Thesis (MCom) --Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Organisations in a free market economy exist with the purpose to serve and provide the market with products and services that the market values while at the same time satisfying the triple bottom line of profit, people and planet. The extent to which an organisation will succeed in this aim, however, depends to a large extent on the calibre of its workforce. Human resource management represents a range of interventions with the purpose of contributing to an organisation’s success, through the acquisition and maintenance of a high quality and competent work force, as well as to ensure the effective and efficient use of human talent in a manner that will add value to an organisation. Personnel selection represents one of these human resource functions and thereby constitutes a critical human resource management intervention in as far as it attempts to regulate human capital movement into, through and out of the organisation with the expectation that this will result in increased employee job performance. Industrialorganisational psychologists and human resources practitioners frequently use psychometric/psychological tests in the selection process, which provide them with objective information on complex constructs such as intellectual ability or personality, that are hypothesised to be determinants of the level of job performance that selected applicants will achieve. Accurate predictions can however, only be derived from measures of such psychometric/psychological tests if the constructs they attempt to measure are in fact determinants of job performance, if the tests provide reliable, valid and unbiased measures of these constructs and the nature of the relationship between the predictor constructs and the criterion construct is validly understood. Personality represents an influential determinant of job performance. The Personality and Preference Inventory-Normative (PAPI-N) is a personality questionnaire that is widely used in industry. This provides the essential justification for the primary objective of this research, which was to evaluate the first-order factor structure of the PAPI-N through a factor analytic investigation on a relatively large sample of the South African working population. The data used in this study was obtained from the data archives of Cubiks (Pty) Ltd, with written permission from the intellectual property holder, to utilise the sample data for the purpose of this research. The South African PAPI-N database comprised all respondents who were assessed by Work Dynamics, the official distributor of Cubiks’s products and services in South Africa, in the period 2007 to 2012. Item and dimensionality analyses were performed on the 20 subscales of the PAPI-N as well as the Social Desirability scale. This was done to assess the success with which the subscales represented the underlying personality constructs. The results in the item analysis revealed that in about 50% of the PAPI-N subscales concern arose about the extent to which the items of the subscales responded in unison to systematic differences in a single underlying latent variable. Results from the dimensionality analysis showed that 12 of the 20 personality dimension measures were compatible with the position that the items comprising these subscales measure what they are designed to measure. In contrast, eight out of the 20 subscales failed the uni-dimensionality test. A spectrum of goodness-of-fit statistics was used to evaluate the measurement model fit. The measurement model’s overall fit was acceptable. The null hypothesis of exact fit was rejected but the null hypothesis of close fit could not be rejected (p>.05). The fit indices reflected a close fit in the parameter and a very good model fit in the sample. Although the measurement model fitted the data closely, the factor loadings (although statistically significant) were generally of a moderate degree. Approximately twenty-eight percent (27.78%) of the completely standardised factor loadings fell below the critical cut-off value of .50. This would suggest that the individual items generally (72.22%) do represent the latent personality dimensions they were designed to reflect acceptably well, but that in a little bit more than a quarter of the items, less than 25% of the variance in the item responses was due to variance in the latent variable it was designed to reflect. Discriminant validity was also investigated. The results showed that PAPI-N, although with some difficulty, permit the successful discrimination between the unique aspects of the latent personality dimensions. The results of the confirmatory factor analyses suggests that while the intention of the PAPI-N to have sets of items reflecting specific primary personality factors succeeded, the subscale item measures mostly hold a sizable amount of systematic and random error. Based on the above findings, this personality measure should be used with caution in personnel selection in South Africa. Nevertheless, this study serves to extend the understanding of the psychometric properties of the PAPI-N on samples different from the UK sample on which it was originally developed and standardised. Its findings should assist in eliciting the necessary further research needed to establish the psychometric credentials of the PAPI-N as a valuable assessment instrument in South Africa with confidence. Recommendations for future research are made. