Sex and Age Differences in Achievement Goal Orientations in Turkish Adolescents

Culture plays an important role in the achievement goal orientations of students, which may vary as they progress through their lifespan. However, research examining achievement goal orientations in the Turkish cultural context is scarce. Based on contextual and developmental theories, the aim of this study was to examine sex and age differences in achievement goal orientations in Turkish high school students. Participants consisted of 386 female and 250 male high school students (61% female, M=15.67 yrs; SD=1.22) who completed the 2x2 Achievement Goal Orientation Scale. Two way analyses of variance were used to test the research hypotheses. Study results suggested that there was no difference between boys and girls in achievement goal orientation dimensions; however, older students were more likely to less mastery and performance approach oriented than younger students. Based on contextual and developmental theories, some cultural factors related to achievement goal orientations in Turkish high school students were discussed and future studies were recommended. Keywords: Achievement goal orientations, high school students, sex, age, Turkey

Academic procrastination and test anxiety

Bu çalışmanın amacı, akademik erteleme davranışı ve sınav kaygısı arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemektir. Bu doğrultuda, veri toplama aracı olarak kullanılan Erteleme Davranışı Değerlendirme Ölçeği ve Sınav Kaygısı Envanteri 109 (61 kız, 48 erkek) lisans öğrencisine uygulanmıştır. Çalışmaya katılan öğrenciler 17-29 yaşları arasında olup, yaş ortalamaları 19.9 dur. Çalışmanın sonuçları, öğrencilerin akademik erteleme davranışı ortalamasının 34.5 (SS = 5.4) ve sınav kaygısı ortalamasının 43.0 (SS = 12.2) olduğunu göstermektedir. Cinsiyet farkına yönelik olarak yapılan analiz sonuçları, akademik erteleme davranışına ilişkin bir farklılığa işaret etmezken; kız öğrencilerin (M = 45.7; SS = 13.2) erkek öğrencilerden (M = 39.6; SS = 9.9) daha fazla sınav kaygısına sahip olduğunu göstermiştir. Faktör analizi bulguları, çalışmaya katılan öğrencilerin erteleme nedenlerinin Başarısızlık korkusu, Risk Alma Davranışı, Kontrol Edilmeye Karşı İsyan ve Tembellik nedenleri üzerinde yoğunlaştığını ortaya koymuştur. Öğrencilerin akademik alanlarda gösterdikleri erteleme davranışı sebeplerinden başarısızlık korkusu ve sınav kaygısı arasında (r = .34) anlamlı bir ilişki olduğu çalışmanın diğer bulguları arasındadır.The present study aimed at examining relationship between academic procrastination and test anxiety. In this respect, Procrastination Assessment Scale-Student and Test Anxiety scales were used as the data collection instrument and administered to 106 (61 female, 45 male) university students. The mean age of the participants was 19.7 and age ranged from 17 to 22. The results of the analysis showed that means of academic procrastination and test anxiety scores were 34.5 (SD = 5.4) and 43.0 (SD = 12.2) respectively. Analysis of gender difference revealed a significance difference on test anxiety; however, any significant gender difference was found on academic procrastination and self-esteem score of the students. The results of the factor analysis showed that students’ self-reported reasons of academic procrastination were fear of failure, risk taking, rebellion against control, and laziness. Significant relationships among the subscales of test anxiety and reasons of academic procrastination were found, however, any correlation was found between academic procrastination and test anxiety of students

Öğrenme ve Ders Çalışma Yaklaşımları Envanteri’nin Uyarlanması ve İlgili Yapılarla İlişkisinin İncelenmesi

The purposes of the study were (a) to conduct the reliability and validity studies of the Approaches to Learning and Studying Inventory (ALSI-short version) and (b) to explore the relationship between epistemological beliefs, self-efficacy beliefs, learning and studying approaches and academic achievement. For the first purpose of the study, the data were collected from 537 university students attending Ege University and from 630 students for the second purpose of the study. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the data supported the proposed model. The test-retest reliability coefficient was r=0.82. McDonald’s ω reliability coefficient results were also at an adequate level. The findings of the path analysis showed that epistemological beliefs determine learning and studying approaches indirectly through self-efficacy beliefs and also, the belief that there is only one unchanging truth influence academic achievement through strategic learning and studying approaches.Bu araştırmanın amaçları, a) Öğrenme ve Ders Çalışma Yaklaşımları Envanteri’nin (ÖDYEKısa Form) Türkiye’deki üniversite öğrencileri için geçerlilik ve güvenilirlik çalışmalarını yapmak, b) epistemolojik inançlar, özyeterlilik inançları ve öğrenme ve ders çalışma yaklaşımları ile akademik başarı arasındaki ilişkileri modellemektir. Araştırmanın ilk amacı için Ege Üniversitesi’nin çeşitli fakültelerinde öğrenim gören 537 öğrenciden, ikinci amacı için ise 630 farklı öğrenciden veri toplanmıştır. Envanterin yapı geçerliliğini test etmek için yapılan doğrulayıcı faktör analizi sonucuna göre kurulan beş faktörden ve toplam 18 maddeden oluşan modelin model veri uyumunun yüksek olduğu belirlenmiştir. Envanterin test-tekrar test güvenilirliğinin yüksek olduğu ( r= 0.82) belirlenmiştir. Path analizi sonucunda, öğrenme ve ders çalışma yaklaşımlarının epistemolojik inançlar ile akademik başarı arasındaki yapısal ilişkide aracı bir değişken olduğu, benzer biçimde, öğrenme ve ders çalışma yaklaşımlarının özyeterlilik inançları ile akademik başarı arasındaki yapısal ilişkide aracı olduğu belirlenmiştir

