The purpose of this study was to investigate the construct validity of key concepts from three prominent instruments in the family therapy field (FACES III, SFI, and FES). Through analysis of the shared variance between the items and scales which make up these instruments the convergent and divergent validity of these measures was established. Specific objectives included the assessment of (1) psychometric properties of these instruments, (2) the relative importance of the different theoretical constructs (operationalized in the scales), (3) a higher order variable working throughout each construct. / Three hundred thirty-two college students participated in this study. Each subject filled out a packet containing a demographic questionnaire and each of the three instruments. The findings were analyzed through a variety of methods. Reliabilities and factor analyses were calculated for each scale within each instrument. The instruments were then combined and additional factor analyses were run on both the item and scale level. Pearson Product Correlations were calculated between each scale as well. Finally a LISREL analysis was attempted for each instrument. / The findings of this study revealed a sense of belonging as the primary dimension from which these subjects viewed their family. The dimensions of Organization, Intellectual-Cultural Orientation, and Moral-Religious Emphasis fell out as well. While several scales of the SFI and FES loaded on this central dimension, many of the dimensions researchers believed to be important to family functioning were not discerned by these family members. Thus a single higher order construct operating throughout all the scales was not found. Questions regarding the utility of these instruments were raised and implications for future research were made. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-12, Section: B, page: 5565. / Major Professor: Mary Hicks. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_77916 |
| Contributors | Zoda, Michael F., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 144 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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