Self-concept Instrument Research Articles

Cross-validation of the very short form of the Physical Self-Inventory (PSI-VS): Invariance across genders, age groups, ethnicities and weight statuses

In a recent review of various physical self-concept instruments, Marsh and Cheng (in press) noted that the very short 12-item version of the French Physical Self-Inventory (PSI-VS) represents an important contribution to applied research but that further research was needed to investigate the robustness of its psychometric properties in new and diversified samples. The present study was designed to answer these questions based on a sample of 1103 normally achieving French adolescents. The results show that the PSI-VS measurement model is quite robust and fully invariant across subgroups of students formed according to gender, weight, age and ethnicity. The results also confirm the convergent validity and scale score reliability of the PSI-VS subscales.

Cross-validation of the short form of the physical self-inventory (PSI-S) using exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM)

Objectives In a review of physical self-concept instruments Marsh and Cheng (in press) noted that the short version (18 item) of the physical self-inventory (PSI-S) represents an important contribution to applied research but that further research was needed to investigate the robustness of its psychometric properties in new and diversified samples and to investigate the reasons for the elevated correlations observed between the six PSI-S subscales. Design and Method A sample of sample 2029 French adolescents completed the PSI-S and their answers were analyzed with exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM). Results The results show that the PSI-S ESEM measurement model is robust and fully invariant across subgroups of students formed on the basis of gender, weight categories, age categories, and ethnicity. The results also confirm the convergent validity and reliability of the PSI-S subscales. Most importantly, the ESEM model results in importantly deflated latent factor correlations and suggest that the previously reported inflated correlations may have been due to the fact that traditional confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) models arbitrarily constrain all cross-loadings to zero. In addition, the ESEM model reveals that the negatively worded items from the PSI-S may be suboptimal, a result that was not obvious from the CFA results. Conclusion The obtained results clearly confirm the robustness of the psychometric properties of the PSI-S and the usefulness of ESEM for more detailed analyses of measurement scale psychometric properties. Reformulations for the negatively worded items are proposed and directions for future studies of the PSI-S are noted.

The intellectual disability version of the very short form of the physical self-inventory (PSI-VS-ID): Cross-validation and measurement invariance across gender, weight, age and intellectual disability level

Recently Maïano, Bégarie, Morin, and Ninot (2009) developed and validated an intellectual disability (ID) version of the very short form of the physical self-inventory (PSI-VS-ID). In a recent review of the various physical self-concept instruments Marsh and Cheng (in press) noted that the short and very short versions of the French PSI represent an important contribution to applied research but that further research was needed to investigate the robustness of their psychometric properties in new and diversified samples. Thus, this study is specifically designed to investigate the robustness of the PSI-VS-ID psychometric properties in a new independent sample of 248 adolescents and young adults with ID. In particular, tests of measurement invariance were conducted across the present sample and the original sample from Maïano et al. (2009) study in order to more precisely assess the degree of replication of the results. Overall, results from a series of confirmatory factor analyses of the PSI-VS-ID provided support for its: (i) factorial validity and reliability; (ii) factorial invariance across gender and weight status; (iii) partial (strict or strong) factorial invariance across age, ID level and samples; and (iv) latent mean differences across gender, weight status and ID level groups.

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.

Using Self-Concept Instruments With High-Ability College Students

This study investigated the reliability and validity of the academic subscales of Marsh's Self-Description Questionnaire III and Neeman and Harter's Self-Perception Profile for College Students for use with high-ability college students. Participants included 100 high-ability college students and 196 average-ability college students enrolled in a comprehensive university in the South. Data analysis estimates of internal consistency were moderate, and estimates of relationships with external validity criteria, namely, academic achievement, aspirations, and year in school, moderately supported the validity of each subscale. Results indicate some support for the use of each subscale with high-ability college students. Putting the Research to Use: Academic self-concept is a construct that likely affects multiple other academic areas, including academic achievement, educational aspirations, career aspirations, and retention. Among high-ability college students, academic self-concept may be related to participation in an honors program and living in an honors residence hall, which may further the academic, social, and emotional collegiate experience. Having a psychometrically sound measure of academic self-concept that is appropriate for use with high-ability college students will enable researchers to effectively study the academic self-concepts of high-ability college students. Traditional measures of academic self-concept are often validated on younger samples of high-ability students, but the research is lacking on validity research related to samples of college students.

