The advent of the Internet in personnel selection has brought with it many opportunities, challenges and concerns. The opportunities afforded to the employer include, among others, increased security, a reduction in the resources needed, reduced geographical constraints, reduced time to hire, immediate scoring and a lowering of costs. Owing to these benefits, the use of the Internet for psychological testing will continue to become more prevalent in personnel selection over the next few years. The use and acceptance of the Internet has encouraged organisations and assessment practitioners to make use of Internet-delivered testing as the preferred mode of administration, especially in view of the benefits that it offers to the employer, as well as to the candidate. Internet-delivered testing brings with it a few concerns and many organisations are still making use of the paper-and-pencil version of an instrument even though it is available in an online version. This is because of concerns over measurement equivalence, as the paper-and-pencil version is seen as a “safer” and more accepted mode of administration. There are also many test publishers that would like to take advantage of the practicability of Internet-delivered testing by converting their current selection procedures to an Internet format. This conversion cannot simply be assumed and needs to be examined and documented for each instrument. The primary purpose of this study is to determine the construct equivalence of the Customer Contact Styles Questionnaire (CCSQ7.2) when it is administered via paper-and-pencil in the presence of a proctor and when it is administered online in the absence of a proctor. The aim is to determine whether the online version of the CCSQ7.2 can be considered equivalent to its paper-and-pencil counterpart without loss of psychometric property. The results of the study revealed that the mode in which the CCSQ7.2 is administered does not compromise scale reliabilities and that the relationship between scales of the CCSQ7.2 are not affected by modes of administration. It can thus be said with confidence that the online version of the CCSQ7.2 can be considered equivalent to its paper-and-pencil counterpart without loss of psychometric property. Copyright / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

This study examined the associations among personality, identity style, and fundamentalism. The initial sample included 808 students from 2 state universities (in the upper Midwest and Southeast United States). Of those students, 440 students self-identified as Protestant and were included. Testing mediation effects of identity styles on the relationship between personality and fundamentalism revealed only moderate direct effects between personality and fundamentalism, but 4 distinct patterns of indirect effects supporting the process-oriented model proposed by Duriez and colleagues. Results are discussed in terms of similarities and differences with other studies, with implications for future research outlined.

Kirton's adaption-innovation theory suggests adaptors and innovators have different approaches to decision-making. The relationship between thinking styles in conjunction with decriminalization has not been investigated thoroughly, and this study addressed the relationship based on thinking styles and 6 demographics (race, age, gender, religion, education, and geographical location). The main research question examined whether innovators and adaptors have different attitudes about decriminalization. The hypotheses were tested with: (a) t tests to compare responses, (b) analysis of variance for comparing multiple groups and investigating moderator effects, and (c) correlation tests to determine whether Kirton's adaption-innovation inventory scores are associated with decriminalization attitudes. A correlational research design and 4 research questions were used to understand the relationships utilizing 123 participants. Results found that innovators are more open to the support of drug use and prostitution decriminalization while adaptors perceived danger and social threat of this step. Out of 6 variables analyzed, 3 (age, gender, and religion) significantly moderated the relationships between adaptor and innovator attitudes to decriminalization of prostitution, drug use, and drug possession. Race, education, and geographical location were found to be insignificant factors. The body of work is important, as there is a lack of empirical data on how thinking styles may affect people's perceptions of the legal status of certain activities. The findings of this study are relevant to the process of developing legal policies through legislative actions, as public opinions are considered for specific policy issues. More importantly, it highlights that people's perceptions regarding ambiguous social issues are complex and formed under the influence of numerous factors.

Educational research has shown that student learning styles, and educators' consideration of learning styles, significantly influence the academic success of adult learners. This project study was designed to identify the perceptions and attitudes of nursing faculty concerning student learning styles and consideration of student learning styles in their praxis. The study was guided by Malcolm Knowles' theory of andragogy, and investigated nursing educators' knowledge about learning styles and course delivery with regards to students with different learning styles. It used a descriptive multiple case study approach and collected data among nursing educators using the Principles of Adult Learning Survey (PALS) (n = 9), teacher interviews (n = 9), and classroom observations (n = 6). The qualitative interview data were analyzed using the constant comparative method, and the PALS and observational data were analyzed using descriptive quantitative methods. The results indicated deficiencies in nursing instructors' knowledge of student learning styles and in nursing instructors' learning style-driven course delivery. Respondents notably cited time limitations, class size, and student resistance as barriers in implementing teaching strategies to address learning style differences. A notable study outcome was developing a 3-day seminar for nursing educators focusing on the deficiencies and barriers identified in the study. Implementing this program may promote positive social change for both nursing educators and nursing students by addressing barriers to learning style-driven teaching methods and facilitating student learning style consideration in planning and delivering nursing education, promoting improved academic performance by nursing students.

This secondary analysis employed data trom portions of the Spanish and Engli sh versions of the RELATionship Evaluation inventory, a self-report questionnaire (RELATE) The present research analyzed conflict resolution types, communication styles, and relationship satisfaction and stability among Latino men and women compared to Caucasian men and women. Multiple linear regression analysis was used for analyzing the data. Communication styles and conflict resolution types were more different than similar among Latino males and females in predicting relationship satisfaction and relationship stability; however, they were more similar than di fferent among Caucasian males and females. The communication style of love was the only statistically significant predictor of relationship satisfaction that was common across gender and ethnicity in this study. Implications for the practice of marriage and family therapy and for research are discussed.

