Attitude Instrument Research Articles

Social security as an instrument for creating populist attitudes

Social security as an instrument for creating populist attitudes

APLIKASI ANALISIS FAKTOR KONFIRMATORI TERHADAP SIKAP KEBERAGAMAAN MAHASISWA

The aim of this research is to develop an instrument of religious attitude for Islamicstudents higher education at Tarbiyah Faculty of IAIN Raden Intan Lampung. The population of this research is Islamic students of Tarbiyah Faculty amounted to 150 people. The method research used survey technique. The Parameter of this research used Thurstone scale or called with equal appearing interval. The empirical research results through has confirmed 27 items are consist in three dimension. The result by using factor analysis of confirmatory is indicating that all items indicator have factor loading more than 0.30, and support which has estimated with enough theory. Construct reliabilities by Alpha Cronbach indicate that instruments developed have fulfilled limit acceptance of reliabilities coefficient more than 0.70.

The Chinese version of Instrument of Professional Attitude for Student Nurses (IPASN): Assessment of reliability and validity

BackgroundProfessional attitude is of great importance for nursing talents in the modern society. To develop an effective educational program for student nurses in China, an appropriate instrument is required for the assessment of their professional attitude. ObjectiveTo assess the validity and reliability of the Instrument of Professional Attitude for Student Nurses (IPASN) in Chinese version. MethodsThe original version of IPASN was translated through Brislin model (translation, back translation, culture adaption and pilot study) with the authorization from the developer. A total of 681 nursing students were chosen by stratified convenience sampling to assess construct validity using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Besides, item analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficients, test-retest reliability were conducted to test the psychometric properties in this part. A total of 204 nursing undergraduate trainees were selected by cluster convenience sampling to confirm the structure using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in another time. ResultsCorrected item-total correlations, alpha if item deleted were between 0.33 and 0.69, 0.906 and 0.913, respectively, indicating no item should be deleted. Cronbach alpha value was 0.91 for the total scale and Cronbach alpha coefficient for subscales ranged from 0.67 to 0.89. Test-retest reliability estimated from intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was 0.74 (P<0.05). Differences in item scores between the high-score group (the first 27%) and low-score group (the last 27%) were significant (P<0.001), indicating that the item discrimination ability was good. Seven subscales (contribution to increase of scientific information load, autonomy, community service, continuous education, to promote professional development, cooperation and theory guiding practice) were identified in EFA and confirmed in CFA, and explained 65.5% of the total variance. ConclusionIt indicated that the Chinese version of IPASN was valid and reliable for the evaluation of nursing students' professional attitude.

Student-engaged Viewpoint on Technology in Learning English in Zanjan Public High Schools

The purpose of this study was to investigate Iranian high school EFL students’ viewpoint of technology in general and CALL (computer-assisted language learning) in particular on their learning process of English. In order to collect data, a quantitative research design was applied. The quantitative data was collected through a validated questionnaire, CALL attitude instrument (CALLAI). The questionnaire was distributed in two different high schools (one male and one female high school) in Zanjan. Participants were 340 high school students who filled in CALLAI questionnaire. The data of the questionnaire was analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 20. Descriptive statistics including frequencies and percentages were used to analyze questionnaire items. In addition, Independent Samples Tests were applied to measure difference of attitudes by gender. Findings revealed that high school students hold positive attitude toward computer technology use in their learning process. Additionally, it was found that gender does not influence attitude of students.

Functional or constructive attitudes: Which type drives consumers' evaluation of meat products?

Consumer attitudes towards meat can be divided up into two types: Functional attitudes which are stable and exist over long periods of time, and constructive attitudes which are ephemeral and usually constructed at the point of sale. This research investigated the temporal and situational stability of meat consumers' attitudes by using the same established functional, multidimensional attitude instrument to generate attitude profiles for the four meat types: chicken/beef/lamb/poultry both as an abstracted construct and as a cue on a range of meat and meat-based products. The results showed that strong attitude profile was generated by the meat types as abstracted constructs, but that this profile broke down completely when the food products carrying the same meat types were evaluated. This result indicates that consumer attitudes may not be temporally or situationally stable, which in turn suggests that consumers' evaluation and choice of meat products may be driven to a greater or lesser extent by constructive rather than functional attitudes.

