Operationalization Of Constructs Research Articles

Motivational factors that influence student science achievement: a systematic literature review of TIMSS studies

ABSTRACT In this systematic literature review, we examined the theoretical frameworks, construct operationalisation, and quantitative results as they relate to student motivation and science achievement in TIMSS studies. Our synthesis of findings derived from an international dataset present notable value in that the patterns identified regarding the influence of motivation on science achievement are nationally representative. Additionally, we present organised documentation of motivation theories used in TIMSS studies, and the alignment of constructs and tested models to these theories. Based on our findings, we identified Expectancy-Value Theory as the motivation framework that most closely aligns with the data available in the student TIMSS questionnaire, and also provide a summary of items used to measure relevant motivation constructs within this framework. These findings will inform methodological approaches in future TIMSS research, particularly in selecting items to construct and model motivation variables in a manner that is both theoretically sound and allows for comparison of results across studies. Finally, we provide a review of the methodologies and findings regarding studies that examined the relationship between motivation and science achievement. These findings shed light on which motivation factors have robust effects on students’ science achievement.

A meta‐analysis of sleep and work performance: An examination of moderators and mediators

SummaryThe present study utilizes meta‐analytic techniques to examine the literature on sleep and work performance. In line with previous meta‐analytic research, results indicate that sleep and work performance have a positive relationship. However, more importantly, results from moderator analyses reveal that the type of sleep measurement (sleep quantity and sleep quality), work performance measurement (task performance, organizational citizenship behavior, and counterproductive work behavior), analysis method (between‐person and within‐person), sleep report source (self‐report, other report, and objective), sleep recall window (day, week/month, and more than 1 month), and study setting (field and laboratory) differentially influence the strength of the sleep–work performance relationship. Furthermore, meta‐analytic SEM results indicate that certain mediators (affect, job attitudes, and cognitive resources) provide stronger explanations (i.e., stronger indirect effects) for the relationship between sleep and work performance, depending on the specific type of performance being examined. In general, results highlight the importance of construct operationalization and methodology decisions when conducting sleep–work performance research and provide greater insight into explanations for the relationship between sleep and work performance. Research implications, practical implications, potential limitations, and future directions are also discussed.

A Meta-Analysis of Supply Chain Complexity and Firm Performance

Increased globalization, pressure to meet varying customer needs and requirements, extended product lines, uncertainty in supplier deliveries and a myriad of related factors make supply chains utterly complex. Extant literature shows that Supply Chain Complexity (SCC) plays an important role in explaining several performance outcomes. However, the accumulating evidence is ambiguous. To better understand SCC and its consequences under specific boundary conditions, we conducted a meta-analytical synthesis of the extant literature. Meta- analytic results from 23,810 observations across 85 independent samples from 103 empirical studies indicated that rather than an aggregate analysis of SCC’s effect on performance, a finer-grained analysis of the relationships between sub-components of both SCC and performance is required. While the majority of previous studies seem to advocate that complexity in supply chains is detrimental to firm performance, our results demonstrate that SCC only has a negative effect on operational performance, but an overall positive effect on innovation performance and financial performance. We further decompose SCC into sub-dimensions (i.e. upstream/downstream/internal) illustrating how exactly complexity in the supply chain of a firm affects its performance across a range of relevant outcomes. Our findings also reveal moderating effects of construct operationalization and study characteristics. We discuss the implications of the findings for theory and practice.

Where is the Learning in Learning Analytics? A Systematic Literature Review on the Operationalization of Learning-Related Constructs in the Evaluation of Learning Analytics Interventions

