The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Educational Psychology Practitioner Scale (EPPS), which was designed to (a) assess the practices, training, and skills of educational psychologists and (b) determine their utility among K-12 schools classroom teachers. Study participants included 161 K-12 teachers across 21 states within the United States. An exploratory factor analysis yielded a 25-item, unidimensional scale. Correlating the EPPS with the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001) and the Job Satisfaction Scale (Warner, 1973) provided discriminant validity for the scale. Study limitations and future research directions are discussed.

<p>Este documento contiene el diseño de una estrategia para enseñar mapas perceptuales en un curso de gerencia de marca, con la adición de una técnica de modelado para elaborarlos. Los mapas perceptuales son herramientas para el análisis del posicionamiento de marca, y se enseñan en cursos de pregrado y postgrado. Sin embargo, es muy usual utilizar un marco puramente descriptivo y teórico, sin explicar los mecanismos para construirlos. Se presentan métodos basados en regresión multilineal y en análisis factorial como herramientas de modelado, para explicar en clase y proporcionar una mejor comprensión de esta materia.</p> / Este documento contiene el diseño de una estrategia para enseñar mapas perceptuales en un curso de gerencia de marca, con la adición de una técnica de modelado para elaborarlos. Los mapas perceptuales son herramientas para el análisis del posicionamiento de marca, y se enseñan en cursos de pregrado y postgrado. Sin embargo, es muy usual utilizar un marco puramente descriptivo y teórico, sin explicar los mecanismos para construirlos. Se presentan métodos basados en regresión multilineal y en análisis factorial como herramientas de modelado, para explicar en clase y proporcionar una mejor comprensión de esta materia.

Abstract Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection may be associated with the development of asthma and atopy. The aim of the present study was to investigate this association and the related immunological mechanisms. Seventy-six children admitted to Oulu University Hospital in 1991–1994 for an RSV infection at an age of less than 12 months and healthy controls were called for a visit at the age of 6–10 years. Twenty subjects (26%) had asthma compared with 12 controls (16%) (difference 11%, 95% confidence interval (CI) –3% to 24%). Asthma had been diagnosed significantly earlier in the subjects. Eight per cent of the subjects had at least one positive skin prick test as compared with 43% of the controls (difference –35%, 95% CI –50% to –19%). Serum concentrations of interferon-γ and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule -1 were significantly higher among the subjects than among the controls and among the subjects with asthma or current wheezing than among the corresponding controls. All children born in Finland in 1986–1995 were arranged in birth cohorts by month and year of birth and grouped by exposure to an RSV epidemic at age 0–6 months, resulting in 97 exposed and 23 unexposed cohorts. The proportions of children taking asthma medication or receiving special reimbursement for asthma medication in 1995–2002 were similar in the unexposed and exposed cohorts. Altogether 47 children born between August and November 2001 with a cord blood sample taken were admitted to hospital (n = 26) or seen in an outpatient department (n = 21) for RSV infection before the age of six months. Twenty-eight children had some other respiratory viral infection and 84 children formed a group of healthy controls. High scores on a factor combining the cord blood interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 responses (as derived by factor analysis) were shown in logistic regression analysis to predict hospitalization for RSV infection by comparison with the healthy controls (odds ratio 2.29, 95% CI 1.21 to 4.33). We suggest that RSV does not induce asthma but inborn features of immunity affect the severity of RSV infection and the postinfectious development of asthma.

This work discusses the detection of latent variables, which create indices of economic freedom. Firstly, we present the most well-known indices of economic freedom (IEF, EFW). Secondly, this work discusses multivariate statistical method - factor analysis, which we use to detect latent variables. We show different methods of estimates in factor analysis and we focus on principal factor method. Furthermore, we compare already defined methods by analysing the structure of EFW index. According to estimated models, we interpret detected latent variables. We use statistical software SPSS and R for factor analysis of EFW index.