Examining the Dimensionality, Reliability, and Invariance of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale–21 (DASS-21) Across Eight Countries

© The Author(s) 2020. This study evaluated the dimensionality, invariance, and reliability of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale–21 (DASS-21) within and across Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Romania, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and the United States (N = 2,580) in college student samples. We used confirmatory factor analyses to compare the fit of four different factor structures of the DASS-21: a unidimensional model, a three-correlated-factors model, a higher order model, and a bifactor model. The bifactor model, with three specific factors (depression, anxiety, and stress) and one general factor (general distress), presented the best fit within each country. We also calculated ancillary bifactor indices of model-based dimensionality of the DASS-21 and model-based reliability to further examine the validity of the composite total and subscale scores and the use of unidimensional modeling. Results suggested the DASS-21 can be used as a unidimensional scale. Finally, measurement invariance of the best fitting model was tested across countries indicating configural invariance. The traditional three-correlated-factors model presented scalar invariance across Canada, Hong Kong, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. Overall, these analyses indicate that the DASS-21 would best be used as a general score of distress rather than three separate factors of depression, anxiety, and stress, in the countries studied

Cross-Cultural Validation of the Perceptions of Stigmatization by Others for Seeking Help (PSOSH) Scale

Social network stigma refers to the perceived negative views about seeking help for mental health problems that are held by those closest to an individual, such as family and friends. This form of stigma predicts help-seeking attitudes and intentions beyond other forms of stigma, and is predominantly measured using the Perceptions of Stigmatization by Others for Seeking Help scale (PSOSH; Vogel, Wade, & Ascheman, 2009). However, the PSOSH was normed using samples from the United States and, until the cross-cultural validity of this measure is established, it cannot reliably be used within other countries (Miller & Sheu, 2008). As such, the current study (N = 3,440) examined the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the PSOSH using the sequential constraint imposition approach across 11 countries/regions: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Portugal, Romania, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (U.K.), and the United States (U.S.). Overall, findings indicate that the PSOSH measures a meaningful construct (i.e., configural and metric invariance) across the 11 countries/regions and that future cross-cultural research could use the PSOSH to examine relationships between social network stigma and other variables. Scalar invariance results also supported the examination of mean differences in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Portugal, Turkey, the U.K., and the U.S., but not in Hong Kong, Romania, Taiwan, and UAE. Implications for future cross-cultural research are discussed

Stigma of Seeking Psychological Services: Examining College Students Across Ten Countries/Regions

© Division of Counseling Psychology of the American Psychological Association. Stigma is an important barrier to seeking psychological services worldwide. Two types of stigma exist: public stigma and self-stigma. Scholars have argued that public stigma leads to self-stigma, and then self-stigma is the primary predictor of attitudes toward seeking psychological services. However, this assertion is largely limited to U.S. samples. The goal of this research was to provide a first step in understanding the relationship between public stigma, self-stigma, and attitudes toward seeking psychological services in international contexts (N = 3,276; Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Portugal, Romania, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and United States). Using structural equation modeling, we found that self-stigma mediated the relationship between public stigma and attitudes toward seeking services among college students in each country and region. However, differences in path strengths emphasize the need to pay attention to the role of public and self-stigma on attitudes toward seeking psychological services throughout the world

Cross-Cultural Validation of the Perceptions of Stigmatization by Others for Seeking Help (PSOSH) Scale.

Social network stigma refers to the perceived negative views about seeking help for mental health problems that are held by those closest to an individual, such as family and friends. This form of stigma predicts help-seeking attitudes and intentions beyond other forms of stigma, and is predominantly measured using the Perceptions of Stigmatization by Others for Seeking Help scale (PSOSH; Vogel, Wade, & Ascheman, 2009). However, the PSOSH was normed using samples from the United States and, until the cross-cultural validity of this measure is established, it cannot reliably be used within other countries (Miller & Sheu, 2008). As such, the current study (N = 3,440) examined the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the PSOSH using the sequential constraint imposition approach across 11 countries/regions: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong Kong, Portugal, Romania, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (U.K.), and the United States (U.S.). Overall, findings indicate that the PSOSH measures a meaningful construct (i.e., configural and metric invariance) across the 11 countries/regions and that future cross-cultural research could use the PSOSH to examine relationships between social network stigma and other variables. Scalar invariance results also supported the examination of mean differences in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Portugal, Turkey, the U.K., and the U.S., but not in Hong Kong, Romania, Taiwan, and UAE. Implications for future cross-cultural research are discussed