Learning technologies enable interventions in the learning process aiming to improve learning. Learning analytics provides such interventions based on analysis of learner data, which are believed to have beneficial effects on both learning and the learning environment. Literature reporting on the effects of learning analytics interventions on learning allows us to assess in what way learning analytics improves learning. No standard set of operational definitions for learning affected by learning analytics interventions is available. We performed a systematic literature review of 1932 search hits, which yielded 62 key studies. We analyzed how affected learning was operationalized in these key studies and classified operational definitions into three categories: 1) learning environment ; 2) learning process; and 3) learning outcome . A deepening analysis yielded a refined classification scheme with 11 subcategories. Most of the analyzed studies relate to either learning outcome or learning process . Only nine of the key studies relate to more than one category. Given the complex nature of applying learning analytics interventions in practice, measuring the effects on a wider spectrum of aspects can give more insight into the workings of learning analytics interventions on the different actors, processes, and outcomes involved. Based on the results of our review, we recommend making deliberate decisions on the (multiple) aspects of learning one tries to improve by applying learning analytics. Our refined classification with examples of operational definitions may help both academics and practitioners doing so, as it allows for a more structured, grounded, and comparable positioning of learning analytics benefits.

The Psychological Models of Health-related Behavior in Understanding Sugars Intake in Adults: A Review.

Free sugars intake plays a major role in dental caries formation and other general health issues such as obesity. Therefore, interventions, which assist individuals or populations in the control of their free sugars intake, are of central importance in caries prevention strategies. There is good evidence that behavioral interventions benefit from a foundation in conceptual theories of behavior change founded on empirical data. In this review, we discuss the future application of seven theories, including six common psychological theories in predicting and developing interventions to reduce free sugars intake related to dental caries among adults. For each model, we summarize its key features and the data derived from its application in general and oral health settings and make recommendations for future research. We searched Medline, PsycINFO, Global Health, PubMed, and Embase databases to identify items dealing with dental caries, adults, sugars intake, and six psychological theories. These included the Transtheoretical Model of Change, Theory of Planned Behavior, Social Cognitive Theory, Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills model, PRIME Theory, and Behavior Change Wheel theories. We searched literature published in the last 10 years, and priority was given to systematic reviews and randomized control trials. Although there is extensive literature on the application of the six psychological theories, there is a gap in knowledge about their effectiveness in reducing free sugars intake related to dental caries among adults. There is a need for better-designed trials of interventions based on the clear operationalization of psychological constructs to reduce sugars intake among the adult population.

Linking Transformational Leadership to Performance: A Study in a Correctional Institution

The article describes the effect of transformational leadership on class I prison officers' performance through job satisfaction and work motivation. The research instrument is based on each construct's operationalization process that was adopted and developed from previous research. Using the Structural Equation Modeling approach with the help of the Lisrel 8.8 statistical device, the authors found that that there was a significant favorable influence among transformational leadership, job satisfaction, and performance, also between job satisfaction and performance. However, the test shows no significant relationship between work motivation and employee performance. New research results are expected to add to the literature's limitations and provide empirical evidence regarding the relationship between transformational leadership and job satisfaction on employee performance.

Effects of enduring involvement and perceived content vividness on digital engagement

Purpose Retail marketers use brand communities (BCs) on social media (SM) to create digital engagement and reach new customers. However, this marketing form needs perceived content vividness and enduring involvement with products. The purpose of this study compares digital engagement (measured as an intention to recommend a retail brand online) produced by BCs of retailers at three levels of cognitive load (measured as exposure time to website). Design/methodology/approach Online quasi-experiments were conducted to analyze how SM platforms with diverse levels of enduring involvement with products, perceived content vividness and cognitive load influence digital engagement. Findings Results show enduring involvement with products produced digital engagement. In addition, cognitive load produced an inverted U-shaped effect on digital engagement in the condition of high content vividness (perceived). In the low content vividness condition, cognitive load produced similar or greater positive effects on digital engagement than those produced in the high content vividness condition. Research limitations/implications The study implies a willingness to recommend online serves as a proxy of digital engagement failing to capture the reciprocal activities from the firms to customers. It also assumes that measuring product importance and usage frequency of the product serve as proxies of enduring involvement failing to capture the hedonic motivations related to products. Practical implications Practitioners should prioritize enduring involvement with products over perceived content vividness to improve digital engagement and reach new customers through their BCs on SM platforms. In addition, managers should use SM with content perceived with low vividness to improve digital engagement. Originality/value The study shows the influence of enduring involvement with products on digital engagement. It supports applying the resource-matching theory in SM platforms. It offers an alternative operationalization of constructs. The study compares multiple products and SM platforms providing empirical evidence of distinct levels of content vividness between SM platforms, not considered in previous studies.