A predicted association between family relations and cognitive development and the emergence of adolescent egocentrism was explored in this study. A sample of seventh grade boys (n=131) and girls (n=120) completed Elkind and Bowen's Imaginary Audience Scale (a measure of egocentrism) and selected items from Heilbrun's Parent-Child Interaction Rating Scale and Schaefer's Parent-Behavior Inventory. A modified version of Lawson's Classroom Test of Formal Operations was used to measure cognitive development. Contrary to a theoretical based hypothesis a negative rather than positive relationship was found between level of formal operational thought egocentrism. For parenting style, perceived rejection/control and emotional support was associated with diminished egocentrism. Mixed results were found for perceived physical effect and egocentrism. Perceived parental withdrawal heightened egocentrism for both sexes. The data provide an alternative model to past cognitive development theory for the development of egocentrism. Parental socialization factors were found to contribute as much variance to the level of egocentrism as did level of formal operational thought.

Parental involvement practices in education have traditionally referred to overt forms of involvement such as attending school meetings, parent teacher conferences, and volunteering at the school. Research suggests that Latinx parents do not utilize these approaches as much as they do subtler practices. These practices are manifested in parents’ communication with their children, their parenting styles, and the academic expectations they place on their children. The current study intended to recognize the parental practices used by Latinx parents that contribute to educational attainment and combat fixed beliefs regarding their lack of involvement in their children’s education. The data collection was completed via Qualtrics panel and funded by the CEHS Graduate Student Research Award grant. The final sample consisted of 252 Latinx parents (age 18 or older) nationwide who had a child or children in kindergarten through sixth grades. Respondents reported being more involved in their children’s education than their parents. Each parenting variable was significantly associated with respondents’ academic outcomes with the exception of parental pressure. Results suggest intergenerational transmission of parenting practices regardless of acculturation level and support for a nuanced examination of predictors of academic achievement for Latinxs. Results also reflect vi Latinx parents’ involvement in their children’s education in meaningful ways. Parents’ level of acculturation played a role in the relationship between their self-reports and what they recalled about how they were parented. Specifically, the relationship between self-report and retrospective report of authoritarian parenting and parental pressure was strongest for respondents at the highest levels of Latinx acculturation and lowest at the lowest levels of Latinx acculturation. Overall, Latinx respondents appear to be following their parents’ parenting practices regardless of their level of acculturation, and these practices predict Latinxs’ educational attainment. Understanding how Latinx parents involve themselves in their children’s education debunks the myth that they are not involved and opens pathways to collaboration and support between these parents and the U.S. education system

Relationships between adolescents' perceptions of their parents' responsiveness and demandingness, adolescents' locus of control orientation, and adolescents' self-concept ratings were investigated. Subjects included 198 students from a middle school in northern Utah. Subjects were given the Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Control Scale for Children, the Harter Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents, and the Perceived Parenting Style Survey. Results indicated that subjects who perceived their parents as being authoritative had significantly (p < .001) more internal locus of control scores than subjects who reported either the permissive or authoritarian styles. Also, self-concept scores were significantly higher (p < .001) for the authoritative group than the authoritarian group on the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents subscales of Scholastic Competence, Social Acceptance, Physical Appearance, Behavioral Conduct, Close Friendship, and Global Self Worth. The permissive group reported significantly lower scores (p < .05) on the subscales of Scholastic Competence and Behavioral Conduct. There was also a significant negative correlation (p < .001) between locus of control scores and the subscale scores on the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents. Although there were some limitations in the study methodology, the significant differences found between the groups indicated that the authoritative parenting style positively correlates with higher self-concept and internal locus of control, while the authoritarian parenting style negatively correlates with self-concept and internal locus of control.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate observed parenting styles among Puerto Rican parents living in Puerto Rico. Participants included 51 families with a child between the ages of 6 and 11. Families engaged in different behavioral observational tasks. Observations were coded for parenting dimensions and family parenting styles in order to determine its relationship to child outcomes. The Parenting Styles Observation Rating Scale was used to code the observations and the Child Behavior Checklist was used to assess for behavioral problems. Overall, parents received high ratings on warmth, demandingness, and autonomy granting. Supportive demandingness was negatively associated with internalizing, externalizing, and total child problems. The majority of the sample was categorized as authoritative (68.6%), while 23.5% was categorized as “cold.” Authoritative parenting was significantly associated with lower child problems across the board in comparison to “cold” and permissive families. Limitations of the current study were considered. Lastly, the implications of the results and directions for future research in regards to Puerto Rican parenting for families living in Puerto Rico were discussed.

Teaching styles used by educators throughout the world are diverse and complex, resisting simple comparisons between large groups, such as countries. To allow easier comparisons, data from the Teaching and Learning International Study (TALIS 2013) were applied to construct a picture of an “ideal educator” in each of eight countries: Australia, The Czech Republic, France, Japan, Latvia, Mexico, Singapore, and The United States. Principles of social acceptance and teacher self-efficacy were applied to teachers in each country in order to construct this ideal educator paradigm: first testing for (and finding) correlation between social acceptance and teacher self-efficacy, and then finding educators who were above average in both social acceptance scores and teacher self-efficacy scores in order to separate out a group of elite teachers from the general sample. Both linear regression and comparisons of median scores were employed to examine differences between countries. Scores revealed that each country displayed a distinct mix of Grasha’s Teaching Styles allowing for a simple comparison of teaching styles between countries.