The importance of simultaneous consideration of forms and functions in youth measures of aggressive behavior is well established. Competing models have presented these highly interrelated constructs as either independent (e.g., reactive or overt) or paired factors (e.g., reactive and overt). The current study examines these models in the context of assessing the viability of a new self-report measure, the Peer Conflict Scale – 20 Item Version. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted on PCS 20 responses from 1,048 school-age youth living in the Gulf Coast region. Both models significantly improved upon one or two-factor alternatives, and demonstrated partial invariance across gender and grade. The models showed comparable levels of fit to the data, though some loadings for the independent factors model were non-significant. Results encourage use of the PCS 20 across research settings and developmental contexts, while also demonstrating the viability of a paired factors model of aggression.

Lean manufacturing is one of the most developing manufacturing philosophies through which firms can minimise waste in the production process. Implementing lean practices successfully enables firms to lower unit costs of production and maximise value to the customer, which in turn helps them to increase their competitive edge over rivals. The emerging literature considers organisational culture as a necessary intangible source for achieving a competitive advantage for companies, and to have a critical role in the success or failure of lean practices implementation. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the effect of organisational culture on lean technical practices in the manufacturing firms in Jordan. More specifically, four conceptual models have been developed in the current study highlighting the effect of each type of organisational culture on lean technical practices implementation. In addition, more emphasis was on understanding the mechanism through which customers' involvement, employees’ involvement and suppliers’ involvement affect the relationship between organisational culture and lean technical practices. Thus, the four conceptual models bring to light the potential intervening role of the human lean practices in the organisational culture/ lean technical practices association. After identifying and reviewing the relevant literature, the socio-technical system theory, contingency theory and RBV are adopted to develop the conceptual models and associated hypotheses. A Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) techniques have been adopted to analyse a dataset of over 200 manufacturing firms in Jordan, collected by using a self-administered survey. The findings of this study indicate that the hierarchical culture has the highest substantial positive effect on lean technical practices followed by developmental culture, group culture and rational culture respectively. In addition, it is found that each type of organisational culture (group, developmental, hierarchical and rational) affects positively lean human practices (customers' involvement, employees’ involvement and suppliers’ involvement) in different statistical levels. For example, all types of organisational culture affect suppliers’ involvement more than customers’ involvement and employees’ involvement respectively. Moreover, it is found that customers’ involvement and suppliers’ involvement have the highest positive effect on lean technical practices in the rational culture and the least positive effect in the hierarchical culture. Furthermore, it is found that the positive effect of each type of organisational culture on lean technical practices is partially mediated by customers' involvement and partially mediated by suppliers’ involvement. The highest significant mediating effect of customers' involvement and suppliers’ involvement lies in the rational culture/lean technical practices link whereas the lowest significant mediating effect of customers' involvement and suppliers’ involvement lies is in the hierarchical culture/ lean technical practices link. Finally, it is found that employees’ involvement does not mediate the relationship between organisational culture and lean technical practices. These findings provide new evidence from Jordan to support the hypotheses that the organisational culture can act as a crucial pre-condition for lean technical practices to be fully effective. Additionally, the findings reinforce the notion that emphasizing the human side of lean especially for customers' involvement and suppliers' involvement can promote the effectiveness of lean implementation. The current study contributes to the current literature at two levels. First, at the theoretical level, this study develops multiple conceptual models which crosses two streams of literature mainly, organisational culture literature and lean manufacturing literature with a focus on the human side of lean. Unlike previous studies, the models integrate the direct effect of organisational culture on lean technical practices and the intervening role of lean human practices due to which the organisational culture is assumed to have also an indirect effect on lean technical practices. Furthermore, employing a powerful statistical technique (Analysis of Moment Structure-SEM) provides more credibility to the results reported in this study. Second, at the empirical level, this study is conducted in the Jordanian context. As such, this study is one of the first, to our knowledge, that examines the effect of organisational culture on lean technical practices, as well as having examined the mechanism of how each type of organisational culture affects lean technical practices using empirical survey data from this context.