Generalizability of the PSDQ and Its Relationship to Physical Fitness: The European French Connection

Two studies tested the generalizability of support for within- and between-construct validity based on responses to a French translation of the Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ) by high school students. The PSDQ is a multidimensional physical self-concept instrument designed to measure 11 components: health, coordination, physical activity, body fat, sports competence, global physical, appearance, strength, flexibility, endurance, and esteem. In the first study (N = 752), preliminary reliability analysis revealed strong internal consistency and overall stability. Confirmatory factor analysis provided support for structural equivalence with the original instrument. In the second study (N = 288), PSDQ factors were related to 13 external criteria of physical fitness; each was predicted a priori to be most highly correlated with one of the PSDQ scales. Bivariate correlations and CFA models supported both the convergent and discriminant validity of the PSDQ responses. These overall results demonstrated good support for the generalizability of the PSDQ with French adolescents.

Big-fish-little-pond effect on academic self-concept. A cross-cultural (26-country) test of the negative effects of academically selective schools.

Academically selective schools are intended to affect academic self-concept positively, but theoretical and empirical research demonstrates that the effects are negative. The big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE), an application of social comparison theory to educational settings, posits that a student will have a lower academic self-concept in an academically selective school than in a nonselective school. This study, the largest cross-cultural study of the BFLPE ever undertaken, tested theoretical predictions for nationally representative samples of approximately 4,000 15-year-olds from each of 26 countries (N = 103,558) who completed the same self-concept instrument and achievement tests. Consistent with the BFLPE, the effects of school-average achievement were negative in all 26 countries (M beta = -.20, SD = .08), demonstrating the BFLPE's cross-cultural generalizability.

A multi‐perspective multi‐domain model of self‐concept: structure and sources of self‐concept knowledge

A perspective‐specific model which deals with the sources of self‐concept knowledge as construed by two theories (symbolic interaction and social comparison) was combined with Shavelson’s domain‐specific model to form a two‐facet model of self‐concept. The structure of this two‐facet model was tapped by a new self‐concept instrument, the Multi‐Perspective Multi‐Domain Self‐Concept Inventory (MMSI), which was constructed by crossing domain and perspective facets. Results of confirmatory factor analysis by grade level of the data from a large sample of primary two, four, and six students lent support to the multi‐perspective multi‐domain model. The MMSI facilitates the estimation of (a) the differential contribution of domain and perspective factors, and (b) the differential contribution of different sources of self‐concept knowledge. It also serves as an exemplar of an interesting application of the multi‐trait multi‐method model in confirmatory factor analysis.

Measuring nurses' self-concept.

Little is known of nurses' self-concept in light of their professional identity or as working adults. This article explores the development and rigorous testing of a new self-concept instrument designed specifically for nurses. The new measure is based on the self-concept measurement theory of Shavelson, Hubner, and Stanton. An expert panel was used to critique and aid refinement of the measure. The dimensions of nurses' self-concept were measured in six scales: General Nursing, Care, Staff Relations, Communication, Knowledge, and Leadership. Two groups participated in this study: Group 1 consisted of nursing students prior to graduation (n = 506) and Group 2 consisted of randomly selected, experienced, working nurses (n = 528). A series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to test the fit of a priori models. The results indicate that all scales possess good construct validity and a satisfactory fit with the data.

Age and gender invariance of self‐concept factor structure: An investigation of a newly developed Chinese self‐concept instrument

A new instrument, the Chinese Adolescent Self‐Esteem Scales (CASES), was developed to measure the self‐concepts of the young people in Hong Kong in seven aspects: social, academic, appearance, moral, family, physical/sport, and general self‐esteem. LISREL procedures were utilized to test the extent of factorial invariance for age and gender based on the responses to CASES of 551 Hong Kong adolescents. It was found that CASES possesses the necessary invariance properties for between‐group measurement in terms of the number and pattern of the underlying factors, item factor loadings, and inter‐factor relations, but not in terms of item uniqueness. Implications of these findings are discussed in terms of the use of CASES and of empirical support for the equivalence of self‐concept factor structure for age and gender groups for both Western and non‐Western adolescents.

