Readability Of Items Research Articles

Development and psychometric evaluation of the Employee's Workplace Cyberloafing Scale (EWCS)

Cyberloafing refers to the practice of employees using the Internet for non-work-related purposes during working hours. This study aims to develop a measurement scale for cyberloafing among employees, specifically those working in Indonesia. The research was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, items were developed through a literature review, theme selection using qualitative research, expert review, and item readability testing. The results from this stage were then used in the second stage, which involved psychometric testing of the instruments using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). A total of 726 administrative employees from seven state universities in a major city on Java Island, Indonesia, participated in the study. The EFA test, conducted on 300 respondents, revealed a four-factor structure consistent with the construct. Subsequently, CFA was performed on 426 respondents, confirming the model's adequacy with four factors: entertainment, interaction, transaction, and recreation. The EFA results, validated by the CFA test, indicated that these factors accounted for 45.98 % of entertainment, 9.40 % of interaction, 6.36 % of transactions, and 5.15 % of recreation in cyberloafing behavior. The findings demonstrate that the Employee Workplace Cyberloafing Scale (EWCS) is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing cyberloafing among Indonesian workers. The EWCS serves as a versatile tool for both government and private sectors, providing critical insights into personal internet usage during work hours. Beyond mere monitoring, it reveals patterns indicative of addictive online behavior, empowering organizations to develop tailored intervention programs that address and mitigate employee mental health challenges.

Sustainable Employability of People with Limited Capability for Work: The Participatory Development and Validation of a Questionnaire.

Understanding sustainable employability (SE) of people with limited capability for work (LCW) due to physical or mental disability is crucial for the sustainable participation of this target group. Therefore, adequate measurement instruments for SE are needed. This study aims to validate a questionnaire to measure SE among people with LCW using a participatory approach, including person-job fit (PJ fit) and work-related sense of coherence (Work-SoC). Existing scales for the main concepts were tested and adapted for face validity via cognitive interviews (n = 6), with the involvement of a co-researcher with LCW in the research team. Next, the questionnaire was administered among people with LCW (n = 248) to assess its factor structure (Confirmatory Factor Analysis) and reliability (Cronbach's alpha). Analysis of the cognitive interviews identified problems with clarity and readability of items, instructions and response categories of used (existing) scales. The main adjustments concerned the shortening of text length, the usage of familiar language and examples, and the addition of an introduction game. Most of the adapted SE indicator scales showed an overall good fit and acceptable-to-good internal reliability. The overall SE model had an overall good fit, and excluding 'internal employability' further improved this fit. PJ fit and Work-SoC had an acceptable/good model fit and internal consistency. The participatory validation process resulted in a validated and comprehensive questionnaire to measure SE, PJ fit and Work-SoC among people with LCW, which enables research into the development of their SE. This questionnaire can be utilised to contribute to a more inclusive labour market.

Practice integration profile revised: Improving item readability and completion.

The Practice Integration Profile (PIP) is a reliable, valid, and broadly used measure of the integration of behavioral health (BH) into primary care. The PIP assesses operational and procedural elements that are grounded in the AHRQ Lexicon for Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration. Prior analyses of PIP data and feedback from users suggested the measure was in need of revisions. This article describes the process used to improve readability, clarity, and pragmatic utility of the instrument. Two rounds of structured cognitive interviews were conducted with clinicians in primary care settings. After each round, interview transcripts were coded by an analytic team using an iterative and consensus-driven process. Themes were identified based on codes. Themes and recommendations for revisions were reviewed and modified by committee. Based on feedback and a prior factor analysis of the PIP, revisions were undertaken to: (a) eliminate redundant or overlapping items; (b) clarify the meaning of items; (c) standardize the response categories, and (d) place items in the most appropriate domains. The resulting measure has 28 items in five domains. PIP 2.0 will need further examination to confirm its continuing use as a foundational tool for evaluating integrated care. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Readability of Persian Oxford Elbow Score Using Health Literacy Questionnaire