Pengaruh pendidikan kesehatan kombinasi metode simulasi dan media audiovisual terhadap pengetahuan dan sikap ibu terkait tatalaksana diare di rumah pada balita

PurposeThis research aimed to determine the effect of health education related to the management of diarrhea at home in toddler. MethodsThis research was a quasi-experimental study using a pre and post test approach with control group. The sample population was all mothers who attended Toddler Posyandu in Tiripan village and Ngepeh village, Nganjuk. Sampling technique used simple random sampling totalling 42 mothers in the intervention group and 49 mothers in the control group. Each group was given health education using audio-visual media while the intervention group was given a simulation after watching video. Simulation content included how to create, mix, and giving oralit, sign of dehydration in toddler, and also how to create, dissolve, and giving zinc tablet or syrup. The measurement instrument of mothers knowledge and attitude was made by the researcher modified from Kapti which had been tested for validity and reliability. Post tests performed 1 week after the health education was given. ResultsIn both groups knowledge and attitude increased significantly after intervention with p=0.001. Changes of mothers knowledge and attitude in control and intervention were p=0.062 and p= 0.658, respectively. This result showed no significant difference in scores of knowledge and attitude of mothers in both groups. ConclusionThere were no significant differences in health education between using combination of simulation method and audiovisual media with increased knowledge and attitude in mothers.

Developing Items to Measure Theory of Planned Behavior Constructs for Opioid Administration for Children: Pilot Testing

The Theory of Planned Behavior (TpB) is useful to direct nursing research aimed at behavior change. As proposed in the TpB, individuals' attitudes, perceived norms, and perceived behavior control predict their intentions to perform a behavior and subsequently predict their actual performance of the behavior. Our purpose was to apply Fishbein and Ajzen's guidelines to begin development of a valid and reliable instrument for pediatric nurses' attitudes, perceived norms, perceived behavior control, and intentions to administer PRN opioid analgesics when hospitalized children self-report moderate to severe pain. Following Fishbein and Ajzen's directions, we were able to define the behavior of interest and specify the research population, formulate items for direct measures, elicit salient beliefs shared by our target population and formulate items for indirect measures, and prepare and test our questionnaire. For the pilot testing of internal consistency of measurement items, Cronbach alphas were between 0.60 and 0.90 for all constructs. Test-retest reliability correlations ranged from 0.63 to 0.90. Following Fishbein and Ajzen's guidelines was a feasible and organized approach for instrument development. In these early stages, we demonstrated good reliability for most subscales, showing promise for the instrument and its use in pain management research. Better understanding of the TpB constructs will facilitate the development of interventions targeted toward nurses' attitudes, perceived norms, and/or perceived behavior control to ultimately improve their pain behaviors toward reducing pain for vulnerable children.

Two at the time: The parallel learning of French and English as foreign languages

In this paper, we report on the findings of a research project on the parallel learning of two foreign languages, French and English, by the same pupils in secondary education in Flanders (Belgium). The Flemish education system offers a unique context whereby the same learners acquire two foreign languages simultaneously in similar classroom environments. Not only does this reduce the number of intervening variables (e.g. memory capacity and age) substantially, it also offers an exclusive insight into the interaction between linguistic proficiency, curricular context and socio-psychological dispositions. Some 125 Dutch-speaking pupils, enrolled in the final year of secondary school, were selected from five schools in Flanders. Proficiency in both languages was measured by a cross-linguistically comparable test battery that evaluated productive skills (speaking and writing). In addition, the pupils’ attitudinal-motivational dispositions towards these languages were determined by means of a written questionnaire, consisting of some 100 statements that were based upon Gardner’s (1985) AMTB and Baker’s (1992) attitude instrument. In spite of their higher curricular exposure to French, the pupils consistently attained higher proficiency levels in English and were overall more favourably disposed towards English than towards French. Although several factors may contribute to this twofold-result, our study suggests that the extra-curricular exposure to a foreign language is a significant factor with regard to foreign language learning as it influences both the available learning opportunities and the socio-psychological dispositions towards the foreign language. In turn, the combination of additional extra-curricular input and more favourable socio-psychological dispositions somehow compensate for the discrepancy in formal exposure between French and English in Flemish foreign language classrooms.

