Dimensions Of Instrument Research Articles

Validity of A Short-Term Quality of Life Questionnaire in Patients Undergoing Joint Replacement: The Quality of Recovery–40

One hundred thirty-two patients undergoing total hip or knee arthroplasty were evaluated before and after surgery with the Quality of Recovery–40 (QoR-40) and the Short Form 12 (SF-12) questionnaires seven times over a 4-month period, with the objective of comparing their psychometric properties. Physical dimensions of the QoR-40 and SF-12 were not related in the days after surgery but moderately related over the first month. Only the change in score for the physical independence dimension of the QoR-40 exceeded measurement error. Effect sizes were larger for the QoR-40 within the first month post-surgery and larger for the SF-12 past 1 month. Effect sizes were larger for the physical dimensions of both instruments compared to the psychological dimensions. Only the physical independence dimension of the QoR-40 appears useful to assess the quality of life in the first month following surgery.

Adapted Institutional Logics of Contemporary Nonprofit Organizations

This study applies the concept of institutional logic to interpret the content of the instrumental and expressive dimensions of nonprofit organizations (NPOs). The study concludes that the three-sector assumption of public, private, and nonprofit in existing nonprofit studies may have neglected some institutional logics of NPOs. The sets of institutional logics that are innate to NPOs must often adapt to “external” institutional logics due to resource dependency. The study discusses a relatively complete spectrum of the multiple institutional logics enacted by NPOs, and it conceptualizes the “adapted institutional logics” phenomenon, whereby NPOs are forced to change due to competing logics.

The Instrumental and Symbolic Dimensions of Organisations' Image as an Employer: A Large-Scale Field Study on Employer Branding in Turkey

Research on recruitment and employer branding has typically been situated in Western countries with predominantly individualistic cultures. The present study investigates the instrumental-symbolic framework for studying organisations' image and attraction as an employer in a non-Western collectivistic culture. In a large nationwide sample of Turkish university students, both instrumental (working conditions) and symbolic image dimensions (competence) were positively related to organisational attractiveness. Moreover, symbolic traits explained significant incremental variance beyond instrumental attributes and accounted for a greater amount of predictable variance. In addition, organisations were better differentiated from each other on the basis of symbolic image dimensions (sincerity and innovativeness) than on the basis of instrumental dimensions (task demands). Overall, these findings provide support for the applicability of the instrumental-symbolic framework across different countries, cultures, and organisations.

Exploring the educational beliefs of primary education student teachers in the Chinese context

Teacher educational beliefs may be largely shaped by culturally shared learning experiences and social values. The main purpose of this study is to explore educational beliefs of Chinese student teachers. An adapted version of the Teacher Beliefs Scale (TBS)—developed in a Western context (Woolley et al. in Educational and Psychological Measurement, 64: 319–331, 2004)—was validated in this study, and the profiles of student teacher educational beliefs were analyzed. The research participants consisted of 727 Chinese student teachers from four different teacher education universities. A factor analysis of the Chinese version of the TBS supported the dimensions of the original instrument, but some items had to be discarded to less consistent factor loading. The ANOVA results showed that there were significant differences in constructivist teaching beliefs with respect to gender, study year, and majoring subjects. But no significant differences in the adherence to traditional teaching beliefs were observed. The results also show that the first year student teachers hold stronger constructivist beliefs as compared to senior student teachers. This can be linked to the latter larger teaching and learning experiences in real classroom settings. Implications are drawn for further research in teacher education contexts.

Mode locking effects on the playing frequency for fork fingerings on the clarinet

The non-linear excitation of wind instruments generates higher harmonics of the playing frequency. These higher harmonics are coupled to resonances in the pipe. This is called mode locking. When the pipe modes are not harmonic, the playing frequency shifts away from the fundamental in order to maximize the output. It may go up or down, depending on the position of the modes and the amplitude. The effect is especially manifest for fork fingerings. Three fork fingerings on a clarinet were investigated. They were artificially blown between the threshold and extinction pressure. A time domain simulation was carried out based on a lumped model of the excitation coupled to an input impedance calculated from the instrument dimensions. At low amplitudes the fundamental frequency dominates and the playing frequency is governed by the position of the first peak in the input impedance spectra. At higher blowing pressures the playing frequency shifts. For both blowing and simulation this follows the same pattern. The frequencies predicted by the calculations are higher than the values found by blowing, which may be due to inadequacies in the model description, to uncertainties of the various parameters, as reed stiffness, moving reed area, and the properties of the slit flow.