Objectives Readability and understanding of the questions by patients are determining factors in choosing a patient-rated outcome measure. This can be done using Flesh Reading Ease Score (FRES) in English. In place of this software in other languages, we aimed to assess the readability of the Persian-Oxford elbow score (OES) using the validated health literacy questionnaire. Over 110 million speakers widely speak this language from more than six Middle Eastern countries. Methods We enrolled 60 patients with elbow and 60 with non-elbow conditions as the control group. Patients rated each of the 12 items of the EOS on a 3-point Likert scale as very little, moderate, and very good in response to “How understandable was the question to you?”. The rating was compared with the health literacy score, which was categorized as insufficient, not enough, sufficient, and excellent health literacy. Results Testing readability of individual items of the OES showed that the median readability of each item was 3 out of 3 (very good) for all 12 items. There was no significant difference between an elbow and non-elbow involvement (P=0.17), which was suggestive of very good readability of the EOS by the general population, even if the patients have not experienced the symptoms. Moreover, there was no significant difference among different levels of health literacy which is suggestive of very good readability of OES even when the health literacy was insufficient. Conclusion OES readability is very good and high enough to be understandable by different levels of health literacy, education levels, and different age groups. Persian-EOS can be used confidently for initial and follow-up assessments of elbow conditions.

Development and psychometric properties of the tool for assessing LGBTQI+ health training (TALHT) in pre-licensure nursing curricula

BackgroundThere is a lack of comprehensive lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex (LGBTQI+) content in pre-licensure nursing curricula. LGBTQI+ people commonly experience mistreatment from nurses and healthcare providers due to a lack of knowledge or personal biases. To date, few instruments exist to guide LGBTQI+-specific curricular improvement. Objectives/design/setting/participant/methodsJohns Hopkins School of Nursing LGBTQI+ Health Initiative and Emory University School of Nursing developed the Tool for Assessing LGBTQI+ Health Training (TALHT) to assist in evaluating gaps and redundancies in LGBTQI+ health content within pre-licensure nursing curricula. Face and content validity were evaluated among experts in LGBTQI+ health, curricular development, nursing education, and measure development (N = 22). The TALHT was modified based on expert feedback and a pilot with pre-licensure faculty (N = 13) to evaluate utility and acceptability of the refined measure. ResultsFace and content validity evaluation of the 60-item iteration of the TALHT showed that the majority of items were consistently relevant among external expert reviewers. However, the clarity and readability of items were lacking. We triangulated the quantitative and qualitative data from experts to adapt and reduce the number of items in the TALHT to 20 items. Pilot testing of the revised 20-item measure found that utility and acceptability of the tool were rated highly among pre-licensure faculty. ConclusionThe validation of the TALHT comes at a time when this type of instrument is clearly needed. The Future of Nursing 2020–2030 report calls for nursing education to incorporate competencies in caring for diverse populations to promote health equity. The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education calls for a transition to operationalization of competency-based nursing education. The TALHT provides faculty and programs with a valid and reliable means to operationalize implementation of those competencies as they pertain to LGBTQI+ health.

The development of a brief and practical work safety climate measure

BackgroundSafety climate represents employees’ shared perceptions of the value an organisation places on safety. Frequently safety climate measures are lengthy to comprehensively assess critical work safety factors, which makes their completion time consuming, particularly when used in conjunction with other work or performance measures. Consequently, organisations only employ such measures during safety crises, compromising their usefulness as a leading work safety indicator for identifying and remediating emerging safety issues before they become critical. ObjectiveThis study used statistical and practical methodological procedures to develop a brief safety climate measure for the regular monitoring and remediation of safety issues. MethodAn existing comprehensive and valid work safety climate measure (Nordic Occupational Safety Climate Questionnaire [NOSACQ-50]; Kines et al., 2011), was administered to disability support workers (N = 366) and hospitality employees (N = 111). Appropriate statistical procedures and practical usefulness measures including expert opinions of work health and safety researchers (N = 5) and practitioners (N = 14), correlations with physical and mental health measures, and item readability contributed to the selection of the most reliable and practically useful items for the brief measure. ResultsUtilising statistical and practical usefulness methods, a brief 24-item safety climate questionnaire was developed. ConclusionStudy results support the usefulness of this brief 24-item work safety climate measure for both practice and research purposes. The study also demonstrated a procedurally sound and practically efficient item reduction method that considers both statistical findings and methods that enhance the practical usefulness of the measure in applied environments.

