Latent Growth Curve Modeling Analyses Research Articles

The effects of an IPS-based IPE program on interprofessional socialization and dual identity development

ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study was to assess the effect of an interprofessional socialization (IPS) based interprofessional education (IPE) program intervention on health professions students’ IPS process and dual identity development. Despite the growing acknowledgment of IPS in recent literature, there is a paucity of research investigating socialization processes learners move through in order to develop dual identity – professional and interprofessional. A concurrent embedded mixed-method design was used. One hundred and eight pre-licensure students from seven different health professions completed the IPS program intervention. Latent Growth Curve (LGC) modeling and thematic content analysis were used to analyze the quantitative and qualitative data, respectively. A significant and consistent growth rate in dual identity was found among the participants. The thematic analysis resulted in four emerging themes (uniprofessional education as a barrier, IPS program as an eye-opener, learning to collaborate, and collective unified team). The integrated findings provide support for the use of the interprofessional socialization framework.

Eating Disorder Symptomatology in Adolescent Boys and Girls: Identifying Distinct Developmental Trajectory Classes.

Eating disorder symptomatology is highly prevalent in adolescence and is regarded one of the most important precursors of clinical eating disorders. The present longitudinal study examined the development of eating disorder symptomatology in adolescents over two years. At Time 1,528 high school students filled out self-report questionnaires (50.5% female; Mage = 15 years). Multivariate latent growth curve modeling and latent class growth analyses were performed to model latent trajectories and to identify latent trajectory classes. Stable trajectories of drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction were found, whereas bulimia and BMI increased over time. Important gender differences pointed to girls experiencing more eating disorder symptoms at each time point. Additionally, more diverse trajectory classes were found in girls than in boys. Finally, classes with the most eating disorder symptoms also experienced the most problems in identity development, internalizing symptoms, and the least effortful control. The present study underscores the importance of identifying vulnerable adolescents that experience greater eating disorder symptomatology, as they also seem to experience the worst psychosocial development.

Longitudinal Effects of Body Mass Index and Self-Esteem on Adjustment From Early to Late Adolescence: A Latent Growth Model.

ABSTRACTBackground:Mental and physical development during adolescence is a factor that may affect quality of life in adulthood.Purpose:The aims of this study were to investigate the developmental trajectories of body mass index (BMI), self-esteem, and adjustment among students from early to late adolescence and to examine the longitudinal relationships among these variables.Methods:Data from 2006 to 2012 were collected from the Korean Welfare Panel Study. Of the initial sample of 521 students, 487 completed a validated questionnaire measuring BMI, self-esteem, and adjustment. Latent growth curve modeling analyses were conducted to examine the relationships among the variables.Results:Univariate linear growth models showed a significant increase in BMI and significant declines in both self-esteem and adjustment across three time points from childhood to adolescence. The goodness of fit of the multivariate conditioned model supported the validity of the proposed longitudinal model (comparative fit index = .93, root mean square error of approximation = .08). Change in BMI was significantly linked with change in adjustment (β = .18, p < .05) but not with change in self-esteem, whereas change in self-esteem exerted a statistically significant effect on change in adjustment (β = .47, p < .001).Conclusions/Implications for Practice:Our findings indicate that BMI and self-esteem are key determinants of student adjustment in school settings. Therefore, future health education interventions should focus on enhancing the positive physical and mental self-concepts of students, which should improve health and social behavior among students and subsequently afford a better quality of life for these students in adulthood.

Trajectory of severity of postoperative delirium symptoms and its prospective association with cognitive function in patients with gastric cancer: results from a prospective observational study

Delirium is a common neurocognitive complication in cancer. Despite this, the studies examining the trajectory of the severity of delirium symptoms and its impact on health outcome in gastric cancer is rather limited. This study examined the trajectory of delirium symptom severity (DSS) following resection surgery for gastric cancer and its prospective association with cognitive function. A three-wave prospective observational study was conducted with 242 gastric cancer patients admitted for resection surgery at a teaching hospital in South Korea from May 2016 to November 2017. DSS was assessed by the clinical staff before and 1, 2, 3, and 7days after surgery using the Delirium Rating Scale-Revised-98. A survey including the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive Scale (FACT-Cog) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was administered before surgery (T0), 7days after (T1), and 3 to 6months after surgery (T2). Out of 242 participants, 48.8% (118) completed the survey at all three time points, 43.4% (105) did so for two time points, and 7.9% (19) for one time point. No cases of full delirium were observed over four postoperative time points. Latent growth curve modeling analyses indicated that DSS declined over 3days after surgery. Age and anesthesia time were positively associated with the initial level of DSS. A medication history for memory complaints was related to a slower recovery from delirium symptoms. While the use of propofol as an anesthetic agent was associated with lower initial DSS, it predicted a slower recovery from DSS. A higher initial DSS predicted a lower T1 MMSE score. Severity of postoperative delirium symptoms predicts a short-term and objective cognitive function post-surgery. Monitoring and timely treatment of postoperative delirium symptoms is needed to diminish cognitive consequences in gastric cancer patients.

