In 2012, more than 25 million U.S. employees voluntarily terminated their employment with their respective organizations. Demographic characteristics of age, education, gender, income, and length of tenure are significant factors in employee turnover intentions. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship existed between age, education, gender, income, length of tenure, and employee turnover intention among full-time employees in Texas. The population consisted of Survey Monkey-® Audience members who were full-time employees, residents of Texas, over the age of 18, not self-employed, and not limited to a specific employment industry. For this study, a sample of 187 Survey Monkey-® Audience members completed the electronic survey. Through the proximal similarity model, the results of this study are generalizable to the United States. The human capital theory was the theoretical framework. The results of the multiple regression analysis indicated a significant relationship between age, income, and turnover intentions; however, the relationship between education, gender, and length of tenure was not statistically significant. As the Baby Boomer cohort prepares to transition into retirement, organizational leaders must develop retention strategies to retain Millennial employees. To reduce turnover intentions, organizational leaders should use pay-for-performance initiatives to reward top performers with additional pay and incentives. The social implications of these findings may reduce turnover, which may reduce employee stress, encourage family well-being, and increase participation in civic and social events.

L'évaluation d'un objet est intrinsèquement liée à la définition que l'on pose de celui-ci. Si à un certain niveau de généralité, ce qu'est comprendre un texte semble aller de soi, une recension des travaux en psychologie cognitive, du développement, en didactique, en sociolinguistique, montre au contraire le caractère polymorphe de cet objet qu'on peine à définir. Dès lors, comment évaluer ce que l'on peine à circonscrire, même par exclusion ? Toujours dans le but de cerner ce qu'on entend par compréhension, nous avons mené quatre enquêtes. La première repose sur des entretiens avec des enseignants autour d'une épreuve (texte + questions), en vue de décrire leur manière de se représenter la compréhension et ses difficultés. La deuxième, centrée sur l'analyse des questions repose sur la constitution et une première analyse d'un corpus d'environ 200 questions proposées lors d'évaluations nationales sur la compréhension de textes narratifs. Analyser les questions ne pouvant se faire sans prendre en compte l'activité de réponse, nous avons proposé ensuite deux expériences. La première procède d'une sorte de raisonnement par « l'absurde »: peut-on répondre à des questionnaires de compréhension sans le texte y afférant ? La seconde a pour but de cerner les spécificités des épreuves, en proposant aux mêmes élèves quatre tâches (rappel, reconnaissance, jugement d'importance et QCM) sur deux textes différents. Ces analyses convergent pour montrer que chaque tâche donne un portrait différent de la compréhension et que l'on passe parfois rapidement d'une compréhension d'un texte à la compréhension de textes. / The evaluation of an object is intrinsically linked to the way one defines it. In seeking to define narrative texts comprehension, we have educed multiple facets of this process: cognitiv psychology, psychology of development, didactics, sociolinguistics, which each in their way clarifies an aspect of texts comprehension. This being the case, how can an object so polymorphous be evaluated? To properly understand the functioning of MCQs, the most common method for evaluating texts comprehension, we have undertaken four separate investigations. The first was based on interviews with teachers about a given examination (text plus questions), with the aim of being able to formulate how one depicts texts comprehension and its difficulties. The second investigation, centered on the analysis of questions, was based on the constitution of a corpus of about 200 questions used in nationwide tests of narrative texts comprehension , and a first-level analysis. Analyzing questions necessitates taking into consideration the activity of replying to questions, so we developed two further experiments. The first proceeded from a sort of "reasoning by the absurd": can one reply to questions without cognizance of the corresponding text? The second aimed to identify the specificities of tests, by proposing to the same students four tasks (recall, recognition, relative importance judgments and QMCs) for two different texts. These analyses converge to demonstrate that each kind of task generates a specific profile view of texts comprehension, and that sometimes one passes rapidly from the comprehension of a given text to the general texts comprehension reading competencies.