A Construct Validity Study of Scores on a Korean Version of an Academic Self-Concept Scale for Secondary School Students

For each of three samples of 213 8th-grade girls, 191 11th-grade boys, and 213 11th-grade girls attending schools in Korea, the twofold purpose of this investigation was to obtain evidence of the internal-consistency reliability and construct validity of scores on each of the five factor subscales of a Korean version of an academic self-concept instrument titled Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC), Form S. Internal-consistency estimates of the reliability of scores on the five 14-item factor subscales fell between .63 and .89, with a median value approximating .78. Confirmatory maximum-likelihood factor analyses for five alternative substantive factor models indicated that both a five-factor oblique model and a hierarchical factor model comprising a general factor correlated with interrelated first-order factors explained the greatest percentage of covariance in the two matrices for the two samples of 11th-grade students. The five hypothesized constructs of the DOSC, Form S (Korean version) received at least modest empirical support.

Multiple Dimensions of University Teacher Self-Concept: Construct Validation and the Influence of Students' Evaluations of Teaching

Despite the recognised importance of positive self-concepts inmany settings, surprisingly little attention has been paid to teacherself-concepts – teachers' self-perceptions of their own teachingeffectiveness. We integrate research literatures on self-concept and onstudents' evaluations of teaching effectiveness (SETs), develop amultidimensional university teacher self-concept instrument, andevaluate its psychometric properties (factor structure, reliability,validity). A multitrait-multimethod analysis of relations betweenmultiple dimensions of teacher self-concept and corresponding SET ratingdimensions provides good support for the construct validity of teacherself-concept responses. In support of a priori hypotheses based onself-concept theory, agreement between teacher self-concepts and SETswas moderate (median r = 0.20) for teachers who had notpreviously received SET feedback, but substantially higher (median r= 0.40) for teachers who had previously received SET feedback.Implications for further research on teacher self-reflection and forimproving teaching effectiveness in higher education arediscussed.

The Lability of Psychological Ratings: The Chameleon Effect in Global Self-Esteem

The chameleon effect hypothesizes that the interpretation of esteem items and the nature of the measurement of the construct are altered by the content of other items in a survey. In each of three studies, responses to esteem items embedded among items focusing on a specific self-concept domain (academic, artistic, or physical) were more highly correlated to that specific domain than were esteem items from a broadly based multidimensional self-concept instrument. Confirmatory factor analysis models demonstrated that the same esteem items embedded in different instruments measured distinctfactors. Unlike typical contextual effects showing mean shifts along the same underlying continuum, these results suggest changes in the nature of the construct that is being measured so that mean shifts are of dubious relevance. The results have theoretical implications for how individuals form esteem judgments and practical limitations for the interpretation of esteem responses in correlational and experimental studies.

Japanese Students Down-Under: Is Australian outdoor education relevant to other cultures?