The relations among middle school students’ perceived school climate, trajectories of self-resilience, and self-directed learning

이 연구의 목적은 자기결정성이론을 바탕으로 중학생이 인식하는 학교풍토, 자아탄력성의 궤적, 자기주도학습의 관계를 살펴보고자 한 것이다. 자기결정성 이론 중 기본심리욕구 이론에 기반을 둘 때, 학교풍토는 개인의 심리적 성장을 가능하게 하는 하나의 맥락으로 볼 수 있다. 그리고 학교풍토를 통해 자아탄력성과 같은 심리적 성장이 가능할 때 학습현장에서 청소년의 자기주도학습 수준이 향상될 수 있다. 이 연구는 이러한 이론적 가정을 실증적으로 검증하는 것을 목적으로 하였다. 이를위해 서울교육종단연구(SELS 2010)의 초등4 패널이 중학교 1-3학년 시기에 해당하는 4-6차년도 자료를 활용하여 학교풍토(4차년도), 자아탄력성의 궤적(4, 5, 6차년도), 자기주도학습(4, 6차년도)의 관계를 알아보았다. 주요 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 중학생의 자아탄력성은 시간의 흐름에 따라 감소하였고, 이러한 경향에는 개인차가 있었다. 둘째, 중학생이 학교풍토를 긍정적으로 인식할수록 자아탄력성과 자기주도학습 수준이 높았고, 자아탄력성이 감소해가는 기울기가 완만하면 자기주도학습 수준이 높았다. 이러한 연구 결과를 통해 청소년의 자기주도학습 수준 향상에 학교풍토 및 그에 기인한 자아탄력성의 발달이 중요한 요인이 될 수 있음을 밝혔다. 또한 이를 근거로 하여 청소년의 자기주도학습 수준 향상을 위해 학교 및 관련기관에서 어떠한 측면에 힘써야 할 것인지에 대한 시사점을 제시하였다.According to the basic psychological needs theory of the self-determination theory, school climate can be regarded as a context that enables an individual’s psychological growth. Moreover, when the psychological growth such as self-resilience is achieved through the school climate, the self-directed learning level of adolescents can, theoretically, be improved in the learning field. To verify these theoretical assumptions, we applied the latent growth curve modeling analysis on 4th to 6th waves of data (4th grade of elementary school panel of Seoul Education Longitudinal Study) and investigated the relations among middle school students’ ratings on the school climate, the trajectories of the self-resilience level, and the self-directed learning level. The main results are as follows. First, the students’ self-resilience level decreased through 4th to 6th waves. Also, there were individual differences in this declining tendency. Second, as the adolescents perceived the school climate more positively, their self-resilience and the self-directed learning level increased. In addition, the self-directed learning level was found to be higher as the slope of self-resilience decreased slowly. The results of this study show that the school climate and the self-resilience of middle school students were important factors for improving the level of students’ self-directed learning. Based on these results, we suggest several implications for improving the level of student’s self-directed learning for the schools and other related organizations.

Chronic Stress in Vocational and Intimate Partner Domains as Predictors of Depressive Symptoms After Breast Cancer Diagnosis.