An Assessment of the Knowledge and Attitudes of Graduating Medical Students in Lagos, Nigeria, Regarding Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Symptom scores show that a significant proportion of Nigerians are at high risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea; however, the diagnosis is rarely made in this country. The knowledge of medical students regarding sleep apnea may provide insight into their future ability to recognize patients with sleep apnea and can also inform student education on this disease. To assess the knowledge and attitudes of graduating medical students in Nigeria regarding obstructive sleep apnea using a standard validated questionnaire. This descriptive, cross-sectional survey study was performed at the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos, Nigeria. The Obstructive Sleep Apnea Knowledge and Attitude (OSAKA) instrument was self-administered by the subjects. This validated questionnaire consists of 18 knowledge assessment questions and 5 attitude assessment questions. The response rate was 99%, and our final sample comprised 143 participants. The maximum achievable knowledge score was 18. Obtained scores ranged from 0 to 15; the mean ± SD score was 7.6 ± 3.2 (42.2%); and the median score was 8 (interquartile range, 6-10). Four participants (2.8%) had a score of 0, and 56 (39.2%) had a score corresponding to ≥50%. There was no significant difference in knowledge scores by sex or age. Regarding attitudes, over 80% considered obstructive sleep apnea an important disorder; 41% were confident in identifying patients with the condition; 16.1% were confident in managing the disease; and 16.8% expressed confidence in managing patients receiving continuous positive airway pressure therapy. The total attitude score ranged from 1 to 5 (mean, 2.9 ± 0.7). There was a significant correlation between the total attitude score and the total knowledge score (r = 0.22, P = 0.01) and the age of the participants (r = 0.18, P = 0.04). The level of knowledge of obstructive sleep apnea among medical students at the Nigerian university in our study was not optimal. This study demonstrates a need to formally incorporate evaluation of sleep disorders into the undergraduate medical curriculum with the clear objective of enabling recognition of clinical features of common sleep disorders such as sleep apnea.

Mathematical Problem Solving: Variables that Affect Problem Solving Success

&lt;p&gt;Individuals who can solve the problems in everyday and business life is one of the primary goals of education due to the necessity to have problem solving skills to cope with life problems. Problem solving has an important role in mathematics education. Because of that, this research is aimed to examine the differentiation of secondary school students’ problem solving success according to gender, class level, and mathematics course grade. Moreover, this paper explores the effect of secondary school students’ attitudes toward mathematics and problem solving on problem solving success. The participants were 77 fifth-graders and 81 sixth-graders who were studying in three different secondary schools in a large city in Turkey. Two different attitude instruments and a problem solving test were administered to these volunteer fifth- and sixth-graders accompanied by mathematics teachers. Additionally, the students’ mathematics course grades for the fall semester were obtained and used in the research. The results revealed that sixth-graders were more successful in problem solving than fifth- graders. The problem solving success of female and male students was similar, and there was an intermediate positive relationship between problem solving success and course grade point averages. The students’ attitudes affected their problem solving success.&lt;/p&gt;

Removing bias towards World Englishes: The development of a Rater Attitude Instrument using Indian English as a stimulus

This study explores the attitudes of raters of English speaking tests towards the global spread of English and the challenges in rating speakers of Indian English in descriptive speaking tasks. The claims put forward by language attitude studies indicate a validity issue in English speaking tests: listeners tend to hold negative attitudes towards speakers of non-standard English, and judge them unfavorably. As there are no adequate measures of listener/rater attitude towards emerging varieties of English in language assessment research, a Rater Attitude Instrument comprising a three-phase self-measure was developed. It comprises 11 semantic differential scale items and 31 Likert scale items representing three attitude dimensions of feeling, cognition, and behavior tendency as claimed by psychologists. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor structure with acceptable model fit indices. This measure represents a new initiative to examine raters’ psychological traits as a source of validity evidence in English speaking tests to strengthen arguments about test-takers’ English language proficiency in response to the change of sociolinguistic landscape. The implications for norm selection in English oral tests are also discussed.

