Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling Analyses Research Articles

Learning how to become an autonomy-supportive teacher begins with perspective taking: A randomized control trial and model test

Using self-determination theory, we sought to explain how teachers learn autonomy-supportive teaching. We randomly assigned 28 teachers (35.3 years-old, grades 7–9) and their 1566 students (13.4 years-old, 50.8% female) to participate or not in an autonomy-supportive teaching workshop. Teacher participation in the workshop increased autonomy-supportive teaching. Results from a multilevel structural equation modeling analysis showed that teachers in the experimental, compared to the control, condition first learned perspective taking skill, then learned the three teaching practices of interest support, value support, and lesser teacher control, which then explained their students’ year-end gains in need satisfaction and declines in need frustration.

The positive role of authentic leadership in organizations negatively affected by cognitive diversity.

Workplace diversity has recently gained increasing significance and urgency in business organizations. This promotion may stem from information processing, and specifically from information elaboration. Information elaboration leverages diverse task-related information and skills possessed by members, fostering the exchange of diverse perspectives, elaborate discussions, and achieving high team performance. In this context, cognitive diversity, encompassing members' knowledge, skills, and perspectives, may have a positive impact. However, some previous studies suggest that cognitive diversity can lead to affective conflict and impede information processing. In organizations with highly homogeneous social and cultural backgrounds, cognitive diversity may not be effectively utilized in the information elaboration process, potentially yielding negative effects. Authentic leadership is recognized as a significant contributor to facilitating team processes including information processing, with various studies demonstrating its effectiveness. This study hypothesized that cognitive diversity negatively affects the information elaboration process, while authentic leadership has a positive effect. To test these hypotheses, we employed multilevel structural equation modeling analysis based on data collected from 375 respondents in 90 teams across various industries in Japan. The results showed that cognitive diversity negatively affects information elaboration at the individual level. By contrast, authentic leadership positively affects information elaboration at both individual and team levels. These findings suggest that the effect of cognitive diversity on information processing in the workplace may not always be positive, particularly in a sociocultural context that values homogeneity, as observed in Japanese organizations. This study advances the literature on authentic leadership by validating its effect on information elaboration and provides practical implications for diversity management. Additionally, it underscores the effectiveness of authentic leadership in leveraging team members' cognitive diversity to facilitate information elaboration.

A multilevel investigation of the cascading effect of entrepreneurial leadership on employee creativity: Evidence from Chinese hospitality and tourism firms

This study aims to elucidate the cascading effect of entrepreneurial leadership on fostering employee creativity in hospitality and tourism firms. Drawing upon multiple theories (e.g., the affective events theory and conservation of resources theory) and utilizing a multilevel mediation model, this study predicts and examines the cross-level indirect relationship between entrepreneurial leadership and employee creativity, which is sequentially transmitted through employees’ surface acting and work-related flow. Based on a 2-wave longitudinal design, survey data were obtained from multiple sources consisting of 47 leaders and 352 employees in Chinese hospitality and tourism firms. Multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) analysis provides empirical support for the cross-level mediation model. This study is among the first to provide empirical evidence of the cross-level effect of entrepreneurial leadership on workplace creativity via surface acting and work-related flow in the service industry, which enriches the leadership literature in the tourism discipline.

Can a supportive supervisor be a treasure for teachers? A multilevel analysis of the relationship between perceived supervisor support, work engagement, and burnout

AbstractIn this study, we examined the relationships between perceived supervisor support, work engagement, and burnout levels of teachers by using multilevel analysis. We assumed that a high level of perceived supervisor support would relate positively to work engagement but negatively to burnout. We also suggested that work engagement would mediate the relationship between perceived supervisor support and burnout. The participants of the study consisted of 796 teachers from 87 schools located in the center of Elazig province in eastern Turkey. According to multilevel structural equation modeling analysis, we found that perceived supervisor support is positively related to work engagement but negatively to burnout at the teacher and school levels. We carried out a series of Sobel tests for multilevel mediation analyses and identified the presence of a mediating role in the relationship between perceived supervisor support and burnout at both levels of work engagement in general. In conclusion, this study indicates that perceived supervisor support can be a significant resource for teachers' well‐being.

"Same same" but different? Exploring the impact of perceived organizational support at the school and teacher levels on teachers' job engagement and organizational citizenship behavior.