After cancer diagnosis, depressive symptoms are elevated on average and decline over time, but substantial variability is apparent. Few studies have examined to what extent chronic stress in distinct life domains affects depressive symptoms. Chronic stress in vocational and intimate partner life domains, and their interaction, were tested as predictors of depressive symptoms after breast cancer diagnosis. Women (N = 460) completed validated interviews regarding chronic stress in specific life domains shortly after diagnosis and a measure of depressive symptoms every 6 weeks for 6 months. In latent growth curve modeling analyses, greater chronic stress in work (b = 2.90; p < .001) and intimate partner domains (b = 1.38, p = .02) was associated with higher depressive symptoms at study entry (intercept), and greater work stress predicted faster recovery from depressive symptoms over time (b = -0.10; p = .01). The two domains of chronic stress also interacted significantly on depressive symptoms at study entry (b = -1.54; p < .02) and over time (b = 0.14; p < .001). Greater work stress was associated with higher depressive symptoms at study entry regardless of intimate partner stress, but greater intimate partner stress was associated with higher depressive symptoms when work stress was low. The decline over 6 months in initially elevated depressive symptoms predicted by high work stress was significantly steeper when intimate partner stress was low. Targeting interventions to recently diagnosed breast cancer patients living with chronically stressful vocational and intimate partner life circumstances could be worthwhile.

Longitudinal trajectories of benefit finding in adolescents with Type 1 diabetes.

Benefit finding, which refers to perceiving positive life changes resulting from adversity, has been associated with better psychosocial well-being in different chronic illnesses. However, little research to date has examined how benefit finding develops in the context of Type 1 diabetes (T1D). The present study aimed to identify trajectories of benefit finding across adolescence and to investigate prospective associations with depressive symptoms, self-care, and metabolic control. Adolescents with T1D aged 10 to 14 (Mage = 12.49 years, 54% girls) participated in a 4-wave longitudinal study spanning 1.5 years (N = 252 at Time 1). Adolescents filled out questionnaires on benefit finding, self-care, depressive symptoms, and illness perceptions. HbA1c values were obtained through point of care assays. We used latent growth curve modeling (LGCM) and latent class growth analysis (LCGA) to examine the development of benefit finding. Cross-lagged path analysis and multi-group LGCM were used to examine prospective associations among the study variables. Adolescents reported moderate levels of benefit finding which decreased over time. Three benefit finding trajectory classes were identified: low and decreasing, moderate and decreasing, and high and stable. These trajectory classes differed in terms of self-care, perceived personal and treatment control, and perceptions of illness cyclicality. Higher levels of benefit finding predicted relative increases in self-care 6 months later. Benefit finding was not prospectively related to depressive symptoms and metabolic control. Benefit finding may serve as a protective factor for adolescents with Type 1 diabetes and may motivate these adolescents to more closely follow their treatment regimen. (PsycINFO Database Record

Individual Differences in Training Gains and Transfer Measures: An Investigation of Training Curves in Children with Attention‐Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

SummaryCurrently, evidence for the beneficial effects of working memory (WM) training on transfer measures in children with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is inconsistent. Although there is accumulating evidence for the role of individual differences in training and transfer gains of cognitive training, this area has been left unexplored for children with ADHD. In the current study, an advanced latent growth curve model analysis was used to investigate the individual differences in learning curves (training gains) of WM training tasks within a new cognitive intervention ‘Paying Attention in Class’. It was investigated whether certain baseline variables (age, intelligence quotient, externalizing behaviour problems and presence of learning disability) predicted the learning curves and how these individual learning curves influenced near‐transfer and far‐transfer measures. A total of 164 children diagnosed with ADHD, between the age of 8 and 12 years old, followed this new Paying Attention in Class intervention. WM (near‐transfer) and academic performance (far‐transfer) measures were assessed before treatment and directly after treatment. Results showed that individual differences at the start of training were predicted by age and intelligence quotient, but the individual differences in learning curves were not predicted by any of the baseline variables. Both for the verbal and the visuospatial WM training, children with larger training gains (i.e. steeper training curves) showed larger benefits on the near untrained transfer measures. These effects were absent for the far‐transfer measures. Current study shows that training WM is quite complex and has its limitations for children with ADHD. Nonetheless, it highlights that training and transfer gains are affected by many different factors and warrants the need of a more in‐depth investigation of individual differences in future studies.Copyright © 2017 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Pain interference and physical function demonstrate poor longitudinal association in people living with pain: a PROMIS investigation.

