Multigroup Invariance Tests Research Articles

Objectified Body Consciousness and Mental Health in Female Adolescents: Cross-Cultural Evidence From Georgian and Swiss National Samples

The current study tested both descriptive and explanatory similarities and differences in a latent objectified body consciousness (OBC) construct and its relationship to three mental health indicators among Georgian and Swiss adolescents. Few studies have been conducted on adolescents; similarly, most work has been completed on U.S. college-age women. School-based questionnaire data were collected from a total of 18,239 adolescents in Georgia (n = 9,499) and Switzerland (n = 8,740), following the same protocol. Participants rated three measures of OBC (body shame, body surveillance, and appearance control beliefs) and three mental health indicators (depressive symptoms, somatic complaints, and suicidal ideation). Final study samples included 2,657 (mean age = 16.4 years) and 3,803 female youth (mean age = 17.8 years), respectively. Data analyses included mean level comparisons, confirmatory factor analysis, path analysis, and multigroup invariance tests. Findings provide support for a latent OBC construct across cultures, with partial evidence of cultural differences (one of two manifest indicators). By contrast, multigroup invariance tests provide consistent evidence of no differences in the relationships between the OBC latent construct and three mental health indicators between Georgian and Swiss samples. Despite mean level differences, findings support a latent OBC construct in both cultures, perhaps slightly more so among Swiss youth. The links between OBC and mental health indicators were also invariant across the two cultures, providing greater support for a global or universal (vs. "cultured") framework of adolescent development related to the constructs and relationships studied.

Teachers’ conceptions of assessment: Comparing primary and secondary teachers in New Zealand

The conceptions teachers have about assessment are assumed to influence their practices and to be consistent with the jurisdictional and policy frameworks in which they work. This paper compares two groups of teachers (i.e., New Zealand primary and secondary) in response to the Teachers' Conceptions of Assessment (TCoA-IIIA) self-administered survey inventory. The previously reported fourfactor hierarchical model for primary teachers (i.e., improvement, irrelevance, school accountability and student accountability) was found to be statistically invariant with good fit characteristics across both groups using nested, multigroup invariance testing in confirmatory factor analysis. The only statistically significant difference was the mean score for the student accountability conception, which was more strongly endorsed by secondary teachers, consistent with their role in administering the New Zealand qualifications system. The study suggests that teachers develop or adopt conceptions of assessment that allow them to successfully function within their own policy or legal framework.

Introducing a Short Version of the Physical Self Description Questionnaire: New Strategies, Short-Form Evaluative Criteria, and Applications of Factor Analyses

Based on the Physical Self Description Questionnaire (PSDQ) normative archive (n = 1,607 Australian adolescents), 40 of 70 items were selected to construct a new short form (PSDQ-S). The PSDQ-S was evaluated in a new cross-validation sample of 708 Australian adolescents and four additional samples: 349 Australian elite-athlete adolescents, 986 Spanish adolescents, 395 Israeli university students, 760 Australian older adults. Across these six groups, the 11 PSDQ-S factors had consistently high reliabilities and invariant factor structures. Study 1, using a missing-by-design variation of multigroup invariance tests, showed invariance across 40 PSDQ-S items and 70 PSDQ items. Study 2 demonstrated factorial invariance over a 1-year interval (test-retest correlations .57-.90; Mdn = .77), and good convergent and discriminant validity in relation to time. Study 3 showed good and nearly identical support for convergent and discriminant validity of PSDQ and PSDQ-S responses in relation to two other physical self-concept instruments.

Testing for multigroup invariance of second-order WISC-IV structure across China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan

We tested measurement invariance of the WISC-IV second-order factorial structure across China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Both sets of 10 and 14 subtests were tested on standardization samples of children aged 6–16. Results from multi-sample analyses supported measurement invariance, the hypothesized second-order factor model well described data from all four cultures. Overall factor patterns, first- and second-order factor loadings, g variance, residual variances of measured variables, and disturbances of first-order factors of the WISC-IV were invariant among these four cultures.

Testing for multigroup invariance of the perceived locus of causality in sport

One popular scale in measuring motivation in sport is the perceived locus of causality (PLOC). While the scale has been widely utilized in sport, there is lack of empirical evidence to support the equivalence of the scale across diverse age groups. The Singapore government has recently initiated a new project to propel youths’ participation in sport. For an effective implementation of the project, it is important to develop students’ interests and motivation to continue their involvement and behavioural persistence for sport. The purpose of the study was to test the invariance of all PLOC items proposed to measure their respective factors across three age groups. A sample of 3289 students took part in the study. The results revealed that several items were perceived differently across the students in the three academic groups.

Testing for Multigroup Invariance Using AMOS Graphics: A Road Less Traveled

The purpose of this article is to illustrate the steps involved in testing for multigroup invariance using Amos Graphics. Based on analysis of covariance (ANCOV) structures, 2 applications are demonstrated, each of which represents a different set of circumstances. Application 1 focuses on the equivalence of a measuring instrument and tests for its invariance across 3 teacher panels, given baseline models that are identical across groups. Application 2 centers on the equivalence of a postulated theoretical structure across adolescent boys and girls in light of baseline models that are differentially specified across groups. Taken together, these illustrated examples should be of substantial assistance to researchers interested in testing for multigroup invariance using the Amos program.