Ambulatory monitoring and digital phenotyping in the diagnostics and treatment of bipolar disorders

Reliable and valid diagnostics and treatment of bipolar disorders and affective episodes are subject to extensive, especially methodological limitations in the clinical practice. The use of smartphones and mobile sensor technology for improvement in diagnostics and treatment of bipolar disorders. Critical discussion of current research on the use of ambulatory monitoring and digital phenotyping with bipolar disorders. In many studies the observation periods were too short and the sensors applied were too inaccurate to enable reliable and valid detection of behavioral changes in the context of affective episodes. The clarification and operationalization of psychopathological constructs to allow for the measurement of objectively observable and ascertainable behavioral changes during depressive and (hypo)manic states are essential for the successful application of modern mobile technologies in the diagnostics and treatment of bipolar disorders.

Scaling constructs with semantic networks

This paper introduces a method for creating scales of constructs based on word bigram cooccurrences in natural language text. Instead of using a stop-word list to drop less useful words, we use a start-word list that enables computing the cooccurrences of only these “smart words.” In this way, we can create scales to measure communication constructs by first listing the key terms in the conceptual definition, then expanding the terms by looking up synonyms in dictionaries such as WordNet. Following this, we compute the cooccurrence network among these words with a sliding window. Next, we extract the first dimension through principal components analysis and identify the words that load most highly on the first factor. For these words, we sum the frequencies, which produces the final index for the construct. This operationalization yields index scales that have high construct validity, which contributes to external validity. Extending the procedures of classic psychometric index construction into the natural language domain avoids the biases of data based on fixed-choice questionnaires. To demonstrate the procedures for construct operationalization, we use a dataset of news stories about the BP Deepwater Horizon Gulf Oil Spill, scaling environmental uncertainty and organizational responses to it including innovation, strategic planning, and changes in organizational structure.

Operationalization of the Speaking Construct in the Internet-Based Test of English as a Foreign Language

In recent years, tests of speaking are integral parts to standardized language assessments because test users expect candidates to be able to communicate effectively in a foreign language, for a variety of different purposes and in variety of different modes (Powers 2010:1). The Internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language is designed so as to address a number of language purposes using all four language skills, independently or in integration. In this paper we use a modified version of Bachman and Palmer’s test task characteristic framework (1996) to analyze speaking tasks in the Speaking Section of TOEFL iBT, identifying speaking purposes the test addresses through the process of construct operationalization. The findings help us reflect on the authenticity of test tasks, as well as on the correspondence between test tasks and speaking tasks in target language use domains. In addition, task analysis reveals the test’s limitations concerning situational/interactional authenticity due to non-live mode of test delivery.

The use of course grades as metrics in L2 research: A systematic review

AbstractMuch of applied linguistics research has been concerned with classroom‐based second language (L2) development as it offers an ideal setting for examining the institutional ecology of L2 learning and teaching. However, scholars have continued to call for greater attention to the operationalization of constructs, selection of valid assessments, and use of appropriate statistical analyses. One cause for concern is the use of instructor‐constructed evaluations for research purposes, commonly found both as single assessments and, in their composite form, as course grades. The present study examined justifications for and uses of course grades in L2 research by systematically searching, coding, and analyzing course grades as variables in a sample of published L2 research in four prominent L2 journals: Foreign Language Annals, Language Learning, Modern Language Journal, and TESOL Quarterly. To provide a concrete example, this meta‐analysis investigated the relationship between L2 grades and anxiety. A number of suggestions for the use of grades and other assessment tools in educationally oriented L2 research are offered.

How and why restaurant patrons value locally sourced foods and ingredients

As research into local foods has advanced, focus has shifted toward the antecedents that may better explain and predict attitudes and behaviors toward local foods. An expanded nomological network is proposed that integrates new and existing constructs in a means-end chain series of relationships. Relationships are empirically tested with multidimensional operationalizations of focal constructs, fielded in a consumer survey, and analyzed through structural equation modeling. Results demonstrate non-random, systematic patterns of relationships across personal values restaurant patrons hold, benefits they derive from local foods, how they actually define local foods, and their attitudes toward local foods. Contributions to marketing theory include the integration of new constructs with existing theory to establish new relationships that better explain and predict local foods perceptions and attitudes. Important considerations for the marketing of local foods include rethinking the scope of what constitutes local foods, options for positioning local foods, and implications for messaging and design.

