14 research outputs found
Evaluating the Factor Structure of Each Facet of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire
Constructing a Time-Invariant Measure of the Socio-economic Status of U.S. Census Tracts
Contextual research on time and place requires a consistent measurement instrument for neighborhood conditions in order to make unbiased inferences about neighborhood change. We develop such a time-invariant measure of neighborhood socio-economic status (NSES) using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses fit to census data at the tract level from the 1990 and 2000 U.S. Censuses and the 2008â2012 American Community Survey. A single factor model fit the data well at all three time periods, and factor loadingsâbut not indicator interceptsâcould be constrained to equality over time without decrement to fit. After addressing remaining longitudinal measurement bias, we found that NSES increased from 1990 to 2000, and thenâconsistent with the timing of the âGreat Recessionââdeclined in 2008â2012 to a level approaching that of 1990. Our approach for evaluating and adjusting for time-invariance is not only instructive for studies of NSES but also more generally for longitudinal studies in which the variable of interest is a latent construct
Mexican-Origin Youth Participation in Extracurricular Activities: Predicting Trajectories of Involvement from 7th to 12th Grade
The Relations Among School Climate, Instructional Quality, and Achievement Motivation in Mathematics
Instructional quality is considered to be an important classroom variable, as it is significantly related to student achievement and motivation in mathematics. Existing studies in educational effectiveness furthermore identified a positive relation between instructional quality and school climate, suggesting that the school environment plays a significant role in teachersâ instructional practices. In order to bring together these two core findings, the relations among different aspects of school climate, instructional quality, and studentsâ achievement motivation for the TIMSS 2011 grade eight mathematics data sets comprising 50 countries are investigated. In particular, the role of instructional quality as a potential mediator between school climate and student motivation is examined, thereby focusing on three aspects of school climate (emphasis on academic success, safety, and order in schools) and three aspects of achievement motivation (self-concept, intrinsic value, and extrinsic value). In general, there was a significant positive relation between instructional quality and achievement motivation at the classroom level in mathematics; in some countries, a partial mediation of instructional quality between school climate and achievement motivation was apparent. Four main patterns of relations occurred. These findings are discussed with respect to implications for educational effectiveness research