All countries in the world are currently trying to implement educational reform, which increases the additional workload of teachers. It is more important to discuss how to inspire teachers' enthusiasm for educational reform from the perspective of organizational support (OS). Previous research on OS was limited to perceived organizational support (POS), but in recent years group-level OS has been considered the most promising. There is no study comparing POS and group-level OS in education, and therefore this study explored the relationships between OS, job engagement (JE) and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in an educational context. In particular, OS was examined at the individual-level (POS) and the aggregated group-level (school organizational support, SOS). Analysis was performed using structural equation modeling (SEM) at both single and multiple levels. SEM results showed direct and positive relationships of individual-level POS with both JE and OCB. Moreover, JE is directly and positively related to OCB and plays the partial mediating role of the indirect and positive impact of POS on OCB. Multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) analysis revealed direct and positive relationships of SOS with teachers' JE, which was directly and positively related to their OCB. While SOS had no significant positive relationship with OCB, it did have a positive impact on OCB through the mediation of JE. Comparison between SEM and MSEM results revealed the change in effect of OS on OCB from significant to insignificant, thus implying full mediation effect of JE when SOS is considered.

Task-Enabling CEOs: Implications for an Effective Implementation of New Technology

This article addresses the question of the conditions under which chief executive officer (CEO) leadership may enhance the effectiveness of new technological implementation (NTI) and the mechanisms by which they may do so. Using a structured questionnaire collected from multiple source informants in 89 small- and medium-sized firms (89 CEOs, 65 implementation managers, and 305 employees), we consider a specific leadership style, labeled task-enabling leadership, and examine how task-enabling CEOs can facilitate the NTI process. The findings of multilevel structural equation modeling analysis indicate that CEO task-enabling leadership creates socio-psychological conditions of safety and availability which in turn enhance NTI effectiveness, and that this indirect effect of task-enabling leadership on NTI effectiveness, via socio-psychological conditions, is significant when the implemented technology is radical.

Which therapist perceptions best predict client outcomes? A naturalistic examination.

Examining associations between therapists' perceptions of therapy sessions and client-reported outcomes in naturalistic settings (real-life therapy settings) can provide valuable guidance for the assessment, treatment, and monitoring of clients. This study included data of 1334 sessions from 127 clients (86 individual and 41 couple cases) and 15 therapists, collected at a therapy training center. Clients reported their personal functioning and individual symptoms before each session. Therapists rated clients' participation, receptivity, session progress, goal progress, and therapeutic alliance at the end of each therapy session. Multilevel Structural Equation Modeling analyses revealed that therapist-rated client participation and goal progress predicted better personal functioning, beyond clients' previous personal functioning scores. In contrast, none of therapist-rated session variables predicted clients' individual symptoms, beyond previous symptom scores. Power analyses suggested sufficient statistical power to detect small effect sizes. Findings of the current study have clinical implications for treatment planning and progress monitoring.

Social, academic, and psychological characteristics of peer groups in Chinese children: Same-domain and cross-domain effects on individual development.

The primary purpose of the present study was to examine the contributions of social, academic, and psychological characteristics of peer groups to individual development in the same and different domains in Chinese children. Participants included 1,864 elementary school students (945 boys, Mage = 11 years) in China. One-year longitudinal data on social competence, academic functioning, and psychological problems were obtained from peer nominations, teacher ratings, school records, and self-reports. Multilevel structural equation modeling analysis showed that group-level social competence, academic performance, and psychological problems had significant same-domain effects on later individual outcomes. Moreover, group-level social competence had a positive cross-domain effect on later individual academic performance and a negative cross-domain effect on later individual psychological problems. Group academic performance had a positive cross-domain effect on later individual social competence, and group psychological problems had a negative cross-domain effect on later individual social competence. The results suggest that affiliation with peer groups, particularly socially competent groups, may have pervasive implications for children's performance and adjustment from a developmental perspective. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

The relationship between self-regulated student use of a virtual learning environment for algebra and student achievement: An examination of the role of teacher orchestration

The current study examines both student self-regulated learning (SRL) and teacher orchestration in a virtual learning environment (VLE), with respect to student achievement. The study used SRL indicators derived from the log data on how students used the VLE system, survey data on how teachers made use of the VLE for Algebra instruction, as well as formative and summative Algebra assessment scores. The sample included 6,174 students being taught by 93 teachers in 49 schools in the 2018–2019 academic year. Multilevel structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis revealed the relationship between SRL indicators and student achievement. We found a positive relationship between student SRL and student achievements. Specifically, three SRL indicators, “Watched Recommended Videos”, “Watched Videos” and “Answered Quizzes after Watching a Video”, were significantly associated with student achievement. We did not observe direct associations between teacher orchestration and student achievement, but we found an indirect association between teacher orchestration and student achievement via one SRL indicator, “Watched Recommended Videos”. The results show that a positive relationship between EOC scores and student reviewing incorrect questions increased as the use of instructional videos by the teacher increased. This study supports the critical role of SRL and indicates that teachers should have flexibility in adapting learning activities for online learning.