Three‐Dimensional Sensitivity Distribution and Sample Volume of Low‐Induction‐Number Electromagnetic‐Induction Instruments

There is an ongoing effort to improve the understanding of the correlation of soil properties with apparent soil electrical conductivity as measured by low‐induction‐number electromagnetic‐induction (LIN FEM) instruments. At a minimum, the dimensions of LIN FEM instruments' sample volume, the spatial distribution of sensitivity within that volume, and implications for surveying and analyses must be clearly defined and discussed. Therefore, a series of numerical simulations was done in which a conductive perturbation was moved systematically through homogeneous soil to elucidate the three‐dimensional sample volume of LIN FEM instruments. For a small perturbation with electrical conductivity similar to that of the soil, instrument response is a measure of local sensitivity (LS). Our results indicate that LS depends strongly on the orientation of the instrument's transmitter and receiver coils and includes regions of both positive and negative LS. Integration of the absolute value of LS from highest to lowest was used to contour cumulative sensitivity (CS). The 90% CS contour was used to define the sample volume. For both horizontal and vertical coplanar coil orientations, the longest dimension of the sample volume was at the surface along the main instrument axis with a length of about four times the intercoil spacing (s) with maximum thicknesses of about 1 and 0.3 s, respectively. The imaged distribution of spatial sensitivity within the sample volume is highly complex and should be considered in conjunction with the expected scale of heterogeneity before the use and interpretation of LIN FEM for mapping and profiling.

Comprometimento organizacional atitudinal: um estudo empírico sobre a dimensionalidade do construto

A falta de precisão acerca da dimensionalidade do comprometimento organizacional contribui para torná-lo um construto complexo e multifacetado. Com o objetivo de identificar a melhor estrutura fatorial para o comprometimento organizacional, o presente trabalhou testou o interrelacionamento de duas medidas atitudinais - afetiva e instrumental - bem como o relacionamento dessas variáveis com uma medida de intenções comportamentais. Foram selecionados 1.869 trabalhadores das regiões Norte, Nordeste e Sul do Brasil. Os resultados das análises de regressão e das análises fatoriais exploratórias e confirmatórias apontaram a bidimensionalidade da base instrumental (falta de alternativas e sacrifícios percebidos). Por outro lado, demonstraram que a dimensão instrumental não compõe a estrutura fatorial do comprometimento organizacional atitudinal que, por ora, é um construto unidimensional, formado somente pela dimensão afetiva.

PCN144 Health-Related Quality of Life in Prostate Cancer – One Year Follow-up and Comparison with General Population Norms

PCN144 HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN PROSTATE CANCER – ONE YEAR FOLLOW-UP AND COMPARISON WITH GENERAL POPULATION NORMS Roine R1, Bergius S2, Farkkila N3, Muhonen T4, Rasanen P1, Sintonen H5, Taari K6 1Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital Group, Helsinki, Finland, 2University of Helsinki and Amgen AB, Espoo, Finland, 3University of Helsinki and GlaxoSmithKline Oy, Espoo, Finland, 4Helsinki University Hospital and Amgen Ab, Espoo, Finland, 5University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland, 6Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland OBJECTIVES: The incidence of prostate cancer has increased during the last two decades. Part of this increase has been attributed to prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing. As a consequence of testing many patients enter treatment at an early stage of the disease. This might be reflected in their health-related quality of life. METHODS: An ongoing observational follow-up study using the 15D generic health-related quality of life (HRQoL) instrument. Patients are asked to fill in the HRQoL questionnaire at baseline and 3, 6 and 12 months after entering treatment, and results are compared with those of an age-standardized general population sample. RESULTS: So far, 587 patients (mean age 66 years) have been assessed at baseline and 336 have completed the one-year follow-up. The mean HRQoL score (on a 0-1 scale) of the patients at baseline was statistically significantly better than that of the general population (0.904 vs. 0.874, p 0.001). Furthermore, the patients were statistically significantly better off than the population on 9 of the 15 dimensions of the HRQoL instrument. Only the dimensions of elimination (i.e. urinating)(p 0.001) and sexual function (p 0.05) showed statistically significantly worse levels in the patients than in the general population. In patients having completed the one-year follow-up, the total HRQoL score fell from 0.913 to 0.886 (p 0.001). The greatest deterioration was seen in sexual activity (p 0.001). By contrast, elimination did not change in a statistically significant manner during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The HRQoL of patients entering treatment is surprisingly good. Although HRQoL of the patients showed slight deterioration during follow-up, patients were on many of the dimensions of the 15D instrument one year after diagnosis still better off than the general population. The only clear exception was sexual activity which showed marked deterioration in the patients during follow-up.