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Organisasies in ‘n vrye-mark ekonomie het ten doel om die samelewing te dien en om die mark met produkte en dienste te voorsien wat waarde toevoeg, terwyl hulle terselfertyd die driedubbele eis van wins, mense en die planet bevredig. Die mate waarin die organisasie in hierdie doel slaag, hang egter in ‘n groot mate af van die kwaliteit van sy werksmag. Menslike hulpbronbestuur verteenwoordig 'n verskeidenheid ingrypings met die doel om by te dra tot 'n organisasie se sukses, deur die verkryging en instandhouding van 'n hoë gehalte en bekwame arbeidsmag, sowel as om die doeltreffende en doelmatige gebruik van menslike talent te verseker op 'n wyse wat waarde tot die organisasie toevoeg. Die keuring van personeel verteenwoordig een van hierdie menslike hulpbronfunksies. As sodanig vorm dit 'n kritieke menslike hulpbronbestuuringryping insoverre dit poog om die beweging van menslike kapitaal in, deur en uit die organisasie te reguleer met die verwagting dat dit sal lei tot verhoogde werksprestasie deur werknemers. Bedryfsielkundiges en menslike hulpbronpraktisyns gebruik dikwels psigometriese/sielkundige toetse in die keuringsproses, wat hulle met objektiewe inligting oor komplekse konstrukte soos intellektuele vermoë of persoonlikheid voorsien, onder die veronderstelling dat hulle belangrike determinante is van die vlak van werkverrigting wat gekeurde aansoekers sal bereik. Akkurate voorspellings kan egter slegs uit sodanige psigometriese/sielkundige toetse afgelei word indien die konstrukte wat hulle probeer meet, in werklikheid determinante van werkprestasie is, indien die toetse betroubare, geldige en onsydige metings van hierdie konstrukte gee en indien die aard van die verwantskap tussen die voorspellerkonstrukte en die kriteriumkonstruk geldig verstaan word. Persoonlikheid is 'n invoedryke determinant van werkprestasie. Die Personality and Preference Inventory-Normative (PAPI-N) is 'n persoonlikheidsvraelys wat algemeen in die bedryf gebruik word. Daarin lê die regverdiging vir die primêre doel van hierdie navorsing, naamlik om die eerste-orde faktor struktuur van die PAPI -N deur 'n factor-analitiese ondersoek op 'n relatief groot steekproef van die Suid-Afrikaanse werkende bevolking te evalueer, geleë. Die data wat in hierdie studie gebruik is, is verkry uit die data-argiewe van Cubiks (Pty) Ltd, met die skriftelike toestemming van die intellektuele eiendiom-eienaar, om die steekproefdata aan te wend vir die doel van hierdie navorsing. Die Suid-Afrikaanse PAPI-N databasis bestaan uit al die kandidate wat geassesseer is deur Work Dynamics, die amptelike verspreider van Cubiks se produkte en dienste in Suid-Afrika, in die tydperk 2007-2012. Item en dimensionaliteitsontledings is uitgevoer op die 20 subskale van die PAPI-N, sowel as die sosiale wenslikheidskaal. Dit is gedoen om die sukses te bepaal waarmee die subskale die onderliggende persoonlikheidskonstrukte verteenwoordig. Die resultate van die itemontleding het getoon dat ten opsigte van sowat 50 % van die PAPI-N subskale, kommer bestaan oor die mate waartoe die items van die subskale in harmonie reageer op sistematiese verskille in 'n enkele onderliggende latente veranderlike. Resultate van die dimensionaliteitontleding het getoon dat 12 van die 20 persoonlikheidsdimensiesmetings versoenbaar is met die standpunt dat die items waaruit hierdie subskale bestaan, meet wat hulle ontwerp is om te meet. In teenstelling hiermee het agt uit die 20 subskale nie die uni- dimensionaliteitstoets geslaag nie. A verskeidenheid pasgehalte-maatstawwe is gebruik om die pasgehalte van die metingsmodel te ondersoek. Oorkoepelend was die pasgehalte van die metingsmodel aanvaarbaar. Die nulhipotese van presiese passing is verwerp maar die nulhipotse van benaderde passing is nie verwerp nie (p>.05). The pasgehalte-maatstawwe het gedui op ‘n benaderde passing in die parameter en baie goeie modelpassing in die steekproef. Ofskoon die metingsmodel benaderde passing getoon het was die faktorladings (alhoewel statisties beduidend) oor die algemeen matig in omvang. Ongeveer agt-en-twintig present (27.78%) van die volledig gestandaardiseerde faktorladings was kleiner as die kritieke afsnywaarde van .50. Dit suggereer dat die items oor die algemeen (72.22%) wel die latent persoonlikheidsdimensies wat hul geoormerk is om te reflekteer, bevredigend reflekteer. In ‘n klein bietjie meer as ‘n kwart van die items is minder as 25% van die variansie in die itemresponse te wyte aan variansie in die latent veranderlike wat die item ontwerp was om te reflekteer. Diskriminantgeldigheid was ook ondersoek. Die resultate dui daarop dat die PAPI-N, ofskoon nie sonder problem nie, wel die suksesvolle onderskeid tussen die unieke aspekte van die persoonlikheidsdimensies moontlik maak. Die resultate van die bevestigende faktorontleding dui daarop dat, terwyl die bedoeling van die PAPI-N om stelle items te hê wat spesifieke primêre persoonlikheidsfaktore reflekteer geslaagd was, die subskaal-itemmetings meestal 'n aansienlike hoeveelheid sistematiese en toevallige fout bevat. Gebaseer op die bogenoemde bevindinge, moet hierdie persoonlikheidsmeting met omsigtigheid gebruik word in personeelkeuring in Suid-Afrika. Nietemin, dra hierdie studie by tot ‘n groter begrip van die psigometriese eienskappe van die PAPI-N op steekproewe wat verskil van die Verenigde Koninkryk steekproef waarop dit oorspronklik ontwikkel en gestandaardiseerd is. Die bevindinge sal help om die nodige verderde navorsing te ontlok wat nodig is om die PAPI-N met vertroue as 'n waardevolle meetinstrument in Suid-Afrika te vestig. Aanbevelings vir toekomstige navorsing word gemaak.