The development and validation of a Patient-Perceived Methotrexate Intolerance Scale for use in adult rheumatoid arthritis patients.

To develop a scale to measure methotrexate intolerance for use in adult rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and to describe its psychometric properties. A three-phase study was conducted. During Phase 1, we conducted individual interviews with RA patients (n=14) to inform our item development process. During Phase 2, we asked for RA patients' (n=10) feedback on item readability, clarity and the scale's ability to measure methotrexate intolerance. During Phase 3, we had patients with RA (n=204) complete the scale to develop a final version and to describe the scale's internal validity (Cronbach's alpha), test-retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficients), construct validity and discriminant validity and the ability of the scale to discriminate between past and present methotrexate users. The newly developed, weighted scale (Patient-Perceived Methotrexate Intolerance Scale [PPMIS]) includes four subscales: Methotrexate Benefits, Methotrexate Risks-Side Effect Considerations, RA Risks and Methotrexate Risks-Willingness to Take Methotrexate Despite Risks. Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.79 to 0.94. Test-retest reliability at 2weeks was 0.73-0.88. Construct validity was supported with significant logical relationships between subscale scores and the existing methotrexate intolerance scale and past/present methotrexate use. The PPMIS was able to correctly classify RA patients as a past versus present methotrexate user 77% of the time. At the cut point of 3.29, the sensitivity of the PPMIS is 74% and specificity is 72% to correctly classify patients into past/present methotrexate use. This is the first known scale with favourable measurement properties to evaluate methotrexate intolerance using a patient-centred perspective.

Development and Validation of an Italian Adaptation of the Psychosocial Aspects of Hereditary Cancer Questionnaire

Individuals that attend cancer genetic counseling may experience test-related psychosocial problems that deserve clinical attention. In order to provide a reliable and valid first-line screening tool for these issues, Eijzenga and coworkers developed the Psychosocial Aspects of Hereditary Cancer (PAHC) questionnaire. The aim of this work was to develop an Italian adaptation of the PAHC (I-PACH). This prospective multicenter observational study included three stages: (1) development of a provisional version of the I-PAHC; (2) pilot studies aimed at testing item readability and revising the questionnaire; and (3) a main study aimed at testing the reliability and validity of the final version of the I-PAHC with the administration of a battery comprising measures of depression, anxiety, worry, stress, and life problems to 271 counselees from four cancer genetic clinics. Adapting the original PAHC to the Italian context involved adding two further domains and expanding the emotions domain to include positive emotions. While most of the items were found to be easy to understand and score, some required revision to improve comprehensibility; others were considered irrelevant or redundant and therefore deleted. The final version showed adequate reliability and validity. The I-PAHC provides comprehensive content coverage of cancer genetic-specific psychosocial problems, is well accepted by counselees, and can be considered a sound assessment tool for psychosocial issues related to cancer genetic counseling and risk assessment in Italy.