Paediatric rheumatology services through the parents’ eyes: a pilot study to develop a disease specific questionnaire to monitor deficiencies of care

Background Considering the patient’s experience is important for developing the best possible chronic illness care. Generic patient surveys do not cover specific aspects of care for the chronically ill, such as the multiprofessional approach, or are restricted to either inpatient or outpatient care. Aim We aimed to develop a disease specific questionnaire for parents of minors with chronic rheumatic diseases. Methods Expert interviews and focus group discussions were carried out in 2 centres to highlight on important dimensions of a new instrument. Audio tapes were used to extract relevant themes. Resulting items were combined with established items of PICKER surveys and so formed the pilot questionnaire. The latter was mailed to all families attending one of the centres during the last year. Responses were analyzed to establish a modified final version. Results Based on focus group discussions new items were identified which were not part of general Picker questionnaires on patient satisfaction, e.g. multi-professional staff, accessibility and support by the center. The pilot questionnaires were mailed to 376 participants, with response rates of 46 %. Only 7 subjects provided suggestions to improve the questionnaires. Although respondents’ satisfaction with chronic illness care was high in general, the reporting style format of items revealed particular aspects of care that should be improved, e.g. insufficient information on side-effects of drugs.

Validation of the dimensions of psychosis instrument in Mexican patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders

The objective was to determine the psychometric properties of the Dimensions of Psychosis Instrument (DIPI) in Mexican patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. One-hundred patients were recruited. Convergent and divergent validity were determined with the positive and negative scores of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale; a forced five-factor exploratory principal-components analysis with varimax rotation was developed. Total DIPI score shows an adequate convergent validity. The rotated principal component matrix accounted for 82.1% of the variance. Our study gives further support of the adequacy of the DIPI for the assessment of the five most common subjective experiences related to psychosis.

What motivates dentists to work in prisons? A qualitative exploration

To explore what motivates dentists to work in prisons using Vroom's theoretical model of motivation as an explanatory framework. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten of the 15 dentists working in Scottish prisons. The focus was to explore their motivations to work in Scottish prisons. The data were analysed using a thematic framework based on the three motivational dimensions of expectancy, instrumentality and valence. The dentists had the skills to help improve their prisoner-patients' oral health but their efforts were often hindered by institutional rationing and the requirement to fit in with prison routines and procedures (expectancy). Despite these institutional difficulties the dentists experienced work rewards associated with the improvement in the prisoners' oral health (instrumentality). Finally, the dentists experienced a feeling of personal worth and a sense of commitment to providing care to Scottish prisoners (valence). The dentists' motivation to work in Scottish prisons may be explained by Vroom's Expectancy Theory. The dentists' motivation is characterised by their beliefs that their work will improve clinical outcomes which will be rewarded by the satisfaction experienced when they overcome environmental obstacles and provide oral health care for their prisoner-patients.

Evaluation of service quality of hospital outpatient department services

It has become essential for hospital managers to understand and measure consumer perspectives and service quality gaps, so that any perceived gap in delivery of service is identified and suitably addressed. A study was conducted at a peripheral service hospital to ascertain any service gap between consumer expectations and perceptions in respect of the hospital outpatient department (OPD) services. A cross-sectional study was conducted using SERVQUAL as the survey instrument, the instrument being validated for use in the hospital environment. Consumer ratings across 22 items of the survey instrument were collected in paired expectation and perception scores and then service quality gaps were identified and statistically analysed. Service quality gaps were identified to exist across all the five dimensions of the survey instrument, with statistically significant gaps across the dimensions of 'tangibles' and 'responsiveness.' The quality gaps were further validated by a total unweighted SERVQUAL score of (-) 1.63. The study concludes that significant service quality gaps existed in the delivery of the hospital OPD services, which need to be addressed by focused improvement efforts by the hospital management.

The EEAS and the challenges of multilateral diplomacy

El artículo se centra en el análisis de los desafíos más importantes que la UE ha de afrontar en el ámbito de la diplomacia multilateral, tras las importantes innovaciones institucionales contenidas en el Tratado de Lisboa, y específicamente tras la creación del SEAE. De manera más precisa, se identifican y discuten críticamente diez grandes desafíos en este terreno, así como su posible relación con las dimensiones instrumentales del nuevo SEAE, y de las diversas instituciones multilaterales respectivamente. El artículo sugiere que el despliegue de las singulares dimensiones formales e institucionales del mismo se verá en cierto modo empequeñecido, al menos a corto y medio plazo, por la necesidad de responder a las prioridades de una agenda política llena de desafíos.