Fear of Losing Jobs during COVID-19: Can Psychological Capital Alleviate Job Insecurity and Job Stress?

Job insecurity is a growing concern among bank employees. In this research, we examined whether psychological capital can alleviate bank workers’ perceptions of job insecurity and job stress during COVID-19. In particular, we aimed to examine this relationship at both the individual and work-unit levels of analysis. Based on the data collected from 520 bank tellers in 53 bank branches in Thailand, our multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) analyses revealed that there was significant between-branch variation in the levels of psychological capital (15%), job insecurity (23%) and job stress (24%). In particular, perceptions of job insecurity were found to have a positive effect on job stress at both levels of analysis. We also found that psychological capital significantly reduced perceptions of job insecurity and job stress at the individual level. These findings emphasize that perceptions of job insecurity can emerge at both the individual and work-unit levels. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Inclusive Leadership, Workplace Spirituality, and Job Performance in the Public Sector: A Multi-Level Double-Moderated Mediation Model of Leader-Member Exchange and Perceived Dissimilarity

Although inclusive leadership as an essential leadership style for a diverse workforce has attracted increasing attention in business management research, little is known about how and when it may improve subordinates’ job performance in the public sector where civil servants are expected to have high levels of workplace spirituality. Therefore, this study theorizes a multi-level double-moderated model where inclusive leadership impacts civil servants’ job performance with workplace spirituality as a mediator and leader-member exchange (LMX) and perceived dissimilarity as moderators based on the conservation of resources theory. A sample of 392 civil servants nested within 72 local functional government departments in China’s western multi-ethnic regions through a three-wave survey was used to examine our proposed model by multi-level structural equation modeling analysis. The results demonstrate that the positive relationship between inclusive leadership and civil servants’ job performance is transmitted through the workplace spirituality. LMX and perceived dissimilarity serve as two moderators of the above mediated positive relationship. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and future research directions are also discussed.

Social relationships, stress, and treatment adherence perceptions in type 2 diabetes and hypertension: between-person, within-person, and compositional associations

Objective Type 2 diabetes and hypertension are “intertwined” conditions with lifestyle treatment plans, but patients often struggle to consistently engage in and follow treatment plans. To identify potential mechanisms for improving patient adherence to lifestyle treatment plans for type 2 diabetes and hypertension, this longitudinal study investigated the extent to which situational changes in patient-practitioner relationships, close relationships, and stress, explain between-person, immediate within-person, and compositional change in patient behavior and attitudes. Methods and measures: Over one year, 167 participants with type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension completed seven questionnaires assessing adherence perceptions (adherence, benefit, and burden), patient-practitioner experiences (alliance and confusion), close interpersonal interactions (positive and negative), and stress. Results Multilevel structural equation modeling analyses revealed that nearly all hypothesized between-person associations were significant. Moreover, all hypothesized predictors explained within-person change in at least one adherence outcome. Predictors also produced compositional effects where outcomes were predicted by scores sustained over time. Most social and stress variables had unique associations with adherence perceptions after controlling for other predictors. Conclusion Results highlight the complexity of change processes and importance of social relationships and stress for adherence. Greater understanding of these processes may improve outcomes for individuals with type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension.

COVID-19 stressors and health behaviors: A multilevel longitudinal study across 86 countries