A primary goal in managing pain is to reduce pain and increase physical function (PF). This goal is also tied to continuing payment for treatment services in many practice guidelines. Pain interference (PI) is often used as a proxy for measurement and reporting of PF in these guidelines. A common assumption is that reductions in PI will translate into improvement in PF over time. This assumption needs to be tested in a clinical environment. Consequently, we used the patient-reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS) to describe the topology of the longitudinal relationship between PI in relation to PF. Longitudinal data of 389 people with chronic pain seeking health care demonstrated that PI partially explained the variance in PF at baseline (r = -0.50) and over 90 days of care (r = -0.65). The relationship between pain intensity and PF was not significant when PI was included as a mediator. A parallel process latent growth curve model analysis showed a weak, unidirectional relationship (β = 0.18) between average PF scores and changes in PI over the course of 90 days of care, and no relationship between average PI scores and changes in PF across time. Although PI and PF seem moderately related when measured concurrently, they do not cluster closely together across time. The differential pathways between these 2 domains suggest that therapies that target both the consequences of pain on relevant aspects of persons' lives, and capability to perform physical activities are likely required for restoration of a vital life.

Am I a leader? Examining leader identity development over time

The extent to which someone thinks of him- or herself as a leader (i.e., leader identity) is subject to change in a dynamic manner because of experience and structured intervention, but is rarely studied as such. In this study, we map the trajectories of leader identity development over a course of a seven-week leader development program. Drawing upon identity theory (Kegan, 1983) and self-perception theory (Bem, 1972), we propose that changes in self-perceived leadership skills are associated with changes in leader identity. Using latent growth curve modeling and latent change score analyses as our primary analytical approaches, we analyzed longitudinal data across seven measurement points (N=98). We find leader identity to develop in a J-shaped pattern. As hypothesized, we find that these changes in leader identity are associated with, and potentially shaped by, changes in leadership skills across time.

Effects of the “Circle of Life” HIV-prevention program on marijuana use among American Indian middle school youths: a group randomized trial in a Northern Plains tribe

ABSTRACTBackground: Early substance use threatens many American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities, as it is a risk factor for maladaptive use and adverse health outcomes. Marijuana is among the first substances used by AI/AN youth, and its use becomes widespread during adolescence. Interventions that delay or reduce marijuana use hold the promise of curbing substance disorders and other health risk disparities in AI/AN populations. Objectives: We evaluated the effectiveness of the Circle of Life (COL) program in reducing marijuana use among young AI adolescents. COL is a culturally tailored, theory-based human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted disease (STD) intervention shown to delay sexual initiation among AI youths. Methods: We conducted secondary analyses of data from a school-based group randomized trial conducted between 2006 and 2007 in all 13 middle schools on a rural, Northern Plains reservation (N = 635, 47% female). We used discrete-time survival analysis (DTSA) to assess COL effectiveness on risk of marijuana initiation among AI youths and latent growth curve modeling (LGCM) to evaluate effects on frequency of marijuana use over time. Results: DTSA models showed that the overall risk of marijuana initiation was 17.3% lower in the COL group compared to the control group. No intervention effect on frequency of marijuana use emerged in LGCM analyses. Conclusion: COL is a multifaceted, culturally tailored, skills-based program effective in preventing marijuana uptake among AI youth.

Trajectories of health-related quality of life during the natural history of dementia: a six-wave longitudinal study.

The objective of this study was to explore profiles of quality of life (QoL) trajectories during the natural history of dementia and individual variations contributing to QoL trajectories. We conducted a longitudinal community-based study of 520 elderly people with mild cognitive impairment and 100 healthy people aged 60 years or over. We conducted six waves of assessment between October 2010 and May 2013 in Taiyuan, mainland China. Cognitively normal, mild cognitive impairment, global impairment, and Alzheimer's disease (AD) were defined as state 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. We assessed health-related QoL (HRQoL) via the Quality of Life-Alzheimer's Disease (QoL-AD) Chinese version. We used the latent growth curve model (LGCM) to investigate change in HRQoL over time. Latent growth curve model analysis revealed a mean initial QoL level of 29.865 with substantial variation and a significant mean slope for the whole sample. Multigroup LGCM showed substantial variations across individuals in initial QoL levels for each cognitive state transition group. For the slope factor, we found significant changes and variations for the transition from state 2 to 3 and from state 3 to 4. We estimated mean QoL levels over six assessments based on intercept, slope, and factor loadings for the whole sample and the three cognitive state transition groups. A decline in subjective QoL is not inevitable during the natural history of dementia in community settings, and there is a degree of individual variation in QoL. Future studies should investigate the factors associated with individual variations in QoL trajectories in AD.

Analyzing Exercise Behaviors during the College Years: Results from Latent Growth Curve Analysis.