Quality in higher education institutions: insights from the literature

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to understand the meaning and operationalisation of quality in the context of higher education institutions (HEIs).Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review is performed of 308 articles published in various peer-reviewed journals between 1999 and 2017.FindingsThe findings reveal that the quality constructs of student learning, engagement, service quality and satisfaction have received the greatest attention, followed by total quality management, quality assurance, benchmarking and accountability. The most popular approach is empirical, and surveys and single case studies are the most popular methods. Europe leads research on quality in HEIs, followed by North America and Asia.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper contributes to the body of knowledge by presenting a comprehensive synthesis of articles addressing quality in HEIs.Practical implicationsPolicymakers and academic administrators can use the findings of this study to conceptualise student satisfaction along the educational value chain. The operationalisation of quality constructs will help policymakers create teaching excellence.Originality/valueThis paper highlights the importance of quality in HEIs.

Bidirectional relationships between psychological health and dermatological conditions in children

Dermatological conditions are common among children. They are a frequent cause of presentation to health care services and a leading contributor to burden of disease. Evidence supports the notion that bidirectional relationships exist between children’s physical and psychological health, whereby the child’s dermatological condition can impact their psychological health and well-being, while, in the reverse direction, psychological factors (eg, stress) can impact the severity and course of the child’s skin disease. The psychological impact of dermatological conditions in childhood needs to be taken into account during the assessment, planning, and treatment phases of management. Likewise, the potential effect of children’s emotional and behavioral difficulties on management, particularly in terms of the impact on parents’ ability to implement their child’s treatment plan, should be considered. This literature review summarizes the current evidence for the relationships between three common chronic dermatological conditions of childhood – atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and urticaria – and psychological adjustment and quality of life in childhood. Overall, a general paucity of research in the pediatric context – combined with limitations in terms of study design, variability in operationalization of constructs, and heterogeneity in measurement of outcomes – makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions in this area. Based on the available research, implications for successful long-term management of these conditions are discussed in terms of integrating psychological and parenting support with medical management to improve adherence, reduce disease severity, and improve quality of life for children and their families.

The impact of servitization on firm performance: a meta-analysis

PurposeServitization has been recognized as an effective means for manufacturers to achieve superior performance. However, the servitization-performance relationship is controversial since prior empirical studies have provided inconsistent and even contradictory results. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to provide a quantitative review on the servitization-performance relationship based on research findings reported in the extant literature.Design/methodology/approachStudies from 41 peer-reviewed journal articles were sampled and analyzed. A meta-analytic approach was adopted to conduct a quantitative review on the relationship between servitization and firm performance.FindingsThe results confirm a positive servitization-performance relationship. In addition, the results reveal that the observed servitization-performance relationship is influenced by the operationalization of constructs (servitization and performance) and control variables (industry and region).Originality/valueAs the first meta-analysis on the servitization-performance relationship, this study contributes to the servitization literature and provides future research directions.

Different Cognitive Frailty Models and Health- and Cognitive-related Outcomes in Older Age: From Epidemiology to Prevention