Abstract There is very little evidence about the effects of Western outdoor education programs on non-Western participants. This study involved an experimental group of low-achieving Japanese students who participated in an Australian outdoor education program (N=32) and a control group of similar students who remained at school in Japan (N=40), The 22-day outdoor education program consisted of two week-long wilderness-based expeditions, two English language instruction sessions, and a culturaT and tourism experience. Students completed a multi-dimensional self-concept instrument before and after the program, and about half the students also completed a follow-up. Students also rated the quality of their outdoor education experience. Surprisingly, there were no positive self-concept changes, but there were significant reductions for the Peer and Confidence selfconcept subscales, and lower than expected ratings of course value and group relations. Various programmatic and cultural explanations for the findings are presented. Introduction There is considerable evidence to suggest the potential of outdoor education to provide effective personal growth experiences for school students (see Neili & Richards, 1998 for an overview). One of the emergent themes from meta-analytic studies (Cason & Gillis, 1994; Hans, 1997; Hattie, Marsh, Neill, & Richards, 1997) and large empirical studies (e.g. Neili, 1999) is that outdoor education program outcomes are surprisingly diverse - between organisations, between groups, and particularly between individuals (Neili, 1998). Despite this, little empirical outdoor education research has explored "self" outcomes in relation to individual difference variables such as gender, academic ability and physical competence. Another potentially important but relatively unexplored area, is the impact of cultural differences. This is of particular concern given the increasingly multicultural nature of Australian society and the growing use of outdoor education in our schooling system. Further, in an age of globalisation and Australia's pursuit of close ties with Asia, an increasingly wide range of Australian outdoor-type experiences are being made available to overseas groups of tourists, students and business personnel. Given these trends, there is a need for further investigation of the responses of non-Western people to Western-type outdoor education experiences. Cross-cultural psychological research has indicated differences between Western and Asian students on such attributes as locus of control (e.g., Weisz, Rothbaum, & Blackburn, 1984), self-perception (e.g., Cousins, 1989), cooperative behaviour (e.g., Cook & Chi, 1984), personal relationships (Crystal, Kato, Olson, & Watanabe, 1995), and individualism /collectivism (e.g., Triandis, Bontempo, Villareal, Asai, & Lucca, 1988). Such findings would suggest that outdoor education programs designed to influence similar self attributes of Australian students may not work in the same way for students from Asian cultures. For instance, the most commonly measured outcome in Australian and American outdoor education research has been self-concept, yet this research has shown little regard to the underlying cultural basis for our conceptions of "self". There is considerable theoretical and empirical literature about the societal differences in notions of self. In particular, this literature focuses on two divergent constructs of the self: independent and interdependent (Markus & Kitayama, 1991). An independent view is characterised by individualism, autonomy and a faith in the inherent separateness of distinct persons. This view of self is commonly associated with people from individualistic societies. An independent view sees the self as interrelated with the surrounding context which exerts a strong influence on an individual's behaviour (emotional, cognitive, and motivational). The self is seen only in relation to the "other"; there is a fundamental connectedness of human beings to each other. …

Self-concept test generalisability: Self-description questionnaire- I and the perception of ability scale for students

AbstractThe validity of standardised ossessment instruments and their normative data is a significant issue in school psychology. Consequently, this study of 515 coeducational Queensland Year 5 students investigated the generalisability and robustness of the norms of two contemporary self-concept instruments, the Self-Description Questionnaire-I (SDQ-I; Marsh, 1988) and the Perception of Ability Scale for Students (PASS; Boersma & Chapman, 1992). Both tests have received praise for their theoretical construct but have been criticised for the regionalisation of their norming populations.The results of this study demonstrated that the Queensland students had higher mean PASS self-concept scores than the North American students used in the norming of all the PASS scales. For the SDQ- I, a similar distribution pattern was shown for Queensland students and SDQ-I norming sample, with the exception of small variability with Reading and Mothematics self-concepts scales. Issues associated with interpreting and reporting of assessment results and with the assessment responsibilities of educational psychologists and counsellors are discussed.

Physical Self Description Questionnaire: stability and discriminant validity.

The Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ) is a multidimensional, physical self-concept instrument designed to measure 11 scales: Strength, Body Fat, Activity, Endurance/Fitness, Sports Competence, Coordination, Health, Appearance, Flexibility, Global Physical Self-concept, and Global Esteem. High school students completed the PSDQ on four occasions over a 14-month period. Across the 11 PSDQ scales, the internal consistency at each occasion was good (median alpha = .92) and the stability over time varied from median r = .83 for a 3-month period to median r = .69 for the 14-month period. The data were used to demonstrate the application of confirmatory factor-analysis models of multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) data (with occasions as the multiple methods), which supported the discriminant validity of the PSDQ scales. Augmented MTMM models that included two field tests of cardiovascular endurance provided additional support for the construct validity of PSDQ responses and interpretation of the MTMM models. These results contribute to the growing body of support for the construct validity of physical-self-concept responses and illustrate the application of CFA MTMM models.