Anxiety associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and home confinement has been associated with adverse health behaviors, such as unhealthy eating, smoking, and drinking. However, most studies have been limited by regional sampling, which precludes the examination of behavioral consequences associated with the pandemic at a global level. Further, few studies operationalized pandemic-related stressors to enable the investigation of the impact of different types of stressors on health outcomes. This study examined the association between perceived risk of COVID-19 infection and economic burden of COVID-19 with health-promoting and health-damaging behaviors using data from the PsyCorona Study: an international, longitudinal online study of psychological and behavioral correlates of COVID-19. Analyses utilized data from 7,402 participants from 86 countries across three waves of assessment between May 16 and June 13, 2020. Participants completed self-report measures of COVID-19 infection risk, COVID-19-related economic burden, physical exercise, diet quality, cigarette smoking, sleep quality, and binge drinking. Multilevel structural equation modeling analyses showed that across three time points, perceived economic burden was associated with reduced diet quality and sleep quality, as well as increased smoking. Diet quality and sleep quality were lowest among respondents who perceived high COVID-19 infection risk combined with high economic burden. Neither binge drinking nor exercise were associated with perceived COVID-19 infection risk, economic burden, or their interaction. Findings point to the value of developing interventions to address COVID-related stressors, which have an impact on health behaviors that, in turn, may influence vulnerability to COVID-19 and other health outcomes.

Intervention-enabled autonomy-supportive teaching improves the PE classroom climate to reduce antisocial behavior

BackgroundAutonomy-supportive teaching interventions enhance PE student outcomes. According to previous research, these benefits occur because autonomy-supportive teaching enhances students’ psychological needs, though they may also occur because such teaching enhances the classroom climate. The student benefit of interest was reduced classroom-wide antisocial behavior. ObjectivesWe predicted that teacher participation in the intervention would enhance both classroom climate and psychological needs assessed at the classroom level. We further predicted that improvements in the classroom climate would better explain decreased antisocial behavior. MethodUsing a cluster randomized control trial design with longitudinally-assessed dependent measures, we randomly assigned 49 physical education secondary-grade Korean teachers to participate (or not) in an autonomy-supportive teaching intervention (25 experimental, 24 control). The 1487 students in these 49 classrooms reported their individually-experienced need satisfaction and frustration and their classroom-level supportive climate, conflictual climate, and antisocial behavior across three waves. ResultsA series of doubly latent multilevel structural equation modeling analyses showed that, at the classroom level, (1) intervention-enabled autonomy-supportive teaching improved both students’ psychological needs (more satisfaction, β = 0.84; less frustration, β = −0.66) and the prevailing classroom climate (more supportive, β = 0.77; less conflictual, β = −0.68) and (2) the improved climate best explained why antisocial behavior declined (overall R2 = 0.86). ConclusionThese findings show the importance of incorporating classroom climate effects to understand why autonomy-supportive teaching interventions improve student outcomes.

Firms’ adoption of CSR initiatives and employees’ organizational commitment: Organizational CSR climate and employees’ CSR-induced attributions as mediators

Using a multilevel cognitive approach, this study elaborates how firms’ adoption of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives influences employees’ organizational commitment. This study integrates both strategic human resource management (SHRM) and attribution theory to explain the cognitive process by which objective CSR initiatives work as social cues to initially shape a firm’s organizational CSR climate, which then affects individuals’ explanations of the motives behind CSR initiatives (i.e., CSR-induced attributions). Finally, employees’ CSR-induced attributions will influence employees’ organizational commitment. Data were drawn from survey and archival data and were collected in two waves. A multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) analysis of data collected from 474 employees of 25 firms supported most of our hypotheses. The results revealed that organizational CSR climate and employees’ CSR-induced intrinsic attribution could serially mediate the relationship between firms’ CSR adoption and employees’ organizational commitment. Theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed.

The effects of a psychological contract breach on customer-directed deviance

Based on conservation of resource theory, this study proposes that a psychological contract breach influences psychological contract violation and forgiveness, which in turn lead to customer-directed deviance. Moreover, this study investigates the moderating role of organizational ethical climate, which is influenced by ethical leadership, in these relationships. It also examines the moderating role of breach magnitude and breach attribution in the relationship between psychological contract breaches and violations, and analyzes the moderating role of organizational apology and the role of organizational compensation in the relationship between psychological contract breaches and forgiveness. Study 1 involved a multi-level structural equation modeling analysis using a matched sample consisting of data from 84 managers, 512 frontline employees, and 512 customers drawn from 84 travel agencies. Study 2 collected data from 176 manager-customer dyads. Hypothesis testing results indicate that most of hypotheses are supported.

Beyond individual job insecurity: A multilevel examination of job insecurity climate on work engagement and job satisfaction.