Is food-related lifestyle (FRL) able to reveal food consumption patterns in non-Western cultural environments? Its adaptation and application in urban China

Research related to food-related behaviour in China is still scarce, one reason being the fact that food consumption patterns in East Asia do not appear to be easily analyzed by models originating in Western cultures. The objective of the present work is to examine the ability of the food related lifestyle (FRL) instrument to reveal food consumption patterns in a Chinese context. Data were collected from 479 respondents in 6 major Chinese cities using a Chinese version of the FRL instrument. Analysis of reliability and dimensionality of the scales resulted in a revised version of the instrument, in which a number of dimensions of the original instrument had to be omitted. This revised instrument was tested for statistical robustness and used as a basis for the derivation of consumer segments. Construct validity of the instrument was then investigated by profiling the segments in terms of consumer values, attitudes and purchase behaviour, using frequency of consumption of pork products as an example. Three consumer segments were identified: concerned, uninvolved and traditional. This pattern replicates partly those identified in Western cultures. Moreover, all three segments showed consistent value-attitude-behaviour profiles. The results also suggest which dimensions may be missing in the instrument in a more comprehensive instrument adapted to Chinese conditions, most notably a broader treatment of eating out activities.

Capital social y cultura política en brasil: posibilidades y límites

El presente artículo examina la relación entre cultura política y capital social en Brasil. Se enfatiza la importancia de construir un sistema político fundamentado en la confianza recíproca o interpersonal así como la confianza con relación a las instituciones políticas. Después de examinar las controversias sobre la conceptualización de capital social, este trabajo defiende la idea de la reterritorialización de ese concepto, valorizando su dimensión instrumental, es decir, el empoderamiento de los ciudadanos objetivando el desarrollo e institucionalización de una cultura política participativa. Tras desarrollar un análisis de encuestas llevadas a cabo en Porto Alegre, Brasil, se llega a la conclusión de que los niveles de capital social en el país son muy bajos comprometiendo, a corto plazo la posibilidad de generar una ciudadanía crítica y participativa.

How Do I Satisfy the General Education Language Requirement? University Students' Attitudes Toward Language Study

Abstract: This study aims to identify the two principal reasons why college students choose a certain language to satisfy a general education second language requirement by polling 172 students enrolled in first‐year language courses in 13 languages at a large Northeastern research university. Students answered a questionnaire and chose the two main reasons from 10 choices articulated in sentimental, value, instrumental, and communicative dimensions. Cross‐tabulations by SPSS showed significant statistical relationships between the attitudinal factors and the language studied. Spanish students strongly favored an instrumental orientation for both first and second choices. Danish, Dutch, French, Arabic, Russian, and German students also indicated instrumental preferences, but their second choices fell into other domains. Portuguese, Italian, Hebrew, Japanese, and Korean students favored communication factors, while Chinese students selected sentimental and communication reasons for their first and second choices, respectively.

Perceptions of quantitative methods in higher education: mapping student profiles

A number of studies have concluded that when students have greater confidence about their math skills and are aware of its usefulness, they have a more positive perception of the subject. This article aims to examine whether this pseudo linear trend in the relationship between affective and instrumental dimensions is also true of the university context. Special attention is devoted to the articulation of these dimensions in structuring student perceptions of quantitative methods so as to identify the various forms that this interaction can assume. Our second aim is to understand how the perceptions of these subjects are constructed by students from degree courses in distinct scientific areas. Can we speak of group dynamics whereby socialization within each degree course triggers the sharing of similar perceptions? We concluded that a certain linear trend can also be identified in the university context in the relationship between the affective dimension and usefulness of quantitative methods i.e., that the highest levels in the perception of the usefulness of these subjects corresponded to the highest levels of self confidence and enjoyment of the subjects. However, in addition to this scenario there is another configuration in which negative feelings coexist with the recognition of the usefulness of quantitative methods subjects. Namely, lower levels of self confidence and enjoyment of these subjects can also be associated with high levels of perceived usefulness. We also concluded that there is evidence of what we designated a certain course culture in the perceptions about quantitative methods. Nevertheless, when our observation is extended to the scientific area the heterogeneity of the perceptions becomes evident. Another important finding is the rejection of the thesis, at least in the university context, that defends the lack of self-confidence in quantitative methods among females student.