Upper Elementary School Student Attitudes Toward Physical Education

This study examined the attitudes of upper elementary school students toward physical education. Fourth and fifth grade students (N = 1344) from 13 school districts, 17 schools, and five states completed an attitude instrument with scores that had been previously validated for a two factor model (affect and cognition) and a four factor model (affect and cognition with the subfactors of teacher and curriculum). For the four factor model, there was a difference between grades for both affect-curriculum and affect-teacher (F(1, 1340) = 6.25, p &lt; .01, ηp2 = .005). Similarly, for the two factor model the affect variable was different between grades, indication that as students age their affect toward physical education decreases (F(1, 1341)= 48.65, p &lt; .001, ηp2 = .035). This study suggests that upper elementary school students have an overall favorable attitude toward physical education, impacted by how they think and feel about the curriculum and teacher.

Pre-service Class Teachers’ Feelings about Graphs

Nowadays, reading and understanding the data is one of basic indicators to becoming an active and thoughtful citizen. These skills, also defined as numerical literacy, contribute meaningful and permanent learning via making connections between courses and subjects. In this view, Graphs are one of the forefront learning domains. Graphs are also frequently used in the education because of their ability to visualize numerical data. Whilst Graphs are considered a subject of mathematics, they are actually interdisciplinary subject and used in science, life and social studies and Turkish. The attitude of class teachers towards graphics is important as they are responsible to teach these courses in the first four grades. In the literature, although there are some studies on the knowledge levels of pre-service class teachers, there is a gap, especially in national literature, on the attitudes of them towards graphs. Being a part of study on developing an attitude instrument, this study aims at determining of the feelings of pre-service class teachers about graphs. For these purposes, 160 pre-service class teachers in fourth grade enrolled in a national university were asked an open ended question of “What do you feel when you face with a graph?” Data were collected in the second semester of instructional year of 2012-2013. Most of the pre-service class teachers feel that graphs will increase their undestanding and interpreting ability and they feel the necesssity of interpreting the graphs when they face with.

Attitudes toward stuttering of nonstuttering preschool and kindergarten children: A comparison using a standard instrument prototype

PurposeThis study investigated attitudes of nonstuttering preschool and kindergarten children toward peers who stutter in order to identify differences by age groups and better understand the genesis of stuttering attitudes. The study also examined the use of a new stuttering attitudes instrument designed for use with young children. MethodThe newly developed Public Opinion Survey on Human Attributes–Stuttering/Child was verbally administered to 27 preschool and 24 kindergarten children who do not stutter in the mid-Atlantic region of the USA. ResultsOverall, preschoolers held more negative stuttering attitudes than kindergarteners, but results were not uniformly in that direction. In both groups, the attribute of stuttering was viewed more negatively than individuals who stutter. Children viewed the potential of peers who stutter as quite positive, whereas their knowledge about and experience with stuttering were generally limited and some of their beliefs quite negative. ConclusionsNegative or uninformed stuttering attitudes among nonstuttering children begin as early as the preschool years. This study provides empirical evidence for the need to educate young children about the nature of stuttering and how to respond appropriately to peers who stutter.Educational objectives: Readers should be able to: (a) describe attitudinal differences between kindergarteners and preschoolers toward peers who stutter; (b) describe the parameters of the POSHA–S/Child; (c) describe the nature of stuttering attitudes in young children relative to their beliefs and self reactions; and (d) describe the implications and future direction of stuttering attitude research in young children.