This study examined the reliability and validity of the Teacher Attribution Measure for Early Elementary (TAM-EE), a measure adapted from the Preschool Teaching Attributions (PTA) measure, to assess the challenging behavior attributions of early elementary teachers. Like the PTA, the TAM-EE uses a series of student-specific behavior scenarios as prompts for teachers who then rate statements aligned with dimensions of attribution theory on a 6-point scale. A sample of 41 teachers completed the TAM-EE on 79 students in grades K-3 screened for risk of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Teachers also completed reports of student behavior, self-efficacy, and perceptions of the student-teacher relationship. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis suggest that the two-factor model (Causal and Responsibility) used for the PTA was best fit. Combined with significant correlations with measures assessing teacher perceptions and practices, this study provides both an initial psychometric evaluation of the TAM-EE and additional support for the validity and reliability of the PTA.

L'educació superior de qualitat és una contribució indispensable per al desenvolupament de les nacions, especialment en els nostres temps, que estem inserits en una societat del coneixement. Avui dia, no hi ha cap dubte que, per aprofitar els avantatges de la globalització, cal comptar amb capital humà qualificat i amb capacitat d'innovació; és possible desenvolupar ambdós elements, en part, si ens basem en el sistema d'educació superior de cada país. D'altra banda, el nombre d'estudiants d'educació superior a escala mundial ha passat dels 13 milions dels anys seixanta als més de 110 milions de l'actualitat; els països en vies de desenvolupament són els que han augmentat la taxa de cobertura més significativament. A Xile, la taxa de cobertura va passar del 10 % el 1980 al 33 % l'any 2005, i s'espera que arribi al 50 % el 2015. Per part seva, el sistema d'educació superior xilè ha mostrat, en els darrers anys, signes inequívocs d'operar com una indústria competitiva en la qual la major part de l'oferta -avui dia- l'ofereixen institucions privades que realitzen estratègies "empresarials" agressives per competir en el mercat, moltes de les quals realitzen despeses i inversions significatives en millores de la qualitat i en campanyes de màrqueting, amb l'objectiu d'atreure més i millors estudiants cada any; això no obstant, fins avui no hi ha models que expliquin els factors que determinen la conducta de compra del consumidor (és a dir, dels alumnes potencials de les universitats) a l'hora d'escollir una carrera universitària. En aquest context, l'objectiu d'aquesta recerca ha estat contribuir a entendre la conducta dels estudiants de secundària a Xile (el consumidor) a l'hora d'escollir una carrera universitària. La pregunta principal de l'estudi ha estat: Quins són els factors principals que expliquen l'elecció d'una carrera universitària per part dels alumnes de secundària a Santiago de Xile?, i quina relació s'estableix entre aquests. Per assolir els objectius de la recerca, es va realitzar una revisió àmplia de la literatura ja existent, per tal d'identificar els models teòrics ja proposats, com també per orientar la fase exploratòria del projecte, que es va dur a terme mitjançant tècniques de focus group i entrevistes en profunditat. Amb els resultats de la fase exploratòria es va construir un instrument de mesura (el qüestionari), que es va aplicar en una mostra aleatòria de 1.401 estudiants, agrupats en tres estrats. Hem utilitzat l'anàlisi factorial confirmatòria per a l'anàlisi de les dades recollides i, a la vegada, per obtenir els models explicatius que cerquem a partir de la forma path diagram. Després de realitzar l'anàlisi de les dades i diverses rotacions al model, hem identificat quatre variables latents (constructes) amb un alt grau de significació, aquestes variables són: prestigi, qualitat, ambient i conveniència. Esperem que els resultats i les conclusions d'aquest estudi contribueixin a complementar la literatura existent, aportin un marc teòric associat al fenomen objecte d'estudi i, a més, serveixin de suport en el disseny dels plans de màrqueting de les universitats xilenes. Finalment, les recerques futures podrien ampliar l'estudi a d'altres països de la regió llatinoamericana, com també realitzar estudis longitudinals per veure el comportament dels consumidors (els alumnes) després d'haver accedit a les universitats. / La educación superior de calidad es una contribución indispensable al desarrollo de las naciones, especialmente en nuestros días que estamos insertos en una sociedad del conocimiento. Hoy no existe ninguna duda que para aprovechar las ventajas de la globalización es necesario contar con capital humano calificado y capacidad de innovación, ambos elementos es posible desarrollarlos, en parte, basándose en el sistema de educación superior de cada país. Por otra parte, el número de estudiantes de educación superior a nivel mundial ha pasado de 13 millones en los años 60 a más de 110 millones en nuestros días, siendo los países en vía de desarrollo los que han aumentado más significativamente su tasa de cobertura. En Chile la tasa de cobertura pasó de 10% en 1980 a 33% en el año 2005 y se espera que llegue a niveles del 50% en el 2015. Por su parte, el sistema de educación superior chileno ha mostrado en los últimos años signos inequívocos de operar como una industria competitiva donde la mayor parte de la