Executive functioning skills are paramount to our ability to purposefully and successfully mediate our actions within our day-to-day environment. Dysfunction of the executive system can result in a multitude of behavioral manifestations in all stages of life. Increasing evidence supports the use of rating scales to obtain a more comprehensive and ecologically valid understanding of an individual’s executive functioning. The current thesis involves two articles examining the use of behavioral rating scales in the assessment of executive functions. Study 1: In response to a recent proliferation of executive functions rating scales, this article reviews and discusses currently available scales for the assessment of executive functions across the lifespan. Study 2: This study derived an executive functions screener from the Behavioral Assessment System for Children (BASC-2-SRP-COL) for use in young adults and evaluated it against a well-known executive function rating scale (the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult Version). / Graduate / 0622 / 0632 / eduggan@uvic.ca

Magister Artium - MA / Backpacker tourism is a niche market of tourism that has been rapidly growing, South Africa in particular has become an increasingly popular destination for backpacker tourism (Visser 2004). Academic interest in backpacker tourism research has grown in recent years, although the current literature on backpacker tourism has focused on the economic significance and impacts with little empirical research conducted on the characteristics, motivations and behaviors. Cohen (2003) stresses that future research should stop referring to backpacking as if it were a homogeneous phenomenon, and should rather focus on its diverse manifestations in terms of origins, age, gender, class, nationality and cultural backgrounds of backpackers. Since backpacker tourism is a growing market it is important for the destination to understand the specifics and capabilities of the market in order to create sustainable products. The main aim of this research is to segment the backpacker tourism market in South Africa, in order to ascertain if any significant sub-groups exist. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were utilised to collect data including a distribution of 202 questionnaire surveys to backpackers within backpacker hostels and also participant observation was employed to gain an in-depth understanding of the phenomena. Factor and cluster analysis was used to analyse the data. The following motive-based segments were identified: Self-developers/ Learners, Experience Seekers, Escapers/ Independence, Adventures/ Social Seekers. The results revealed that these segments do illustrate an increase in the heterogeneity of backpacker tourism. The reason these sub-groups of backpackers are depicted in South Africa is to address the underlying desires of backpackers in order to satisfy their needs.

Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych) / The construct of subjective well-being within child well-being and quality of life research has become increasingly prominent in recent years. Central to such developments is the question of to what extent children’s subjective experiences of well-being can be compared cross-culturally. Given the paucity of empirical research on the topic of cross-cultural comparisons, the importance of validating current measures of subjective well-being has been emphasized by many researchers as critical in contributing to the international dialogue. The aim of the current study was to test a measure of subjective well-being (the Personal Well-being Index – School Children) amongst a sample of children from Cape Town, Western Cape Province, South Africa. Given the diversity of experience between children from different language groups in South Africa, the study further aimed to determine the extent to which the measures are comparable across two language groups (Afrikaans and English). Data from the Children’s World Survey were used; and include a sample of 1004 children randomly selected from 15 schools within the Cape Town Metropole. Located within the goodness of fit theoretical framework, confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the overall fit structure and multi-group factor analysis, with Scalar and Metric invariance constraints. The results show appropriate fit structure for the overall model, with Scalar and Metric factor invariance tenable across language groups. The overall findings suggest that the Personal Well-being Index – School Children is appropriate for use with English and Afrikaans children in Western Cape Province, South Africa, and that scores between these groups can be compared by regressions, correlations, and means.

South Florida continues to become increasingly developed and urbanized. My exploratory study examines connections between land use and water quality. The main objectives of the project were to develop an understanding of how land use has affected water quality in Miami-Dade canals, and an economic optimization model to estimate the costs of best management practices necessary to improve water quality. Results indicate Miami-Dade County land use and water quality are correlated. Through statistical factor and cluster analysis, it is apparent that agricultural areas are associated with higher concentrations of nitrogen, while urban areas commonly have higher levels of phosphorous than agricultural areas. The economic optimization model shows that urban areas can improve water quality by lowering fertilizer inputs. Agricultural areas can also implement methods to improve water quality although it may be more expensive than urban areas. It is important to keep solutions in mind when looking towards future water quality improvements in South Florida.

