Bruce B. Frey

The Spirituality Index of Well-Being: A New Instrument for Health-Related Quality-of-Life Research

PURPOSE Despite considerable interest in examining spirituality in health-related quality-of-life studies, there is a paucity of instruments that measure this construct. The objective of this study was to test a valid and reliable measure of spirituality that would be useful in patient populations. METHODS We conducted a multisite, cross-sectional survey using systematic sampling of adult outpatients at primary care clinic sites in the Kansas City metropolitan area (N = 523). We determined the instrument reliability (Cronbach’s α, test-retest) and validity (confirmatory factor analysis, convergent and discriminant validation) of the Spirituality Index of Well-Being (SIWB). RESULTS The SIWB contains 12 items: 6 from a self-efficacy domain and 6 from a life scheme domain. Confirmatory factor analysis found the following fit indices: χ2 (54, n = 508) = 508.35, P <.001; Comparative Fit Index = .98; Tucker-Lewis Index = .97; root mean square error of approximation = .13. The index had the following reliability results: for the self-efficacy subscale, α = .86 and test-retest r = 0.77; for the life scheme subscale, α = .89 and test-retest r = 0.86; and for the total scale α = .91 and test-retest r = 0.79, showing very good reliability. The SIWB had significant and expected correlations with other quality-of-life instruments that measure well-being or spirituality: Zung Depression Scale (r = 0–.42, P <.001), General Well-Being Scale (r = 0.64, P <.001), and Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWB) (r = 0.62, P <.001). There was a modest correlation between the religious well-being subscale of the SWB and the SIWB (r = 0.35, P <.001). CONCLUSIONS The Spirituality Index of Well-Being is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used in health-related quality-of-life studies.

Spirituality and well-being: an exploratory study of the patient perspective

Spirituality has become a construct of interest in American health care: however, there remains a limited understanding of how patients themselves describe spirituality and view its impact on their health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe elements of patient-reported, health-related spirituality. A qualitative study utilized focus group interviews of 17 women with type 2 diabetes mellitus and 18 women with no self-identified illness. Purposeful sampling of participants who had prior experiences in healthcare settings, with or without a chronic illness, guided the sampling strategy. Editing analysis of the interview transcripts were coded into conceptual categories. Participant narratives were grouped into eight general categories: (1) change in functional status, (2) core beliefs, (3) medical/disease state information gathering and processing, (4) interpretation and understanding, (5) life scheme, (6) positive intentionality, (7) agency, and (8) subjective well-being. A change in functional status was the catalyst for two process-oriented categories; medical/disease state information gathering and processing, and the higher-order interpretation and understanding, or meaning making of life events. Core beliefs were sources that grounded and maintained an interpretative structure through which participants viewed their life events and positively framed their experiences. Life scheme described a heuristic framework through which all life events were viewed. Positive intentionality was participant belief in the capacity to execute a specific action that was required for a desired outcome. Participants tied the attitudes and practices of positive intentionality with agency, or the use or exertion of power through belief, practice, or community. Participants outlined both a positive affective and cognitive component of subjective well-being. Patients describe several interrelated elements and a process of events in their depiction of spirituality in healthcare settings. Patient-reported spirituality is predominantly a cognitive construct incorporating the domains of life scheme and positive intentionality.

Measuring Collaboration among Grant Partners.

Collaboration is a prerequisite for the sustainability of interagency programs, particularly those programs initially created with the support of time-limited grant-funding sources. From the perspective of evaluators, however, assessing collaboration among grant partners is often difficult. It is also challenging to present collaboration data to stakeholders in a way that is meaningful. In this article, the authors introduce the Levels of Collaboration Scale, which was developed from existing models and instruments. The authors extend prior work on measuring collaboration by exploring the reliability of the scale and developing a format for visually displaying the results obtained from using the scale.

A Multistate Survey of Special Education Teachers' Perceptions of Their Transition Competencies

Adult outcomes for students with disabilities continue to remain below their peers without disabilities, and such poor postsecondary outcomes may be due to special education teachers who are unprepared to plan and deliver effective transition services. This study examined the perceptions of 557 middle and high school special education teachers from 31 states. A transition competencies survey was developed to collect data on teacher demographic variables as well as ratings of their levels of proficiency in (a) preparation to plan and deliver transition services, (b) satisfaction with transition training, and the (c) frequency with which they deliver specific competencies. Implications for including transition content in both special education personnel preparation programs and professional development opportunities for teachers of transition-aged youth are discussed.

A Preliminary Investigation of the Relationship of Transition Preparation and Self-Determination for Students With Disabilities in Postsecondary Educational Settings

This study examined the relationship between high school transition preparation (school and family based) and self-determination among postsecondary students with disabilities. Seventy-six participants from 4-year universities completed a two-part online survey. The first part of the survey measured three dependent variables: psychological empowerment, hope, and locus of control. The second part measured the independent variable quality of high school transition preparation. Correlational analyses were conducted between the quality of a student’s high school transition preparation and perceived self-determination (i.e., psychological empowerment, hope, and locus of control). Although significant correlations existed among the scales used to measure self-determination, the relationships between high school preparation and the role of families and self-determination was of interest.