oferta -hoy día-es ofrecida por instituciones privadas que realizan estrategias "empresariales" agresivas para competir en el mercado, muchas de ellas realizan gastos e inversiones significativos en mejoras a la calidad y en campañas de marketing, con el objetivo de atraer más y mejores estudiantes cada año, no obstante, hasta la fecha no existen modelos que expliquen los factores que determinen la conducta de compra del consumidor (es decir, los potenciales alumnos de las universidades) a la hora de seleccionar una carrera universitaria. En este contexto, el objetivo de esta investigación ha sido contribuir a entender la conducta de los estudiantes de secundaria en Chile (el consumidor) a la hora de elegir una carrera universitaria. La pregunta principal del estudio fue ¿Cuáles con los principales factores que explican la elección de una carrera universitaria por parte de los alumnos de secundaria en Santiago de Chile? y que relación existe entre ellos. Para el logro de los objetivos de investigación se realizó una amplia revisión de la literatura existente, tendiente a identificar los modelos teóricos existentes, así como para orientar la fase exploratoria del proyecto, que se realizó mediante técnicas de focus group y entrevistas en profundidad. Con los resultados de la fase exploratoria se construyó un instrumento de medición (el cuestionario) el cual fue aplicado a una muestra aleatoria de 1.401 estudiantes, agrupados en tres estratos. Hemos utilizado Análisis Factorial Confirmatorio, para el análisis de la data recolectada y en simultáneo obtener los modelos explicativos que buscamos de la forma Path Diagram. Después de realizar el análisis de datos y varias rotaciones al modelo hemos identificado 4 variables latentes (constructos) con un alto grado de significancia, estos son: prestigio, calidad, ambiente y conveniencia. Los resultados y conclusiones de este estudio esperamos contribuyan a complementar la literatura existente, aportar un marco teórico asociado al fenómeno en estudio y que además sirva de apoyo en el diseño de Planes de Marketing de las Universidades Chilenas. Finalmente, futuras investigaciones podrían ampliar el estudio a otros países de regional latinoamericana, así como realizar estudios longitudinales para ver el comportamiento de los consumidores (los alumnos) después de su ingreso a las universidades. / Quality High Education is an essential contribution to nations development, especially in these days that we are inserted in a knowledge society. There is no doubt right now that to take advantage of globalization requires having qualified human capital and innovation capacity; it is possible to develop both, partly, based on the educational system of each country. On the other hand, the number of high education students worldwide has gone from 13 million in the 60's to more than 110 million currently, being the countries under development (Latin America amongst them) the ones with the most significant increase in the coverage rate. In Chile, the coverage rate went from 10% in 1980 to 33% in 2005 and it is expected to reach the level of 50% in year 2015. The Chilean educational system has, in the recent years, shown clear signs of operating as a competitive industry, where most of the current supply is made by private institutions which carry out aggressive marketing strategies to compete within the market place; many of them expend and invest significant amounts in quality improvement and marketing campaigns, in order to attract more and better students every year, nevertheless, up to this date there are not any models to explain the factors that determine the consumer behavior (i.e., universities potential students) when it comes to choose an university career. In this context, the aim of this research is to help understand the behavior of secondary school students in Chile (the consumer) when facing choosing a university career. The main question of this study was: Which are the main factors that explain the selection of a university career by secondary school students in Santiago de Chile? And what is the relation between them? To achieve the goals of this research, we did a thorough review of the existing literature, to identify the existing theoretical models, as well as to lead the exploratory phase of the project, carried out through focus group techniques and in-depth interviews. With the results of the exploratory phase we built a measurement tool (the questionnaire) which was applied to a random sample of 1.401 students in the last years of secondary school in Chile, grouped in three categories. We have used Confirmatory Factor Analysis, to analyze collected data and s en simultaneously to obtain the explanatory models we are looking for in the shape of Path Diagram. After performing the data analysis and several rotations to the model, we have identified 4 latent variables with a high degree of significance, these are: prestige, quality, environment and fellowship. The results and conclusions of this study, besides contributing in the academic level to fill a gap in the existing literature in Chile and provide elements to build theoretical framework associated to the phenomenon under study, we also hope it helps the design of Strategic Marketing Plans of Chilean Universities. Finally, future researches could widen the study to other countries of the Latin American region, as well as to perform lengthways studies to check the consumers behavior (the students) after they have entered university.