Construct Validity of Physical Self-Description Questionnaire Responses: Relations to External Criteria

The Physical Self-Description Questionnaire (PSDQ) is a multidimensional physical self-concept instrument with 11 scales: Strength, Body Fat, Activity, Endurance/Fitness, Sports Competence, Coordination, Health, Appearance, Flexibility, Global Physical, and Global Esteem. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the construct validity of PSDQ responses in relation to 23 external criteria, including measures of body composition, physical activity, endurance, strength, and flexibility for 192 (113 boys and 79 girls) high school students. Each external validity criterion was predicted a priori to be most highly correlated with one of the PSDQ scales. In support of the convergent validity of the PSDQ responses, every predicted correlation was statistically significant. In support of the discriminant validity of the PSDQ responses, most predicted correlations were larger than other correlations involving the same criterion. These results support the construct validity of PSDQ responses in relation to external criteria and their potential usefulness in a wide variety of sports and exercise settings.

MARSH'S SELF-DESCRIPTION QUESTIONNAIRE III (SDQ III): ADAPTATION STUDY WITH PORTUGUESE COLLEGE STUDENTS

The Self-Description Questionnaire III (SDQ III) is one of a series of Australian self-concept instruments designed to measure self-concept of pre-adolescents (SDQ I), in early to middle adolescents (SDQ II), late adolescents and early adults (SDQ III). It was designed by Marsh (1988) and is based on the Shavelson, Hubner, and Stanton (1976) hierarchical and multidimensional model. This study presents the various steps followed in the adaptation of this Australian self-concept instrument using 691 Portuguese college students from Northern Portugal. In general the internal consistency of the instrument, assessed by Cronbach's alpha, proved to be good and similar to the Australian version, but the factorial structure of the Portuguese version revealed twelve factors instead of the thirteen of the original scale. The presence of the global self-concept dimension in several factors questions its independence from the other dimensions in the Portuguese version.

The Internal/External Frame of Reference in Adolescents′ Math and Verbal Self-Concepts: A Generalization Study

This study examined the generalizability of the internal/external (I/E) frame of reference model which has been applied primarily to Australian and Canadian students. The external part of the model concerns the influence of social comparisions on the formation of math and verbal self-concepts. The internal part is when one infers one′s ability in an area (e.g., math) by comparing one′s performance in that area with one′s performance in another area (e.g., verbal). We examined whether this model was generalizable to American adolescents, across different measures of math and verbal self-concepts, and across gender. Subjects were 152 seventh and eighth graders. LISREL causal modeling and multi-sample analyses were employed. All but one of our findings were consistent with the I/E model. While higher verbal achievement made a significant contribution to lower math self-concept, higher math achievement did not make a significant contribution to lower verbal self-concept. Findings held across different self-concept instruments and across gender.

A Study on Mental Health of Scientifically Gifted High School Males (SGM) and Females (SGF)

Good mental health is a prerequisite for self actualization; that is one can develop gifts and talents only if one is psychologically well-adjusted. Mental health refers to good social and emotional adjustment and positive self-concept. Research is minimal in the area of personality and self-concept for the Korean scientifically gifted high school students and the relationship between gender and self-concept of the gifted youngsters was found somewhat controversial in the literature. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to examine the personality of Korean scientifically gifted high school males (SGM) and females (SGF) and to compare the self-concept of these two groups of youngsters. In this study, Mental health was measured by the Korean adapted MMPI, self-concept instrument, intelligence test, and standardized achievement test were administered to 68 10th through 12 grade scientifically gifted high school students of superior intelligence who have high IQ scores of 145. Scientifically gifted males (SGM) and females (SGF) are more similar than different on mental health profiles, and those differences that exist generally are consistent with sex stereotypes in Korean culture. The results on MMPI scores showed both SGM and SGF were relatively free of maladjustment. There was only one sex difference for the sub scale of self-criticism out of 10 measures of self-concept SGM have a higher score on self-criticism sub scale than SGF (t = 1.99, p < 0.05). Two significant correlations between self-concept and intelligence referred to the positive relationship of a total score of intelligence with Personal self (r = 0.3097*) and Family self (r = 0.2847*). There were no significant correlations between self-concept and achievement. Implications are suggested for school programmings designed to facilitate the good personality and positive self-concept of SGM and SGF differently).