Peer Mentoring: It’s Effect on Students’ Mathematics Performance, Attitudes and Epistemological Learning Beliefs in Mathematics

This study is conducted in the fact that non-passer in the College Entrance Test (CET) may not be able to pass the Maritime Schools Assessment Program (MSAP) examination; thus, peer mentoring was utilized. The investigation focused on the performance, epistemological beliefs and attitudes towards mathematics among maritime transportation students. Thirty students that were selected randomly were gathered in the program and were divided into fifteen pairs. Each pair had an assigned mentor that was selected purposively.The students’ performance and attitudes towards mathematics were measured using a researchers’ made 50 item pre and posttest multiple choice questionnaire and a researchers’ made attitudes instrument respectively; pilot – tested, validated and reliability-tested. Schommer’s Epistemological Belief Questionnaire was used to assess their epistemological learning beliefs. Frequency count and means were the descriptive statistical tools and paired sample t-test and Pearson’s r set at .05 Alpha levels are the inferential statistical tools. Results showed “low” pre and “high” post mathematics performance. Simple knowledge, certainty of knowledge and omniscient authority are best possessed by the participants for the epistemological learning beliefs. Positive attitudes towards mathematics manifested in both pre and post attitudes of the participants. There is a significant difference between the pretest and posttest mathematics performance and between pre-attitudes and post attitudes towards mathematics of the participants. There is no significant relationship between mathematics performance, attitudes, and epistemological learning beliefs. Sustainability of the program, the conduct of similar studies, continuing training and re-training of student mentors and financial support to those who rendered their services as mentors are highly recommended. Keywords- Peer mentoring, mathematics performance, epistemological learning beliefs, attitudes, descriptive design, experimental design, Iloilo City, Philippines.

Validating a computer-assisted language learning attitude instrument used in Iranian EFL context: an evidence-based approach

A few computer-assisted language learning (CALL) instruments have been developed in Iran to measure EFL (English as a foreign language) learners' attitude toward CALL. However, these instruments have no solid validity argument and accordingly would be unable to provide a reliable measurement of attitude. The present study aimed to develop a CALL attitude instrument (CALLAI) to be used in the Iranian EFL context. A pool of 633 survey items was developed and 27 items were judged to be appropriate for measuring CALL attitude. The chosen items were translated and back-translated by experts and were administered to 1001 Iranian EFL learners. The psychometric features of the items were examined using three primary data analysis techniques: principal component analysis (PCA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and the Rasch-Andrich rating scale model. Finally, a validity argument for CALLAI was developed which comprised five primary inferences. The findings from the psychometric analysis were mapped onto the validity framework. The validity framework is generally well-supported, although adding a few items could yield higher reliability coefficients.

On-orbit characterization of the VIIRS solar diffuser and solar diffuser screen.

We analyze bidirectional reflectance factors (BRF) of the solar diffuser (SD) and vignetting function (VF) of the SD screen (SDS) for on-board calibration of the visible infrared imaging radiometer suite (VIIRS). Specific focus is placed on the products of the BRF and VF, which are the main inputs for calibration of the SD and its accompanying solar diffuser stability monitor (SDSM), which tracks SD degradation. A set of 14 spacecraft yaw maneuvers for the Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership satellite, which houses the VIIRS instrument, was carefully planned and carried out over many orbits to provide the necessary information on the dependence of VIIRS instrument response on solar angles. Along with the prelaunch measurements for the SDS VF and SD BRF, the absolute form of the BRF-VF product is determined for each of the reflective solar bands (RSB) and the SDSM detectors. Consequently, the absolute form of the SDS VF also is obtained from the RSB and SDSM detectors using the yaw maneuver data. The results show that the BRF-VF product for an RSB is independent of the detector, gain status, and half-angle mirror side. The derived VFs from the RSB and the SDSM detectors also show reasonable agreement with each other, as well as with the prelaunch VF measurements, and further demonstrate only geometrical dependence, which, in this work, is characterized by solar angles. The derived calibration coefficients, called the F-factors, from the application of the derived functions in this study show a significantly improved pattern. A small band-dependent residual seasonal fluctuation on the level of ∼0.2%-0.4% remains in the F-factors for each RSB and is further improved by a corrective function with linear dependence on the solar azimuth angle in the nominal attitude instrument coordinate system to the VF. For satellite ocean color remote sensing, on-orbit instrument calibration and characterization are particularly important for producing accurate and consistent ocean color products. The result of this work has the most significant and direct impact on ocean color products.