As part of test score validity, differential item functioning (DIF) is a quantitative characteristic used to evaluate potential item bias. In applications where a small number of examinees take a test, statistical power of DIF detection methods may be affected. Researchers have proposed modifications to DIF detection methods to account for small focal group examinee sizes for the case when items are dichotomously scored. These methods, however, have not been applied to polytomously scored items. Simulated polytomous item response strings were used to study the Type I error rates and statistical power of three popular DIF detection methods (Mantel test/Cox's β, Liu-Agresti statistic, HW3) and three modifications proposed for contingency tables (empirical Bayesian, randomization, log-linear smoothing). The simulation considered two small sample size conditions, the case with 40 reference group and 40 focal group examinees and the case with 400 reference group and 40 focal group examinees. In order to compare statistical power rates, it was necessary to calculate the Type I error rates for the DIF detection methods and their modifications. Under most simulation conditions, the unmodified, randomization-based, and log-linear smoothing-based Mantel and Liu-Agresti tests yielded Type I error rates around 5%. The HW3 statistic was found to yield higher Type I error rates than expected for the 40 reference group examinees case, rendering power calculations for these cases meaningless. Results from the simulation suggested that the unmodified Mantel and Liu-Agresti tests yielded the highest statistical power rates for the pervasive-constant and pervasive-convergent patterns of DIF, as compared to other DIF method alternatives. Power rates improved by several percentage points if log-linear smoothing methods were applied to the contingency tables prior to using the Mantel or Liu-Agresti tests. Power rates did not improve if Bayesian methods or randomization tests were applied to the contingency tables prior to using the Mantel or Liu-Agresti tests. ANOVA tests showed that statistical power was higher when 400 reference examinees were used versus 40 reference examinees, when impact was present among examinees versus when impact was not present, and when the studied item was excluded from the anchor test versus when the studied item was included in the anchor test. Statistical power rates were generally too low to merit practical use of these methods in isolation, at least under the conditions of this study.

This study investigated the efficacy of multiple indicators, multiple causes (MIMIC) methods in detecting uniform and nonuniform differential item functioning (DIF) among multiple groups, where the underlying causes of DIF was different. Three different implementations of MIMIC DIF detection were studied: sequential free baseline, free baseline, and constrained baseline. In addition, the robustness of the MIMIC methods against the violation of its assumption, equal factor variance across comparison groups, was investigated. We found that the sequential-free baseline methods provided similar Type I error and power rates to the free baseline method with a designated anchor, and much better Type I error and power rates than the constrained baseline method across four groups, resulting from the co-occurrence background variables. But, when the equal factor variance assumption was violated, the MIMIC methods yielded the inflated Type I error. Also, the MIMIC procedure had problems correctly identifying the sources DIF, so further methodological developments are needed.

<p><p>Warehouses are a key aspect of modern supply chains and play a vital role in the success or failure of businesses today. Figures from the USA indicate that the capital- and operating costs of warehouses represent about 22 % of a company’s logistics costs while figures from Europe indicate 25 % (Baker & Canessa, 2009). Because warehousing is such an important function within a company, the authors chose to focus on this in their thesis. The purpose of this thesis has been to examine the significance of a Warehouse Management System (WMS) and item identification with attention to logistic efficiency. With this as a starting point, the thesis also intends to examine the needs and possibilities with a WMS and some sort of item identification at a specific company and also present suggestions of how to move forward with this type of work.</p></p>

The purpose of this current study was to examine the influence of cardiovascular health knowledge on dietary and physical activity changes in 15-17 year olds with elevated blood pressure. The sample consisted of 167 adolescents randomized into one of three treatment conditions (minimal, moderate, or intense). Each adolescent completed a fitness test (peak VO2), 24-hour dietary recall, 7 Day Activity Recall (kilocalories expended per day), Self-efficacy Questionnaire, and Stages of Change Questionnaire every three months. The Health Knowledge Assessment was given at baseline and at post-intervention. Classical test theory, confirmatory factor analysis, and item response theory frameworks were applied to examine psychometric properties of the Health Knowledge Assessment. Structural equation modeling was used to examine the change in health behaviors and the relationship with health knowledge, self-efficacy, and readiness for change. The 34-item Health Knowledge Assessment had good internal consistency and the items loaded onto a single factor at pretest and posttest. Furthermore, there was a good distribution of easy, moderate, and hard items at pretest, but additional hard items were needed at posttest. There were no treatment condition differences in level of health knowledge at pretest. The intense condition had significantly higher health knowledge than the minimal and moderate conditions at posttest; level of health knowledge for the moderate condition was significantly higher than the minimal condition at posttest. Level of nutrition knowledge at posttest was not associated with any of the dietary intake variables nor was level of exercise knowledge associated with the two physical activity variables at post-intervention. However, there was a marginally significant association between level of nutrition knowledge and nutrition self-efficacy at posttest. Nutrition self-efficacy and nutrition readiness for change at posttest were also associated with a decrease in sugar consumption at post-intervention. Implications of this study suggest that a cardiovascular health intervention for adolescents with elevated blood pressure, consisting of group sessions and/or individual sessions over the course of three to six months, was effective in terms of increasing cardiovascular health knowledge, self-efficacy, and readiness for change. Nonetheless, the role that health knowledge plays in health behavior change needs to be further examined.