PENGEMBANGAN SOAL STATISTIKA UNTUK MENINGKATKAN KEMAMPUAN KONEKSI MATEMATIS SISWA

This research aimed to produce a product in the form of problem-connections of students mathematical was valid and practical (legible). This method of research was research and development. The research was conducted in Bengkulu City with the research subject of 6 students of grade VIII junior high school students and was carried out in May-June 2020. The method of data collection in development was carried out using Tessmer’s, which consists of preliminary, self-evaluation, expert review, and one-to-one. In the preliminary, two stages must be passed, namely preparation from completion. Was analyzing the curriculum, students, and material. Then, the completing the results of the students, curriculum evaluation, and the material was used as a reference for designing the mathematical connection ability, from the solution it produces 20 prototypes which are then assessed and fixed on self-evaluation. Of the 20 prototypes, these items will go through the validation stage (expert review) after 3 validation. Then, obtained 14 valid prototype items based on quantitative and qualitative analysis and test on 6 students to see the practicality or readability of items (one-to-one). The one-to-one stage was carried out to get comments on each question item to be analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Based on the qualitative comments, most of the provided students already understand the problem (legible) according to data, the average preceding data (legible) was recorded in the description of the pre-emptive questions at intervals of 4 ≤ RPproduc ≤ 5.

Development and validation of the SUCCESS instrument: Towards a valid and reliable measure of expectancies of success in school science

Research on factors affecting enrolments in science-related studies has constantly struggled with poorly conceptualized and developed measurement instruments. After discussing theoretical and psychometric properties pitfalls of the most relevant measures used in the Spanish science education literature, this study reports on the development and initial validation of an instrument rooted in the expectancy-value theory of achievement motivation, named SUCCESS. Content validity was established using a panel of experts, and item readability and interpretation was confirmed through cognitive interviews with the target sample. Besides, exploratory factor analysis resulted in a 6-item unidimensional scale of satisfactory construct and convergent validity. Finally, Cronbach α and item-total r provided acceptable evidence for internal consistency reliability, which supports its use in exploratory studies. This promising instrument can be used to advance research on factors affecting enrollments in science education careers from the early stages of the educational system.

Readability assessment of self-report hyperacusis questionnaires

Objective: To assess the overall readability of five currently available hyperacusis questionnaires and to assess the variability of single items within each questionnaire.Design: Comparative study of self-report hyperacusis questionnaires: (1) Geräuschüberempfindlichkeits-Fragebogen (GUF), (2) Noise Avoidance Questionnaire (NAQ), (3) Hyperacusis Questionnaire (HQ), (4) Sound Sensitive-Tinnitus Index (SSTI), and (5) Inventory of Hyperacusis Symptoms (IHS). Well-established readability formulas Flesh-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL), Flesch Reading Ease (FRE), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) and FORCAST and a computerised readability calculation software were used.Study sample: Five questionnaires.Results: Reading levels calculated by each formula varied for every questionnaire. Readability scores ranged from 7.7th to 12.7th grade for overall readability depending on the questionnaire. This exceeded the grade reading levels of 5th–6th grade (10–12 years old) as recommended by the American Medical Association or 7th–8th grade (12–14 years old) as recommended by the US National Institutes of Health. Single item readability analysis based on FKGL revealed that 32%–70% of single items are written above the recommended grade levels.Conclusion: All five questionnaires are written at close to or exceeding the recommended grade levels. This requires attention from developers but also when interpreting the questionnaire scores obtained in clinic.

Shortening of an existing generic online health-related quality of life instrument for dogs.

Development, initial validation and reliability testing of a shortened version of a web-based questionnaire instrument to measure generic health-related quality of life in companion dogs, to facilitate smartphone and online use. The original 46 items were reduced using expert judgment and factor analysis. Items were removed on the basis of item loadings and communalities on factors identified through factor analysis of responses from owners of healthy and unwell dogs, intrafactor item correlations, readability of items in the UK, USA and Australia and ability of individual items to discriminate between healthy and unwell dogs. Validity was assessed through factor analysis and a field trial using a "known groups" approach. Test-retest reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients. The new instrument comprises 22 items, each of which was rated by dog owners using a 7-point Likert scale. Factor analysis revealed a structure with four health-related quality of life domains (energetic/enthusiastic, happy/content, active/comfortable, and calm/relaxed) accounting for 72% of the variability in the data compared with 64% for the original instrument. The field test involving 153 healthy and unwell dogs demonstrated good discriminative properties and high intraclass correlation coefficients. The 22-item shortened form is superior to the original instrument and can be accessed via a mobile phone app. This is likely to increase the acceptability to dog owners as a routine wellness measure in health care packages and as a therapeutic monitoring tool.