To address the recent call for investigations of job insecurity as a collective construct-namely, job insecurity climate-this study developed and tested a multilevel model of consequences of job insecurity climate. Specifically, we examined the association of job insecurity climate with employees' perceived organizational obstruction, which, in turn, relates to their work engagement and job satisfaction. In the current study, cross-sectional data were collected from a sample of 357 full-time Taiwanese employees in 42 work units. Using multilevel structural equation modeling analyses to test our hypotheses, we found that job insecurity climate was positively related to employees' perceived organizational obstruction. We also found that job insecurity climate had a negative indirect association with employees' work engagement and job satisfaction through the perceived organizational obstruction. Our results shed light on the relationship between job insecurity climate and employee outcomes beyond individual job insecurity and the psychological mechanism through which job insecurity climate relates to employee work engagement and job satisfaction. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Give full play to the talent: exploring when perceived overqualification leads to more altruistic helping behavior through extra effort

PurposeThis paper aims to build a moderate mediation model to delineate when and how employee with perceived overqualification will exert extra effort and therefore engage in more altruistic helping behavior.Design/methodology/approachThe research hypotheses were empirically tested using multitime and multisource survey data. Given the nested nature of data (i.e. 52 immediate supervisors rated 143 subordinates), multilevel structural equation modeling analyses within Mplus were conducted to test the proposed model.FindingsThe results support the proposed moderated mediation effect and indicate that perceived overqualification is positively related to extra effort on a condition that there is either strong desire for higher workplace status or more developmental job opportunities. The extra effort will subsequently lead to more altruistic helping behavior.Practical implicationsBased on the findings of this paper, human resource managers should consider the job applicant’s desire for workplace status and the organizational context the employer can provide when hiring overqualified employees. Second, organizations should carefully conduct job design to improve overqualified employees’ on-the-job developmental experiences. Third, training programs should be conducted to help satisfy needs and improve workplace status of overqualified employees, so that they can exert extra job effort and engage in pro-organizational behaviors.Originality/valueDrawing on motivation–opportunity–ability theory, this paper extends the limited understanding of important boundary conditions under which perceived overqualification can be beneficial. The findings add to the knowledge on extant literature by identifying altruistic helping behavior as a new outcome of perceived overqualification.

Examining the mediating role of work-family balance in the core self-evaluations – organizational performance relationship: a multilevel study

PurposeThe relationship between core self-evaluations (CSEs) and organizational performance is yet to be explained. The purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of work-family enrichment (WFE), family-work enrichment (FWE) and work-family balance (WFB) in the relationship between CSE and organizational performance.Design/methodology/approachData were obtained from a sample of 2,312 employees working within 188 public and private organizations operating in the current context of the post-2008 economic and financial crises that lasted until up to 2019 in Greece. Multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM) analyses were used due to the nested nature of data.FindingsThe results showed that (1) WFE and WFB serially and positively mediate the relationship between CSE and organizational performance; (2) FWE and WFB serially and positively mediate the relationship between CSE and organizational performance; (3) the constructs of the operating framework depend on factors such as gender, working hours, level of education and position of employees in the organizational hierarchy.Research limitations/implicationsData were collected at a short period in 2019, thus, restricting dynamic causal inferences into instant changes. The findings suggest that organizations will benefit from developing WFB policies and practices that can improve organizational performance.Originality/valueOnly a handful of studies have previously examined the relations between CSEs, WFE, WFB and organizational performance in an economic and financial crises environment.

Effects of the KiVa Anti-Bullying Program on Affective and Cognitive Empathy in Children and Adolescents

ABSTRACT Objective: As empathy is an important predictor of both bullying and defending behavior, many anti-bullying interventions aim to increase empathy among students. However, little is known on whether these interventions enhance both affective and cognitive empathy, and whether some students are more responsive than others to empathy-raising efforts. This study examined the effects of the Finnish anti-bullying program KiVa on changes in self-reported affective and cognitive empathy and tested whether these effects varied depending on students’ gender, initial levels of empathy, peer-reported bullying, and peer-perceived popularity, as well as school type (primary versus secondary school) and classroom bullying norms. Method: Multilevel structural equation modeling analyses were conducted on pretest and posttest (1 year later) data from a sample of 15,403 children and adolescents (Mage = 13.4; 51.5% girls) in 399 control and 462 intervention classrooms from 140 schools participating in the evaluation of KiVa in 2007–2009. Results: KiVa had a positive effect on affective empathy, but not cognitive empathy. The effects of the program on both types of empathy did not depend on students’ gender, initial levels of empathy, bullying, or popularity, nor on school type or classroom bullying norms. Conclusion: Findings suggest that KiVa can raise students’ affective empathy regardless of students’ gender, status, initial empathy, or levels of bullying, and regardless of school type or classroom bullying norms.