Frailty, a critical intermediate status of the aging process that is at increased risk for negative health-related events, includes physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains or phenotypes. Cognitive frailty is a condition recently defined by operationalized criteria describing coexisting physical frailty and mild cognitive impairment (MCI), with two proposed subtypes: potentially reversible cognitive frailty (physical frailty/MCI) and reversible cognitive frailty (physical frailty/pre-MCI subjective cognitive decline). In the present article, we reviewed the framework for the definition, different models, and the current epidemiology of cognitive frailty, also describing neurobiological mechanisms, and exploring the possible prevention of the cognitive frailty progression. Several studies suggested a relevant heterogeneity with prevalence estimates ranging 1.0–22.0% (10.7–22.0% in clinical-based settings and 1.0–4.4% in population-based settings). Cross-sectional and longitudinal population-based studies showed that different cognitive frailty models may be associated with increased risk of functional disability, worsened quality of life, hospitalization, mortality, incidence of dementia, vascular dementia, and neurocognitive disorders. The operationalization of clinical constructs based on cognitive impairment related to physical causes (physical frailty, motor function decline, or other physical factors) appears to be interesting for dementia secondary prevention given the increased risk for progression to dementia of these clinical entities. Multidomain interventions have the potential to be effective in preventing cognitive frailty. In the near future, we need to establish more reliable clinical and research criteria, using different operational definitions for frailty and cognitive impairment, and useful clinical, biological, and imaging markers to implement intervention programs targeted to improve frailty, so preventing also late-life cognitive disorders.

Measuring Capital Structure Determinants of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): An Assessment of Construct Reliability and Validity of a Proposed Questionnaire

This paper presents the assessment of reliability and validity of a proposed questionnaire of the capital structure determinants. The questionnaire is developed based on the existing measurement scales from the literature, interviews and focus groups discussions with the SMEs’ owners from the East-Coast region of Malaysia. The study analysed a total of 384 questionnaires. This study analyses data using SPSS 24.0. A purification process involves scale reliability and Exploratory Factor Analysis. A total of 11 constructs and 40 out of the initial 52 items represent the theoretical model. Items assigned to each dimension consistently exhibited high loadings on their constructs. In addition, results showed a relatively high internal consistency, with a Cronbach alpha greater than 0.7 for all constructs, except for three of the constructs (i.e. commercial goals, social welfare goals, and external environment). This study contributes to theory extension and testing, verification of the conceptualisation and operationalisation of constructs, and replication of the previous studies. The findings help in introducing a research framework to be as a standard measurement for SMEs’ capital structure determinants.

How does information sharing affect first-tier suppliers’ flexibility? Evidence from the automotive industry in Sweden

This study addresses the critical research issue of how supplier delivery performance can be enhanced by integrating information sharing into volume and delivery flexibility. This study developed a research model to relate information sharing on demand forecasts and inventory data between original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and first-tier suppliers. Based on a sample of 52 suppliers from automotive industry in Sweden, partial least squares structural equations modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to assess the model. The results confirm that sharing demand forecasts is a key enabler of supplier volume and delivery flexibility while sharing inventory data is not. The study contributes to enlarging the knowledge about supply chain management from the suppliers’ perspective. It also contributes to knowledge by validating the conceptual model and operationalisation of constructs. The study also has practical contribution in which management should focus on improving communication and collaboration practices with OEMs for effective sharing of demand forecasts.

Collaborative Attention Work on Gender Agreement in Italian as a Foreign Language

ABSTRACTIn cognitivist Second Language Acquisition (SLA), attention and noticing are described as psycholinguistic processes that (may) have a role in language learning. The operationalization of such constructs, however, poses methodological challenges, since neither online nor off‐line measures are coextensive with these cognitive processes that occur in the individual mind–brain. In contrast with such a perspective, the present conversation‐analytic study re‐specifies attention in social terms, as a nexus of publicly displayed actions that are jointly achieved by college level students of Italian as a foreign language as they engage in collaborative writing while planning for a group presentation to be performed in the second language (L2). More specifically, the article describes gender‐focusing sequences that are initiated by attention‐mobilizing turns with which a student directs her coparticipants’ attention to an oral or written item that is oriented to as possibly inaccurate in terms of gender assignment. The study shows the agentive role of students in identifying learnables and solving language‐related issues and provides an example of how participants do learning as a socially situated and collaborative activity by enacting immanent pedagogies (Lindwall & Lymer, 2005).

Constructs in Survey-Based Management Accounting and Control Research: An Inventory from 1996 to 2015

ABSTRACTThis article presents an inventory of constructs measured in survey-based management accounting and control (MAC) research from 1996 to 2015. The inventory is intended to serve as a reference source for researchers to identify prior operationalizations of constructs of interest.