Development of an Instrument to Measure Parents’ Preferences and Goals for the Treatment of Attention Deficit–Hyperactivity Disorder

ObjectivesTo describe the development and validation of an instrument to measure parents’ attention deficit–hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment preferences and goals. MethodsParents of children 6 to 12 years of age diagnosed with ADHD in the past 18 months were recruited from 8 primary care sites and an ADHD treatment center (autism excluded). A 16-item medication, 15-item behavior therapy preference scale and a 23-item goal scale, were developed after a review of the literature, 90 parent and clinician semistructured interviews, and input from parent advocates and professional experts were administered to parents. Parent cognitive interviews confirmed item readability, clarity, content, and response range. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis and assessed internal consistency and test-retest reliability and construct and concurrent validity. ResultsWe recruited 237 parents (mean child age 8.1 years, 51% black, 59% from primary care, 61% of children medication naive). Factor analyses identified 4 medication preference subscales (treatment acceptability, feasibility, stigma, and adverse effects, Cronbach’s α 0.74–0.87); 3 behavior therapy subscales (treatment acceptability, feasibility, and adverse effects, α 0.76–0.83); and 3 goal subscales (academic achievement, behavioral compliance, and interpersonal relationships, α 0.83–0.86). The most strongly endorsed goal was academic achievement. The scales demonstrated construct validity, concurrent validity (r = 0.3–0.6) compared with the Treatment Acceptability Questionnaire and Impairment Rating Scale and moderate to excellent test–retest reliability (intraclass coefficient = 0.7–0.9). ConclusionsWe developed a valid and reliable instrument for measuring preferences and goals for ADHD treatment, which may help clinicians more easily comply with new national treatment guidelines for ADHD that emphasize shared decision making.

Validating the Youth Sport Enjoyment Construct in High School Physical Education

The present study was undertaken to develop and validate a questionnaire measuring teaching processes related to physical education (PE) enjoyment. Scanlan and Lewthwaite's (1986) youth sport enjoyment model provided the theoretical foundation for this work. Content validity and item readability of the instrument were established by obtaining feedback from eight experts in psychology and four highly experienced secondary school teachers. Construct validity was then established by conducting exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on data from 304 secondary school students (grades 8, 9, and 10). As a result of these analyses, six teaching processes related to PE enjoyment were identified: self-referent competency (four items), other-referent competency (four items), teacher-generated excitement (three items), activity-generated excitement (five items), peer interaction (two items), and parental encouragement (two items). Correlation analyses revealed that all of these processes were positively correlated with PE enjoyment. The weakest correlation was between peer interaction and enjoyment (r = .31, p < .05), and the strongest was between activity-generated excitement and enjoyment (r = .83, p < .05). We believe that the instrument is appropriate for studying affective outcomes within physical educational settings among students in grades 8, 9, and 10.

Validating the Youth Sport Enjoyment Construct in High School Physical Education

The present study was undertaken to develop and validate a questionnaire measuring teaching processes related to physical education (PE) enjoyment. Scanlan and Lewthwaite's (1986) youth sport enjoyment model provided the theoretical foundation for this work. Content validity and item readability of the instrument were established by obtaining feedback from eight experts in psychology and four highly experienced secondary school teachers. Construct validity was then established by conducting exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on data from 304 secondary school students (grades 8, 9, and 10). As a result of these analyses, six teaching processes related to PE enjoyment were identified: self-referent competency (four items), other-referent competency (four items), teacher-generated excitement (three items), activity-generated excitement (five items), peer interaction (two items), and parental encouragement (two items). Correlation analyses revealed that all of these processes were positively correlated with PE enjoyment. The weakest correlation was between peer interaction and enjoyment (r = .31, p < .05), and the strongest was between activity-generated excitement and enjoyment (r = .83, p < .05). We believe that the instrument is appropriate for studying affective outcomes within physical educational settings among students in grades 8, 9, and 10.