The Primary Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PC-PTSD) screen (Prins et al., 2003) is used by the Department of Defense to identify military members who are at increased risk of PTSD. This screen has been offered to all returning deployers since 2005. However, validation studies of PC-PTSD scores from military samples have seldom employed a significant number of female subjects and no published studies have examined it for gender bias. Ruling out bias is important because routine under-identification of PTSD risk in any group could result in hindered access to needed assessment and/or care. With the current proportion of military females historically high (Women’s Research & Education Institute, 2007), it is imperative that the PC-PTSD be analyzed to ensure measurement equivalence across gender. Using a large sample of male and female veterans returning from deployment, the validity of the PC-PTSD scores was first examined by conducting a differential item functioning (DIF) analysis across male and female subgroups. Then, using a clinical diagnosis as the criterion, both logistic regression and diagnostic likelihood ratio methods were employed to assess for differential predictive validity by gender. Finally, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine convergent and divergent validity in a two-factor model containing both PC-PTSD and depression screen responses. Results revealed no statistically significant gender-related DIF or differential prediction of PTSD by PC-PTSD scores. Good convergent and divergent validity were also observed in the CFA analysis. The results generally supported the continued use of the PC-PTSD with both male and female military veterans returning from deployment. Limitations of the study and recommendations for future research were discussed.

This paper presents the results of a production experiment on the intonation of sentences containing a negative polarity item (NPI) in Tokyo Japanese. The results show that NPI sentences exhibit a focus intonation: the F₀-peak of the word to which an NPI is attached is raised, while the pitch contour after the NPI-attached word is compressed until the negation. This intonation pattern is parallel to that of wh-question, in which the F₀ of the wh-phrase is raised while the post-wh-contour is compressed until the question particle.

With the dramatic growth of the Internet, it is much easier for us to acquire information than before. It is, however, relatively difficult to extract desired information through the huge information pool. One method is to rely on the search engines by analyzing the queried keywords to locate the relevant information. The other one is to recommend users what they may be interested in via recommender systems that analyze the users¡¦ past preferences or other users with similar interests to lessen our information processing loadings. Typical recommendation techniques are classified into content-based filtering technique and collaborative filtering (CF) technique. Several research works in literature have indicated that the performance of collaborative filtering is superior to that of content-based filtering in that it is subject to neither the content format nor users¡¦ past experiences. The collaborative filtering technique, however, has its own limitation of the sparsity problem. To relieve such a problem, researchers proposed several CF-typed variants, including item-based CF and trust-based CF. Few works in literature, however, focus on their performance comparison. The objective of this research is thus to evaluate both approaches under different settings such as the sparsity degrees, data scales, and number of neighbors to make recommendations. We conducted two experiments to examine their performance. The results show that trust-based CF is generally better than item-based CF in sparsity problem. Their difference, however, becomes insignificant with the sparsity decreasing. In addition, the computational time for trust-based CF increases more quickly than that for item-based CF, even though both exhibit exponential growths. Finally, the optimal number of nearest neighbors in both approaches does not heavily depend on the data scale but displays steady robustness.

College admission tests are of great importance for admissions systems in general and for candidates in particular. The SweSAT (Högskoleprovet in Swedish) has been used for college admission in Sweden for more than 30 years, and today it is alongside with the upper-secondary school GPA the most widely used instrument for selection of college applicants. Because of the importance that is placed on the SweSAT, it is essential that the scores are reliable and that the interpretations and uses of the scores are valid. The main purpose of this thesis was therefore to examine some assumptions that are of importance for the validity of the interpretation and use of SweSAT scores. The argument-based approach to validation was used as the framework for the evaluation of these assumptions.The thesis consists of four papers and an extensive introduction with summaries of the papers. The first three papers examine assumptions that are relevant for the use of SweSAT scores for admission decisions, while the fourth paper examines an assumption that is relevant for the use of SweSAT scores for providing diagnostic information. The first paper is a review of predictive validity studies that have been performed on the SweSAT. The general conclusion from the review is that the predictive validity of SweSAT scores varies greatly among study programs, and that there are many problematic issues related to the methodology of the predictive validity studies. The second paper focuses on an assumption underlying the current SweSAT equating design, namely that the groups taking different forms of the test have equal abilities. The results show that this assumption is highly problematic, and consequently a more appropriate equating design should be applied when equating SweSAT scores. The third paper examines the effect of textual item revisions on item statistics and preequating outcomes, using data from the SweSAT data sufficiency subtest. The results show that most kinds of revisions have a significant effect on both p-values and point-biserial correlations, and as a consequence the preequating outcomes are affected negatively. The fourth paper examines whether there is added value in reporting subtest scores rather than just the total score to the test-takers. Using a method derived from classical test theory, the results show that all observed subscores are better predictors of the true subscores than is the observed total score, with the exception of the Swedish reading comprehension subtest. That is, the subscores contain information that the test-takers can use for remedial studies and hence there is added value in reporting the subscores. The general conclusion from the thesis as a whole is that the interpretations and use of SweSAT scores are based on several questionable assumptions, but also that the interpretations and uses are supported by a great deal of validity evidence.