Math anxiety levels and performance outcomes were compared for bilingual and monolingual community college Intermediate Algebra students attending a culturally diverse urban commuter college. Participants (N = 618, 250 men, 368 women; 361 monolingual, 257 bilingual) completed the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS) and a demographics instrument. Bilingual and monolingual students reported comparable mean AMAS scores (20.6 and 20.7, respectively) and comparable proportions of math anxious individuals (50% and 48%, respectively). Factor analysis of AMAS scores, using principal component analysis by varimax rotation, yielded similar two-factor structures for both populations -- assessment and learning content -- accounting for 65.6% of the trace for bilingual AMAS scores. Statistically significant predictor variables for levels of math anxiety for the bilingual participants included (a) preparatory course enrollment (β = .236, p = .041) with those enrolled in prior preparatory courses scoring higher, (b) education major (β = .285, p = .018) with education majors scoring higher, and (c) business major (β = .252, p = .032) with business majors scoring higher. One statistically significant predictor variable emerged for monolingual students, gender (β = -.085, p = .001) with females ranking higher. Age, income, race, ethnicity, U.S. origin, science or health science majors did not emerge as statistically significant predictor variables for either group. Similarities between monolingual and bilingual participants included statistically significant negative linear correlations between AMAS scores and course grades for both bilingual (r = -.178, p = .017) and monolingual participants (r = -.203, p = .001). Differences included a statistically significant linear correlation between AMAS scores and final exam grades for monolingual participants only (r = -.253, p < .0009) despite no statistically significant difference in the strength the linear relationship of the AMAS scores and the final exam scores between groups, z = 1.35, p = .1756. The findings show that bilingual and monolingual students report math anxiety similarly and that math anxiety has similar associations with performance measures, despite differences between predictor variables. One of the first studies on the math anxiety of bilingual community college students, the results suggest recommendations for researchers and practitioners.

In the James Bay Lowlands of northern Ontario, kimberlite pipes are concealed by peat, thick layers of till, and Tyrell sea sediments. Studies have shown that buried ore bodies produce geochemical signatures in surface media. This thesis explores the geochemistry of near-surface groundwater above concealed kimberlite pipes using factor analysis to determine whether (1) a factor analysis can reveal an underlying structure (factors) in a multivariate groundwater geochemical dataset, and whether (2) those factors are related to the presence of concealed kimberlite. Factor analysis was performed on two datasets of nearsurface groundwater, collected at 0.2 m and 1.1 m below ground surface in peat. Results revealed that (1) there is a significant difference in the behaviour of elements in groundwater near the surface compared to those in deeper groundwater, which is sheltered from the effects of the atmosphere; (2) for both datasets, the first factor is dominated by elements known to be enriched in kimberlite, notably rare earth elements (REE), U, Th, Ti – the composition of factor one is consistent with their derivation from kimberlite in a limestone background where such elements are in very low concentration; (3) high-valence and lowvalence kimberlite indicator elements (KIE) are found separated into distinct factors suggesting that once released from the kimberlite after weathering, KIE are subjected to various geochemical processes to be differentiated as they migrate upward to the surface; and (4) Fe and Mn load on a factor distinct from other metals, suggesting that in this environment Fe-Mn-O-OH is not a significant controller of metal mobility in groundwater. Overall, this research has further highlighted the multivariate nature of geochemical processes in groundwater. Compared with previous work in geochemical exploration where often only univariate or bivariate statistics or single element profiles over concealed ore bodies were used, this thesis has shown that factor analysis, as a multivariate data analysis technique, is a robust exploration tool, able to shed light on relevant geochemical processes hidden within geochemical datasets. This thesis shows that high-valence KIE, notably U,V, Th, Ti and the REE, as a group, are better indicators of the presence of kimberlites than other well-known KIE. Single element concentration profiles such as Ni or Cr (known KIE) show similar anomalies over a concealed kimberlite as a factor score profile for factor one (U, V, Th, Ti, REE, Ni) would; however, it is the peculiar assemblage of elements in factor one that makes it unique to kimberlites, a feature that can be used in future exploration work for concealed kimberlites in similar surficial environments, such as the Siberian wetlands. The results suggest that future geochemical exploration work involving groundwater should focus on the more stable groundwater located below the zone of oxidation, sheltered from the effects of the atmosphere.