The objective of this study is to analyze changes in the predictors of physical activity behavior among college students. The Theory of Planned Behavior served as its theoretical framework. Methods: Among an initial sample of 417 college students, 195 participants completed a validated questionnaire measuring attitudes, subjective norms, perceived control, intentions and self-reported physical activity, at the beginning and end of each of 3 college semesters. Latent growth curve modeling analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between the trajectories of changes in PA, intentions, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control. Results: Good fit indices supported the validity of the proposed longitudinal model (CFI > .97, RMSEA < .05). Changes in perceived control (γ = 0.57) were significantly linked with changes in intentions (p < .05). Perceived control (γ = 0.28) and intention growth (γ = 0.36) predicted behavior changes (p < .05). No gender differences were observed on attitudes, subjective norms and perceived control (p > .10). However, girls tend to have higher growth parameters on intentions and physical activity (p < .05). In summary, intentions and physical activity has significantly increased over 3 college semesters (growth parameters significant at p < .05). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that attitudes and perceived control are key determinants regarding the intentions of being active. On a longer term perspective, future physical activity interventions should focus on the enhancement of students’ perceived control. Such educational context should help in promoting the adoption of an active lifestyle during college.

Night waking during the first three years of life: links to health and illness

Background:One of themost common parental concerns reported to pediatric practice is difficulties in the initiation and maintenance of sleep among infants. At 6 months, frequent nighttime awakening after the onset of sleep is associated with poorer health in infants (Weinraub et al., 2012). At 12 months, infants with mild eczema had more frequent night waking and infants with severe eczema had shortened sleep time when compared to normal infants (Anuntaseree et al., 2012). This study was further to examine the relationship between infants’ night waking and their health and illness from 6 to 36 months. Purpose: Using an archived longitudinal dataset, this study investigated developmental changes in infants’ nighttime sleep awakenings and their associations with health and illness in the first 3 years of life. Methods:A total of 1364 healthy infants and their parents were originally recruited from 10 hospitals across the US to participate in a longitudinal study investigating early care and development known as NICHD SECCYD. As part of this larger study, sleep and health data were collected when the children were 6, 15, 24, and 36 months old. At each age, mothers were asked to report the number of nights and the times per night of their child’s night waking in the past week. Infants were identified with sleep problemswhenwaking at night and eliciting the parent’s attention at least 3 times a week (Zuckerman, 1987). Mothers also reported on their child’s overall health (1 = poor health to 4 = excellent health) and the occurrences of respiratory illnesses, ear infections, and/or intestinal illnesses in the past 3 months. The occurrences of illnesses were summed to create an index of child illness (score range = 0–3). Results: The prevalence rates of night waking (70.4%, 66.9%, 64.4%, and 62.1%) and infants with sleep problems (17.2%, 13.4%, 11.8%, and 9.5%) decreasedwith age. Latent growth curve modeling analysis was applied to examine the change patterns in weekly and nightly frequency of infant night waking over time and their associations with infants’ health and illness over time. With age, a decreased pattern was found for both weekly and nightly frequency of night waking. Decline in weekly frequency was characterized by a nonlinear patterna fast decline from 6 (M= 4.11 nights) to 15 (M= 3.20 nights) and a slowed reduction from 15 to 24 (M= 2.95 nights) and to 36 (M= 2.77 nights) months. By contrast, a gradual, linear decline was found for the nightly frequency (1.61, 1.49, 1.39, and 1.34 times). Poorer health and more illnesses were significantly associated with more frequent weekly and nightly nighttime awakenings. At all ages, infants identifiedwith sleep problems had poorer health and more illnesses as compared to those without. Conclusion(s): The decline in infants’ night waking appears to reflect sleep consolidation in thefirst 3 years. Sleep disturbance as indexed by night waking may compromise health in early childhood. Implications: Study results are expected to provide relevant information for interventions. Physical therapists need to consider the role of sleep in health among infants when conducting interventions.

Assessing the Psychological Changes of Gifted Students Attending a Residential High School With an Outcome Measurement

This study examined the psychological changes that 272 students experienced while attending a residential school for gifted adolescents in the Midwest. This article shares the quantitative portion of a mixed-methods study. Outcome measurement data from the Youth Outcome Questionnaire Self-Report 2.0 (YOQ-SR) tracked students’ level of psychological distress over the course of an academic year. Using Latent Growth Curve Model (LGM) analysis, the results indicated a strong negative correlation ( r = −.884) between the slope and quadratic change, meaning the more the students’ level of stress increased, the more rapidly they were able to reduce it over time. Overall, student distress was not significant enough to reach clinical levels. There was no evidence to support the notion that the residential school experience was harmful to student psychological development.