Performance‐driven behavior as the key to improved organizational performance

PurposeRecent research states that both the instrumental and the behavioral dimensions of performance management have equal influence on the performance of an organization. To test this statement, these dimensions have been operationalized in an analysis tool called the performance management analysis (PMA). This paper aims to discuss the results of research into the relation between the instrumental and the behavioral dimensions and organizational performance, using the PMA.Design/methodology/approachThe PMA questionnaire was developed to test the instrumental and behavioral dimensions of performance management. With the PMA an organization can score itself on both dimensions, to evaluate the degree of its result‐orientation. The more attention an organization pays to elements belonging to a certain dimension, the higher it will score on that dimension. In addition the relative competitive performance of the organization is identified. This is done by asking the respondents to compare their organization's performance to that of its competitors or organizations with similar services. During the period January 2002‐March 2006 data were obtained by distributing PMA questionnaires to work‐experienced students of MBA courses taught by the author, participants of seminars conducted by the author, and workshops held by the author and colleagues at companies. In total 577 questionnaires of organizations in The Netherlands and the UK from a broad range of industries (both profit and non‐profit), were collected.FindingsThe research results show that paying equal attention to the instrumental and behavioral dimensions of performance management systems indeed results in higher competitive performance. Therefore, the research results provide a first indication of the importance of combining instrumental and behavioral dimensions to create a successful performance‐driven organization that achieves sustained better results.Research limitations/implicationsThe respondents of the questionnaire may have scored their own company more favorably than an objective outsider would have done. It is also possible that there are other aspects of importance to performance‐driven behavior, which have not been included in the research.Practical implicationsThis study identifies which instrumental and behavioral dimensions an organization has to focus on, and the extent of this focus, in order to achieve sustainable performance.Originality/valueAn increasing number of profit and non‐profit organizations are implementing new and alternative performance management systems in order to obtain better organizational results. Despite the increase in experience gained with this approach, there is still a lot to be learned about the factors that influence the everyday use of these systems and of the factors that influence performance‐driven behavior. The research described in this paper provides evidence that paying equal attention to both instrumental and behavioral dimensions is paramount in order to create a successful performance‐driven organization that achieves sustained better results. As these dimensions have until now not been identified as an integral set, this identification is the contribution to the literature.

Health-related quality of life in patients with type 1diabetes--association with diabetic complications (the FinnDiane Study)

The daily treatment of type 1 diabetes with frequent monitoring of blood glucose levels and nuisance caused by insulin administration may affect patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Type 1 diabetes is further burdened with an increased risk of complications which may additionally reduce a patient's HRQoL. We aimed to assess HRQoL and its association with diabetic complications in a large sample of patients with type 1 diabetes. Altogether, 1070 patients with type 1 diabetes (46% men, mean age 46 +/- 12 years, diabetes duration 29 +/- 13 years) from the Finnish Diabetic Nephropathy Study (FinnDiane Study) participated in this cross-sectional study. Data on HRQoL were obtained from 1023 patients using the 15D instrument. When studying nephropathy, patients were divided into groups based on their albumin excretion rate. Laser-treated patients were classified as having proliferative retinopathy. The mean 15D score was 0.899 +/- 0.095 with no differences between men and women. HRQoL decreased with increasing age among patients with and without diabetic complications. In the Tobit regression model, macroalbuminuria (-0.036), dialysis (-0.082), renal transplant (-0.053), poor glycemic control (-0.006), ageing (-0.002) and longer diabetes duration (-0.001) explained the reduction in HRQoL. In a corresponding model, the presence of proliferative retinopathy did not have a significant negative influence on HRQoL. Of individual dimensions of the 15D instrument, nephropathy affected all but five dimensions, while retinopathy affected vision, mobility, eating and usual activities. The 15D scores decreased with increasing age. The presence of nephropathy, but not retinopathy, reduced the subjective HRQoL in patients with type 1 diabetes.

Fashion Consumer Groups, Gender, and Need for Touch

Within the context of consumer motivation theory, the purpose of this research was to investigate how fashion consumer groups and gender are related to need for touch. Differences between individuals high and low in need for touch are consistent with differences between fashion change agents and fashion followers. Participants (101 females; 70 males) from 54 different majors completed demographic information, the Need For Touch (NFT) scale, and the Measure of Fashion Innovativeness and Opinion Leadership. Fashion change agents and females had a greater NFT—total, autotelic and instrumental—than fashion followers and males. Fashion change agents and females scored equally high on autotelic and instrumental dimensions of NFT but fashion followers and males scored higher on the instrumental than the autotelic dimension. Using a diverse sample that included male and female college students from a variety of majors countered limitations of earlier research and provided new insights into the role of need for touch in consumer behavior.