Teaching is a complex and fundamentally collaborative process, through which knowledge and skills are acquired as a result of repeated interactions between teachers and students. The effectiveness of these interactions depends on both the instructional environment created by the teacher and the extent to which students engage with that environment. The current study combines these dimensions of teaching to (a) evaluate the construct validity of two instruments: the Middle School Intervention Project Classroom Observation Tool (MSIP-COT) and the Student Engagement Instrument (SEI), and (b) test the extent to which these measures predict differences in reading proficiency for middle school students who struggle with reading. Observation, engagement, and reading achievement data were collected for a sample of 1,446 reading intervention students from 25 middle schools in the Pacific Northwest participating in an evaluation of state and local education programs. Instruments were evaluated by fitting a series of measurement models to the observation and engagement data. The results of the best fitting models were then used in a cross-classified, multilevel structural equation model to predict differences in reading proficiency and evaluate the direct and mediational effects of engagement and instructional environment. Results provided reasonably strong evidence for both measures as indicators of their respective constructs but limited support for the direct and mediational effects of observed instructional environment and self-reported student engagement on reading proficiency for these students. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

abstract: The body is capable of regulating hunger in several ways. Some of these hunger regulation methods are innate, such as genetics, and some, such as the responses to stress and to the smell of food, are innate but can be affected by body conditions such as BMI and physical activity. Further, some hunger regulation methods stem from learned behaviors originating from cultural pressures or parenting styles. These latter regulation methods for hunger can be grouped into the categories: emotion, environment, and physical. The factors that regulate hunger can also influence the incidence of disordered eating, such as eating in the absence of hunger (EAH). Eating in the absence of hunger can occur in one of two scenarios, continuous EAH or beginning EAH. College students are at a particularly high risk for EAH and weight gain due to stress, social pressures, and the constant availability of energy dense and nutrient poor food options. The purpose of this study is to validate a modified EAH-C survey in college students and to discover which of the three latent factors (emotion, environment, physical) best predicts continual and beginning EAH. To do so, a modified EAH-C survey, with additional demographic components, was administered to students at a major southwest university. This survey contained two questions, one each for continuing and beginning EAH, regarding 14 factors related to emotional, physical, or environmental reasons that may trigger EAH. The results from this study revealed that the continual and beginning EAH surveys displayed good internal consistency reliability. We found that for beginning and continuing EAH, although emotion is the strongest predictor of EAH, all three latent factors are significant predictors of EAH. In addition, we found that environmental factors had the greatest influence on an individual's likelihood to continue to eat in the absence of hunger. Due to statistical abnormalities and differing numbers of factors in each category, we were unable to determine which of the three factors exerted the greatest influence on an individual's likelihood to begin eating in the absence of hunger. These results can be utilized to develop educational tools aimed at reducing EAH in college students, and ultimately reducing the likelihood for unhealthy weight gain and health complications related to obesity. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Nutrition 2013