The Development and Validation of Vignette-Type Instrument for Measuring Attitude Toward Poverty

This paper has its focus on describing processes involved in the development of a measuring instrument for attitude toward poverty. Infrequent studies in the area of the attitude of young people towards poverty especially in the development of measuring instruments capable of capturing attitude toward poverty in this part of the world occasioned the study. Participants were 200 undergraduate students (133 females and 67 males) randomly selected in a private university in Nigeria. The ages of the participants ranged from 15 to 24 years, with mean age of 17.9 years. A scale tagged- Attitude towards Poverty (ATP) was used to generate data. It has a pool of five vignette-type clusters with four items each generated through a rigorous review of literature. When the data was subjected to a factor analysis, five factors emerged from the vignettes with significant factor loadings ranging from .302 to .888 and communalities ranging from .603 to .848. The ATP showed a Cronbach Alpha of 0.919 and an intrinsic validity of 0.959. The split-half reliability of 0.868 for part A and 0.854 for part B were also obtained for the ATP. The factor analysis indicated that the ATP is a reliable vignette-type instrument for measuring positive or negative attitude toward poverty among undergraduate university students in Nigeria. It was concluded that studies should intensely focus on the attitude of young people toward poverty with the aim of correcting negative attitudes, if any, and encouraging positive attitudes.

Developing and testing the validity and reliability of the Chinese version attitudes toward mental illness scale in a sample of senior high school students

Public attitudes toward mental illness influence the success with which patients reenter the community. An attitude instrument suitable to the Chinese cultural setting with good reliability and validity is essential to examining public attitudes toward mental illness. Exploring the perspectives of adolescents is relevant because most mental illness occurs during adolescence. This study developed and tested the psychometric quality of the Chinese-version Attitudes Toward Mental Illness (CAMI) scale among senior high school students. The original AMI was translated into Chinese using a back and forth translation method and its content validity was examined. A cross-sectional survey of 479 senior high school students was conducted to assess the construct validity, cross validity, and internal consistency of the CAMI. The CAMI showed adequate content validity. The confirmatory factor analysis support: the appropriateness of CAMI's original two-factor structure of negative attitude and recovery outcomes after deleting items 9 and 11; the measurement of the negative perceptions of mentally ill patients and their risks to community; and the perceptions of recovery of mentally ill patients. The construct validity and cross validity are appropriate and the internal consistency of the total scale and two subscales are acceptable (Cronbach's α: .76, .75, .81). The reliability and validity of the CAMI is appropriate for the sample of senior high students in this study. Future studies should target a broader range of people in order to establish the reliability and validity of the scale in different groups and to build up empirical knowledge on public attitudes toward mental illness. The application of this scale is expected to contribute to the development of anti-stigma interventions and to the creation of friendly communities for mentally ill patients.

A longitudınal study on the effect of tailored training and counseling on the professional attitude of nursing students.

The development of professional attitudes in nursing students is influenced by their learning experiences (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) and instructors' professional behaviors. Instructors can enhance students' professional attitude by organizing the training environment, being a role model, and providing counseling. This study was conducted as a tailoring intervention study over 4 years (2010-2013) examining 73 nursing students (34 intervention, 39 control) to determine the effect of training and counseling on nursing students' professional attitudes. Data were collected utilizing the Introductory Characteristics Form and the Instrument of Professional Attitude for Student Nurses. Intervention group students were provided training and counseling complementing their current education to develop their professional attitudes. Controls proceeded with their current education. Instrument for Professional Attitude for Student Nurses posttest scores of the intervention group were significantly higher than those of control group students. Furthermore, intervention group scores on all subscales other than "competence and continuous education" significantly increased after training. Controls showed no growth in professional attitudes, other than in "contribution to scientific knowledge." The training and counseling program had a positive influence on the professional attitudes of nursing students. Thus, providing tailored training and counseling associated to professionalism throughout the educational process at schools providing nursing training is recommended.