Measuring a Dimension of Spirituality for Health Research: Validity of the Spirituality Index of Well-Being

Health-related studies of spirituality are threatened by the lack of conceptual distinctions between religion and spirituality, the use of small, nongeneralizable samples, and by measurement error in many instruments that unreliably and invalidly capture this domain. The authors review the construct and validity evidence for the Spirituality Index of Well-Being (SIWB), an instrument designed to measure a dimension of spirituality linked to subjective well-being in patient populations. The SIWB was developed using qualitative research methods and subsequently conceptualized with two dimensions; self-efficacy and life scheme. Primary psychometric data from three sample populations are reviewed and summarized. A secondary, confirmatory factor analysis, using pooled data from all samples, supports the theoretical two-factor structure. In addition, SIWB scores correlate more strongly with established measures of well-being than the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWB) or other recognized religiosity instruments. The SIWB is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used in health-related studies.

Balanced Literacy in an Urban School District

Balanced literacy is a philosophical orientation that assumes that reading and writing achievement are developed through instruction and support in multiple environments in which teachers use various approaches that differ by level of teacher support and child control. The authors describe 1 urban school districts real-world attempt to create a balance between reading and writing, between teacher-directed and student-centered activities, and between skills-based and meaning-based approaches to literacy instruction. To measure balanced literacy components, the authors used a triangulation strategy with multiple methods of data collection that included classroom observations, inventories of physical environments of classrooms and school buildings, teacher surveys, and student interviews. Results suggest that teacher-directed instruction, a fundamental aspect of balanced literacy, was implemented less often than either independent reading or writing activities. Teachers appeared to allocate instructional time as directed by district administrators, and they implemented components of a balanced literacy program. In addition, most school buildings had a physical environment that supported balanced literacy. However, the amount of time devoted to instruction and modeling effective reading and writing strategies seemed too limited for a group of students with poorly developed reading and writing skills.

Coming to Terms with Classroom Assessment.

As the field of education moves forward in the area of assessment, researchers have yet to come to a conclusion about definitions of commonly used terms. Without a consensus on the use of fundamental terms, it is difficult to engage in meaningful discourse within the field of assessment, as well as to conduct research on and communicate about best assessment practices. For this article, we reviewed journal articles, position papers, thought pieces, and classroom assessment textbooks, focusing on the definitions of the terms performance assessment, authentic assessment, and formative assessment. We provide a summary of the literal definitions provided and the components, format, and intentions of each type of assessment. In addition, we underscore the important distinctions made by researchers in the field between performance assessment and authentic assessment. Some researchers suggest performance assessment and authentic assessment are synonymous, and others view performance assessment as a component of authentic assessment. Understanding authentic and performance assessments is important to have a sound theoretical basis for decisions made within the classroom. The purpose and benefits of formative assessment represent another area of discussion within the field of assessment. Formative assessment may be used solely to inform the teacher, or it may be used as a powerful means of providing feedback to students, allowing students to alter their strategies to improve learning. We emphasize important distinctions between the formation of learning and the formation of behaviors or strategies that promote learning. Finally, to avoid confusion, classroom assessment should be classified based on the assessments intended purpose.

Heuristic Training and Performance in Elementary Mathematical Problem Solving

Abstract The processes of understanding and solving word problems proceed through the phases of problem translation, problem interpretation, solution planning, solution execution, and solution monitoring. The authors developed a heuristic strategy (SOLVED) to explain these phases in language appropriate to third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade students. Children were trained over several lessons to use it to solve different types of mathematical problems. Results of 2 experiments involving 223 elementary students indicated that SOLVED was more effective in aiding both short-term and delayed problem solving than traditional problem-solving instruction. Accuracy in problem solving was significantly correlated with metacognitive processing. Third-grade students used SOLVED more rapidly and effectively than did older students, and no interaction of learning rate with ability or gender occurred.

Examining Our Foundations: Implications for Gifted Education Research.

Robert Albert examined key conceptual shifts in the pertinent professional literature language over the first part of the 20th century in his 1969 American Psychologist article, “Genius: Present‐Day Status of the Concept and Its Implications for the Study of Creativity and Giftedness. “ His findings indicated profound changes in pertinent terminology in the professional knowledge base after 1945 from an emphasis on concepts such as genius, eminence, fame, and distinction to giftedness, talent, and creativity. The goal of the current project was to investigate empirically changes in conceptions of exceptional ability and performance, as reflected in the professional literature published since 1969. Over 28,000 articles were culled from three data bases: Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC), PsycINFO and Exceptional Children Educational Resources (ECER). Conceptual themes and types of research were analyzed for a sample of the articles, drawn from the midpoint year of each decade. Significant results include: an increase in the number of articles relating to creativity; a rise in the number of practice‐oriented articles; and a small but steady increase in the number of articles employing qualitative research methods. Articles were also analyzed for evidence of a “paradigm shift” also discussed in the literature; however, the paradigm shift was not significantly reflected in practice. Implications are addressed relative to the conceptual trends in the literature and qualities of the knowledge base.