The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) has been the subject of widespread debate over the years. Initially conceptualised by Rosenberg as a undimensional measure of global self-esteem, other studies have found evidence that challenges this notion, suggesting that this scale is in fact a multidimensional measure. The aim of this study was to investigate the construct validity of the RSES among South African university students. The RSES was administered to students from two different South African universities located in different regions (N = 304). Principal component analysis (PCA) was used in order to investigate the factor structure of the RSES and correlations were run between the RSES and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (SGSES) to investigate the relationship between self-esteem and self-efficacy. The PCA findings yielded a single factor structure of the RSES in the South African university student sample and a significant positive correlation was observed between self-esteem and self-efficacy. The findings therefore supported the construct validity of the RSES within the South African university context. / Mini Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Psychology / MA / Unrestricted

Background: Unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) report increased levels of mental health problems, specifically symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are very common. They have often experienced multiple trauma events and additional stressors related to migration, acculturation and family separation. High-quality measurements of PTSD symptoms that are brief and easy to administer among URM are therefore needed. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Children’s Revised Impact of Events Scale (CRIES-8) when used in a population of URM. Method: Confirmatory factor analyses, internal consistency and test-retest agreement were analyzed using data from two previous studies; one Norwegian longitudinal study of URM mental health including 284 participants and 104 participants from a Swedish intervention study. Results: CRIES-8 in this population showed questionable levels of internal consistency and moderate test-retest agreement. The two-factor model of Intrusion and Avoidance was confirmed to have god model fit in this study, while the one-factor model of PTSD had poor model fit. Three items related to Avoidance (2,5 & 8) were found to have a large proportion of error in the one factor model. Conclusion: When CRIES-8 are used in studies of PTSD among URM the reliability and validity seems lower than previously found in other contexts. Especially the items related to avoidance seem potentially problematic in this context. It is recommended that researchers and clinicians are cautious when interpreting CRIES-8 scores when used with URM.