Self-perceptions and their Prediction of Aggression in Male Juvenile Offenders.

This study evaluated multiple facets of self-perceptions that have been theorized and shown to play a contributory role in the development of aggression for less clinically severe populations in a sample of youths from the juvenile justice system. Independent and unique associations of low self-esteem and inflated self-perceptions with aggression were examined in a sample of male juvenile offenders (N = 119; Mean age = 16.74 years) using a longitudinal study design. Latent growth curve modeling analyses revealed that self-esteem, adaptive and maladaptive narcissism independently predicted juvenile offenders' initial levels of aggression. It was also found that perceptual bias independently predicted changes in aggression over time. With the inclusion of all variables in the same model, self-esteem was no longer associated with aggression; however, all other relationships remained significant. The implications of these findings as well as the importance of interventions targeting self-perceptions to decrease aggression among high-risk youths are discussed.

Individual differences in cognitive plasticity: an investigation of training curves in younger and older adults

To date, cognitive intervention research has provided mixed but nevertheless promising evidence with respect to the effects of cognitive training on untrained tasks (transfer). However, the mechanisms behind learning, training effects and their predictors are not fully understood. Moreover, individual differences, which may constitute an important factor impacting training outcome, are usually neglected. We suggest investigating individual training performance across training sessions in order to gain finer-grained knowledge of training gains, on the one hand, and assessing the potential impact of predictors such as age and fluid intelligence on learning rate, on the other hand. To this aim, we propose to model individual learning curves to examine the intra-individual change in training as well as inter-individual differences in intra-individual change. We recommend introducing a latent growth curve model (LGCM) analysis, a method frequently applied to learning data but rarely used in cognitive training research. Such advanced analyses of the training phase allow identifying factors to be respected when designing effective tailor-made training interventions. To illustrate the proposed approach, a LGCM analysis using data of a 10-day working memory training study in younger and older adults is reported.

Trajectories of older adults' hearing difficulties: Examining the influence of health behaviors and social activity over 10 years

The aims of the present study were to describe the trajectories of self-reported hearing difficulties over time, and evaluate the impacts of age, sex, lifestyle factors and social activity, in explaining individual differences in patterns of change over time. As part of the Melbourne Longitudinal Studies on Healthy Aging (MELSHA) Program, the hearing status of 947 adults aged 65 years and older, across five measurement periods (over 10 years), were analyzed using Latent Growth Curve Modeling analysis. A multidimensional survey was also administered, which included questions relating to sociodemographic variables, self-reported hearing difficulties, nutrition, smoking habits and level of social activity. Although there was a general increase in hearing difficulties over time, older age, poor nutrition, a lifetime of smoking and increased social activity predicted more rapid increases in hearing difficulty over time. Findings support the importance of lifestyle factors in reducing the rate of perceived hearing difficulties in older people, and provide further evidence of the links between lifestyle and sensory loss in older people. Poor nutrition and smoking are areas that both clinicians and public health professionals should address in their work with older people.

The Impact of Education and Intergroup Friendship on the Development of Ethnocentrism. A Latent Growth Curve Model Analysis of a Five-Year Panel Study among Belgian Late Adolescents

The Impact of Education and Intergroup Friendship on the Development of Ethnocentrism. A Latent Growth Curve Model Analysis of a Five-Year Panel Study among Belgian Late Adolescents

Deep Processing Strategies and Critical Thinking: Developmental Trajectories Using Latent Growth Analyses

ABSTRACT The author explored the developmental courses of deep learning approach and critical thinking over a 2-year period. Latent growth curve modeling (LGM) procedures were used to test and trace the trajectories of both theoretical frameworks over time. Participants were 264 (119 women, 145 men) university undergraduates. The Deep Learning subscale of Biggs's (1987) Study Process Questionnaire and the Critical Thinking subscale of the Reflective Thinking Questionnaire (Kember et al., 2000) were administered to the participants across four waves of data collection. Results of the LGM analyses indicated the growth of change of deep learning approach increased over time, whereas critical thinking practice decreased. Further multivariate growth curve analysis revealed an interactive, dynamic association between the intercept of critical thinking and the slope of deep learning approach. This evidence supports previous research findings, indicating that critical thinking may serve as an informational source in students’ engagement in deep learning approach.