Item readability and science achievement in TIMSS 2003 in South Africa

AbstractThis study investigated the relationship between readability of 73 text‐only multiple‐choice questions from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 2003 and performance of two groups of South African learners: those with limited English‐language proficiency (learners attending African schools) and those with better English‐language proficiency (learners attending non‐African schools). Both groups were exposed to the same intended curriculum, but differed with respect to the quality of teaching they received, the availability of resources, and the level of functionality of their schools. Learners from non‐African schools performed significantly better than learners from African schools. Three readability factors (sentence complexity, unfamiliar words, and long words) were analyzed. High sentence complexity resulted in random guessing in non‐African schools, and favoring an incorrect answer in African schools. Some TIMSS items have complex wording, with numerous prepositional phrases and clauses, and unclear questions. Recommendations for maximum readability and comprehensibility were not met, and these items are therefore invalid for learners with limited English‐language proficiency. Learners employ a range of strategies in attempting to answer questions that they do not understand. Overall, though, poor readability of TIMSS items does not fully account for South African learners' poor performance in TIMSS. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci. Ed 91:906–925. 2007

The Impact of Item Readability on the Endorsement of the Midpoint Response in Surveys

Researchers have debated including a midpoint response in questionnaire scales, and they have debated what the selection of that response option represents. Using data from employee opinion surveys of a large financial services organization based primarily in the United States, this study explored whether the endorsement of the midpoint response is related to an item’s readability and its perceived clarity. The results showed the endorsement of the midpoint response was significantly correlated with the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level index, average letters per word, and average number of syllables per word. The results also showed that as the perceived clarity of an item increases, the endorsement of the midpoint response decreases. These findings have important implications both to researchers and organizations that conduct surveys with their employees.

Variation in the Readability of Items Within Surveys

The objective of this study was to estimate the variation in the readability of survey items within 2 widely used health-related quality-of-life surveys: the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire-25 (VFQ-25) and the Short Form Health Survey, version 2 (SF-36v2). Flesch-Kincaid and Flesch Reading Ease formulas were used to estimate readability. Individual survey item scores and descriptive statistics for each survey were calculated. Variation of individual item scores from the mean survey score was graphically depicted for each survey. The mean reading grade level and reading ease estimates for the VFQ-25 and SF-36v2 were 7.8 (fairly easy) and 6.4 (easy), respectively. Both surveys had notable variation in item readability; individual item readability scores ranged from 3.7 to 12.0 (very easy to difficult) for the VFQ-25 and 2.2 to 12.0 (very easy to difficult) for the SF-36v2. Because survey respondents may not comprehend items with readability scores that exceed their reading ability, estimating the readability of each survey item is an important component of evaluating survey readability. Standards for measuring the readability of surveys are needed.

Readability level of standardized test items and student performance: The forgotten validity variable

Test validity issues considered by test developers and school districts rarely include individual item readability levels. In this study, items from a major standardized test were examined for individual item readability level and item difficulty. The Homan‐Hewitt Readability Formula was applied to items across three grade levels. Results of correlations of readability level and item difficulty at all three levels support the belief that the higher the item readability, the more students miss that item. A possible conclusion is that students miss items due to reading problems, not because of a lack of content knowledge. These data appear to support measuring individual item readability on standardized tests.

The Development and Validation of a Formula for Measuring Single‐Sentence Test Item Readability

This study describes the development and validation of the Homan‐Hewitt Readability Formula. This formula estimates the readability level of single‐sentence test items. Its initial development is based on the assumption that differences in readability level will affect item difficulty. The validation of the formula is achieved by (a) estimating the readability levels of sets of test items predicted to be written at 2nd‐ through 8th‐grade levels; (b) administering the tests to 782 students in grades 2 through 5; (3) using the class means as the unit of analyses and subjecting the data to a two‐factor repeated measures ANOVA. Significant differences were found on class mean performance scores across the levels of readability. These results indicated that a relationship exists between students’reading grade levels and their responses to test items written at higher readability levels.