CHAPTER 1: Introduction: The most common craniofacial congenital anomaly is the cleft lip and/or palate (CLP). The CLEFT-Q is the first condition-specific comprehensive patient reported outcome instrument (PROM) for patients with CLP. Other measures used in assessment of patients with CLP are Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP) and Cleft Hearing, Appearance and Speech Questionnaire (CHASQ). The development and validation of the CLEFT-Q have been completed in three phases. In phase I, 138 patients with CLP from six countries were interviewed, and data were used to form 13 scales measuring appearance, facial function and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL). In phase II, scales were field-tested internationally with 2434 patients to examine reliability and validity as well as develop a common scoring algorithm for international use. Phase III, the focus of this thesis, aimed to examine further construct validity and responsiveness of the CLEFT-Q scales. CHAPTER 2: Methods: Patients were recruited at six cleft centres in Canada, USA and UK between January 2018 and October 2019. The sample included patients aged 8-29 seeking rhinoplasty, orthognathic, cleft lip scar revision and alveolar bone graft (ABG) operations. Before and six months after surgery, participants were asked to complete the CLEFT-Q scales relevant to their operation and two other PROMs frequently used in cleft research, i.e., COHIP and CHASQ. Cross-sectional construct validity was examined by testing prespecified hypotheses about expected relationships between CLEFT-Q, CHASQ and COHIP instruments. Internal responsiveness was examined using the distribution-based method. Data were analysed using paired sample t-tests and calculation of effect sizes (ESs) and minimally important differences (MIDs). CHAPTER 3: Results: Examination of cross-sectional construct validity of the CLEFT-Q scales using the COHIP and CHASQ subscale resulted in 39/53 (74%) hypotheses having been supported by the results. The required sample size to examine responsiveness using the anchor-based approach was not reached. Assessment of internal responsiveness using the distribution-based approach demonstrated that the appearance scales were highly responsive to change following cleft-specific surgeries, with statistically significant results and ESs ranging from 0.4 (small) to 1.8 (large). Change on the CLEFT-Q HR-QOL scales was not statistically significant. As predicted, the ESs on scales measuring facial aspects most affected by rhinoplasty and orthognathic surgeries were larger than the ESs on scales measuring facial aspects least affected by these surgeries. MIDs for each scale in each operation were determined. CHAPTER 4: Discussion: Assessment of cross-sectional construct validity demonstrated that CLEFT-Q performs as it was intended when compared with other similar measures (i.e., CHASQ and COHIP). The CLEFT-Q appearance scales were responsive to change following rhinoplasty, orthognathic and cleft lip scar revision operations. As predicted, the CLEFT-Q appearance scales did not detect change following the ABG operation as this operation does not result in visible difference. As hypothesized, the CLEFT-Q HR-QOL scales were less responsive to change than appearance scales as HR-QOL is a more distal construct than appearance in relation to the cleft-related surgeries performed. The preliminary MIDs estimated by the distribution-based approach should be confirmed in studies with diverse CLP populations and larger sample sizes using the anchor-based approach. The findings of this phase III study build on the results of another CLEFT-Q validation study, which demonstrated the ability of the CLEFT-Q scales to detect differences between groups with varying surgical status, i.e., need surgery, have had surgery and never needed surgery. CHAPTER 5: Conclusion: Cross-sectional construct validity of the CLEFT-Q scales was supported by most prespecified hypotheses. The CLEFT-Q scales were found to be responsive to change. MIDs were determined. The results of this phase III study should be confirmed in a larger and more culturally diverse patient population. Future studies to examine reproducibility and measurement error as well as external responsiveness of the CLEFT-Q scales may be beneficial to add to the psychometric evaluation process. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

No description available.

The TPACK framework is becoming increasingly pervasive in teacher education. Researchers and practitioners have been seeking reliable and valid ways to measure the constructs associated with the TPACK framework. This study describes the results of both an item review and the reliability and construct validity investigation of the scores from an instrument measuring self-efficacy for the constructs in the TPACK framework. Content-matter experts and the literature were used in order to perform the item review, while both an exploratory and a confirmatory factor analysis were performed in order to assess construct validity. Cronbach's alpha and Raykov's rho were used to assess the reliability. While the reliability was high, the validity was weak. Specific changes to the instrument were suggested as a means of improving validity.

Assessment Centers (ACs) are a fantastic method to measure behavioral indicators of job performance in multiple diverse scenarios. Based upon a thorough job analysis, ACs have traditionally demonstrated very strong content and criterion-related validity. However, researchers have been puzzled for over three decades with the lack of evidence concerning construct validity. ACs are designed to measure critical job dimensions throughout multiple situational exercises. However, research has consistently revealed that different behavioral ratings within these scenarios are more strongly related to one another (exercise effects) than the same dimension rating across scenarios (dimension effects). That is, results from ACs suggest that we are unsure of what these behavioral measures represent. Over the last three decades, researchers have sought to illuminate why same dimension ratings are inconsistent across scenarios. However, these investigations have been limited to changes influencing the source of the ratings (e.g., assessors, trained raters). No approach has been taken to change the structure of the AC. This study breaks with tradition and introduces a structurally different AC: A Day-In-The Life AC (DITLAC). A DITLAC structure is designed to mimic that of a normal day on the job. In the present study, the construct validity between a DITLAC and a traditionally structured AC is compared with the argument that the DITLAC will demonstrate stronger construct validity evidence. In several cases, this was found to be true.

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