This dissertation study attempts to understand excessive buying, a phenomenon of both theoretical and practical interest. I define excessive buying as "an individual type of buying behavior whereby consumers repetitively spend more than they should based on financial considerations". I develop a conceptual typology of excessive buying, building on the time-inconsistent preferences and automaticity theory. The new typology categorizes five specific types of excessive buying behavior: 1) habitual, 2) possessive, 3) remedial, 4) rewarding, and 5) out-of-control. Based on past literature and the typology, I generate scale items to capture the conceptual and logical variance in excessive buying. Psychometric properties of the scale are tested via Confirmatory Factor Analysis using a student and random adult sample. Nomological validity of the scale is confirmed by testing hypotheses formulated based on hedonic shopping values and the self-defeating behavior theory. The empirical analyses suggest that excessive buying results from stress, using shopping as an escape from reality, and little consideration for the potential outcomes of one's current behavior. Excessive buying leas to both financial problems and negative emotions.

Title: A Study on the Innovation Behavior of Information Infused Instruction for Elementary School Teachers School: National Sun Yat-Sen University Department: Institute of Education Time: May,2007 Degree: Master Advisor: Yang, Shu-Ching Researcher: Wu, Tasi-Jung The purpose of this study was as follows: (1) to develop the scales of the innovation climate, the pedagogical literacy, the innovation motivation and the innovation behavior of information infused instruction; (2) to analyze the status quo for teacher¡¦s innovation behavior of information infused instruction; (3) to compare teachers¡¦ different background factors so as to know the difference in teachers¡¦ performance of the innovation climate, the pedagogical literacy, the innovation motivation and the innovation behavior of information infused instruction; (4) to construct a structural equation model of the innovation behavior of information infused instruction for elementary school teachers. To achieve the purpose of the study, self-constructed questionnaire-¡§The investigation questionnaire on the innovation behavior of information infused instruction for elementary school teacher¡¨ was used in this study. The sample of the study was composed of 823 elementary school teachers in Kaohsiung City. The data was analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis, descriptive statistics, t-test, multivariate analysis of variance and structural equation modeling. Major findings of the study was as follows: (1) The reliability and validity of the scales of elementary school teachers¡¦ innovation climate, pedagogical literacy, innovation motivation and innovation behavior of infusing information into instruction was acceptable. (2) The status quo in elementary school teachers¡¦ innovation climate and motivation of infusing information into instruction was higher than the median on the six-point scale ; however, the status quo in elementary school teachers¡¦ pedagogical literacy and innovation behavior of infusing information into instruction was lower than the median on the six-point scale. (3) There was small anticipation-effect size in elementary school teachers¡¦ innovation climate of infusing information into instruction in term of the gender, information-seeded teachers,age, seniority, appointment, the time of taking information technology related training, the time of using information technology each week, the experience of creative teaching competition, the experience of information infused instructional competition, the experience of helping students participate competition, and the experience of helping students participate information related competition. (4) There was medium to large anticipation-effect size in elementary school teachers'pedagogical literacy of infusing information into instruction in term of the gender, information-seeded teachers, the time of using information technology each week, the experience of individual competition, the experience of information infused instructional competition, the experience of helping students participate competition, and the experience of helping students participate information related competition. (5) There was medium anticipation-effect size in elementary school teachers¡¦ innovation motivation of infusing information into instruction in term of the gender, information-seeded teachers, the time of using information technology each week, the experience of individual competition, the experience of creative teaching competition, the experience of information infused instructional competition, the experience of helping students participate competition, and the experience of helping students participate information related competition. (6) There was medium to large anticipation-effect size in elementary school teachers¡¦ innovation behavior of infusing information into instruction in term of the gender, information-seeded teachers, the time of using information technology each week, the experience of individual competition, the experience of teaching project design, the experience of creative teaching competition, the experience of information infused instructional competition, the experience of helping students participate competition, and the experience of helping students participate information related competition. (7) The model, ¡§innovation climate, pedagogical literacy and innovation motivation had direct effects on innovation behavior¡¨ , was better for the innovation behavior of information infused instruction for elementary school teachers. According to the research results mentioned above, this research had proposed specific recommendation to the educational administration agency, elementary schools and follow-up researchers .

