall, this study demonstrates that the TRS is a suitable and potentially useful tool for measuring reactance in adolescents, but the authors propose that practitioners may wish to consider excluding items pertaining to the SI dimension

Reactive powder concrete reinforced with steel fibres exposed to high temperatures

An experimental investigation was carried out to assess the mechanical properties of reactive powder concrete (RPC) reinforced with steel fibres (2% in vol.) when exposed to high temperatures. The compressive, flexural and tensile strength, modulus of elasticity and postcracking behaviour were assessed after specimens’ exposure to different high temperatures ranging from 400 to 700ºC. The mechanical properties of the RPC were assessed for specimens dried for 24 hours at 60 ºC and 100 ºC. Partially dried specimens (60 ºC) exhibited explosive spalling at nearby 450 ºC, while fully dried RPC specimens (100 ºC) maintained their integrity after heating exposure. In general, the mechanical properties of RPC significantly decreased with the increase of the temperature exposure. The rate of decrease with temperature of the compressive, tensile and flexural strengths, as well the corresponding post-cracking residual stresses was higher for exposure temperatures above the 400 ºC.The authors would like to acknowledge the Zhejiang Boen Company and MAPEI Company for providing gratuitously, respectively, the steel fibers and micro silica fume. The first author would also like to acknowledge the grant obtained under the scope of the Erasmus Mundus - Marhaba project. The third author wishes to acknowledge the grant SFRH/BSAB/114302/2016 provided by FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Influence of real-world characteristics on outcomes for patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcal skin and soft tissue infections:a multi-country medical chart review in Europe

BACKGROUND: Patient-related (demographic/disease) and treatment-related (drug/clinician/hospital) characteristics were evaluated as potential predictors of healthcare resource use and opportunities for early switch (ES) from intravenous (IV)-to-oral methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-active antibiotic therapy and early hospital discharge (ED). METHODS: This retrospective observational medical chart study analyzed patients (across 12 European countries) with microbiologically confirmed MRSA complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTI), ≥3 days of IV anti-MRSA antibiotics during hospitalization (July 1, 2010-June 30, 2011), and discharged alive by July 31, 2011. Logistic/linear regression models evaluated characteristics potentially associated with actual resource use (length of IV therapy, length of hospital stay [LOS], IV-to-oral antibiotic switch), and ES and ED (using literature-based and expert-verified criteria) outcomes. RESULTS: 1542 patients (mean ± SD age 60.8 ± 16.5 years; 61.5% males) were assessed with 81.0% hospitalized for MRSA cSSTI as the primary reason. Several patient demographic, infection, complication, treatment, and hospital characteristics were predictive of length of IV therapy, LOS, IV-to-oral antibiotic switch, or ES and ED opportunities. Outcomes and ES and ED opportunities varied across countries. Length of IV therapy and LOS (r = 0.66, p < 0.0001) and eligibilities for ES and ED (r = 0.44, p < 0.0001) showed relatively strong correlations. IV-to-oral antibiotic switch patients had significantly shorter length of IV therapy (−5.19 days, p < 0.001) and non-significantly shorter LOS (−1.86 days, p > 0.05). Certain patient and treatment characteristics were associated with increased odds of ES (healthcare-associated/ hospital-acquired infection) and ED (patient living arrangements, healthcare-associated/ hospital-acquired infection, initiating MRSA-active treatment 1–2 days post cSSTI index date, existing ED protocol), while other factors decreased the odds of ES (no documented MRSA culture, ≥4 days from admission to cSSTI index date, IV-to-oral switch, IV line infection) and ED (dementia, no documented MRSA culture, initiating MRSA-active treatment ≥3 days post cSSTI index date, existing ES protocol). CONCLUSIONS: Practice patterns and opportunity for further ES and ED were affected by several infection, treatment, hospital, and geographical characteristics, which should be considered in identifying ES and ED opportunities and designing interventions for MRSA cSSTI to reduce IV days and LOS while maintaining the quality of care. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/1471-2334-14-476) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users