In developing countries, there is a great demand for university education. In order to select students to universities a standardized test score is used. In Turkey, the Student Selection Test (SST) have important role in admission to universities. However, there is very limited knowledge about what SST mathematics sections actually measures. The main purpose of the present study is to evaluate the content of the mathematics subtest of the SST in line with mathematical cognitive skills and eventually provide construct related evidence for dimensionality of the test items. Within this framework, it is aimed to cross validate the mathematics subtest across gender groups, school types and two consecutive years. Also relations among mathematical abilities are investigated. This study is first in investigating what is measured by SST Mathematics sections and analyzing construct validity by testing several nested confirmatory factor models. Comparison of fit indices of five competitive models showed three-factor model has better fit indices in which Basic Computation Ability, Advanced Computation Ability and Geometry Ability is measured. It is concluded that problem solving items are not measuring a different process, but measures some sort of computation ability. There is a problem related to the content of the mathematics subtests of the SST in line with mathematical cognitive skills. Higher order cognitive skills are not measured properly. Three-factor model is tested about the invariance of the factors across gender, school types and years. It is concluded that invariant factor structure indicates that SST mathematics section is operating similarly for subgroups and years. The relations among mathematical abilities on three-factor model are investigated by item mapping and structural equation models. It is seen that Basic Computation Ability is a prerequisite to acquire Geometry Ability and Advanced Computation Ability.

ABSTRACT Depression is one of the oldest known mental health conditions. It is acknowledged to be a global health problem that affects people from any culture or ethnic group. The prevalence of depression widely varied across countries and cultures. The cross-cultural relevance of the concept of depression, its screening or diagnosis, and cultural equivalence of items used to measure symptoms of depression has been area of research interest. Differences in prevalence rates in depression have been suggested as being due to research artifacts, such as use of instrument developed for one culture to another culture. With the current trend of globalization and increased rate of immigration, the need for measurement scales that can be used cross-culturally is becoming essential. Translation and adaptation of existing tools to different languages is time saving and cost effective than developing a new scale. The Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale [CES-D; (Radloff, 1977)] has been widely used as a screening tool for depressive symptoms in community and clinical settings. It has been widely accepted and translated to multiple languages and its measurement equivalence tested across groups. This study was designed as a mixed method study. The purpose of this study was three fold: (a) translate and adapt the CES-D scale into Tigrigna Language for use by Tigrigna speaking Eritrean immigrants in the United States using the forward backward translation and cognitive interview techniques (b) test the psychometric properties of the Tigrigna version CES-D scale using confirmatory factor analysis under the framework of structural equation modeling and (c) test measurement equivalence of the scale by comparing data collected from 253 Eritrean immigrants using the Tigrigna version CES-D scale with a secondary data collected from 1918 non Eritrean US citizens using the English version CES-D scale in a separate study. The baseline four factor CES-D scale model originally suggested for the general population fitted the data from both samples. The fit indices for the Tigrigna sample were (χ2 = 299.87, df = 164, RMSEA = .06, SRMR = .06, GFI = .89, and CFI = .98) and for the English sample (χ2 = 1496.81, df = 164, RMSEA = .07, SRMR = .04, GFI = .92, and CFI = .98). The Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis showed reasonably adequate fit (χ2 (328) = 1796.68, RMSEA= .07, SRMR = .06, GFI = .89, CFI = .98). Fourteen of the 20 CES-D items were invariant across the two samples suggesting partial metric invariance. Partial full factor invariance was also supported. In conclusion, the findings of this study provide adequate evidence in support of the applicability of the four factor CES-D scale for measuring depressive symptoms in Tigrigna speaking Eritrean immigrants/refugees in the United States.

Epstein et al.'s Theory of Overlapping Spheres of Influence focuses on the interaction and communication, or partnerships, among families, schools, and the community to bring the three closer together. The theory works in conjunction with Epstein's typology of parental involvement, which focuses on six types of involvement that are instrumental to a child's development and his/her school and educational success. These serve as the framework for the study and support the construct of parent's involvement in children's schooling. The purpose of the current study was to conduct further validation analyses of an inventory designed to measure the construct of parent involvement in their children's schooling through the investigation of measurement invariance to determine if the measurement properties of the inventory varied by race/ethnicity. The study compared the responses of 126 Hispanic parents/guardians with 116 White/non-Hispanic parents/guardians to investigate if these two groups were interpreting the items on the inventory in the same manner. The inventory was administered to a sample of parents/guardians of children in grades 3 through 5 in a local school district. Findings indicated that the measurement model was misspecified for the White/non-Hispanic group and the Hispanic group and further measurement invariance testing was not conducted. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted in order to investigate which models would best fit the data for both groups. Feedback also was obtained from parents/guardians about the clarity of the inventory, which revealed their confusion with the response scale and the wording of particular items. In addition, they supplied issues or aspects of parent involvement that they found important but missing from the inventory. Results from the psychometric analyses and qualitative feedback indicated that the inventory requires modification and further psychometric investigation. In addition, caution should be exercised for anyone who may be considering utilizing the inventory. Results of the study were interpreted in terms of contributions to the parent involvement literature, as well as recommendations for the improvement of the inventory.

This thesis, which consists of five papers, is concerned with various aspects of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of ordinal variables and the generation of non-normal data. The first paper studies the performances of different estimation methods used in CFA when ordinal data are encountered.  To take ordinality into account the four estimation methods, i.e., maximum likelihood (ML), unweighted least squares, diagonally weighted least squares, and weighted least squares (WLS), are used in combination with polychoric correlations. The effect of model sizes and number of categories on the parameter estimates, their standard errors, and the common chi-square measure of fit when the models are both correct and misspecified are examined. The second paper focuses on the appropriate estimator of the polychoric correlation when fitting a CFA model. A non-parametric polychoric correlation coefficient based on the discrete version of Spearman's rank correlation is proposed to contend with the situation of non-normal underlying distributions. The simulation study shows the benefits of using the non-parametric polychoric correlation under conditions of non-normality. The third paper raises the issue of simultaneous factor analysis. We study the effect of pooling multi-group data on the estimation of factor loadings. Given the same factor loadings but different factor means and correlations, we investigate how much information is lost by pooling the groups together and only estimating the combined data set using the WLS method. The parameter estimates and their standard errors are compared with results obtained by multi-group analysis using ML. The fourth paper uses a Monte Carlo simulation to assess the reliability of the Fleishman's power method under various conditions of skewness, kurtosis, and sample size. Based on the generated non-normal samples, the power of D'Agostino's (1986) normality test is studied. The fifth paper extends the evaluation of algorithms to the generation of multivariate non-normal data.  Apart from the requirement of generating reliable skewness and kurtosis, the generated data also need to possess the desired correlation matrices.  Four algorithms are investigated in terms of simplicity, generality, and reliability of the technique.