Harsha N. Perera

The Internal Structure of Responses to the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form: An Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling Approach.

Notwithstanding the wide use of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Short Form (TEIQue–SF) as a brief assessment of trait emotional intelligence (TEI), the psychometric properties of this measure have not been systematically examined. This article reports on research conducted to evaluate the latent structure underlying TEIQue–SF item data and test the gender invariance of scores as critical initial steps in determining the psychometric robustness of the inventory. In doing so, the article demonstrates an application of exploratory structural equation modeling as an alternative to the more restrictive independent clusters model of confirmatory factor analysis for examining factorially complex personality data. On the basis of 476 responses to the TEIQue–SF, evidence was obtained for the multidimensionality of the inventory reflected in a retained correlated traits solution. Tests of gender invariance revealed equivalence of item factor loadings, intercepts, uniquenesses, correlated uniquenesses, and the factor variance–covariance matrix, but not latent means. Men were found to be moderately higher on self-control and sociability than women, whereas women scored marginally higher on emotionality than men. No significant gender differences were found on mean levels of well-being. The benefits of the multidimensionality of the TEIQue–SF, limitations of the study, and directions for future research are discussed.

A novel approach to estimating and testing specific mediation effects in educational research: explication and application of Macho and Ledermann’s (2011) phantom model approach

This paper addresses the issue of estimating and testing specific indirect effects in recursive structural equation models by considering Macho and Ledermann’s (2011) novel approach to testing specific mediation hypotheses. Mediating processes are critical to understanding the underlying pathways through which predictor variables influence criterion variables. Notwithstanding the utility of assessing mediation for elucidating underlying psychological processes, only recently have educational researchers become increasingly concerned with performing empirical significance tests of specific mediation hypotheses. Following an overview of statistical mediation and consideration of the limitations of widely-used structural equation modelling (SEM) programs in handling tests of specific indirect effects, this paper argues for the use of Macho and Ledermann’s (2011) phantom model approach among applied educational researchers to test specific indirect effect hypotheses.

Career optimism mediates the effect of personality on teachers’ career engagement

Retaining teachers in the workforce is a major social issue as this vital profession suffers from low levels of prestige and high levels of attrition. This article is a report on research into the psychological predictors of career engagement in preservice and practicing teachers (N = 364). It was hypothesized that teachers’ conscientiousness and neuroticism would predict higher and lower career engagement, respectively, both directly and indirectly via career optimism. Structural equation modeling affirmed that career optimism mediated the relationships of conscientiousness and neuroticism with career engagement. The current findings highlight the need to investigate the contribution of career optimism to teachers’ career engagement to capitalize on adaptive personality processes and mitigate the deleterious effects of negative emotionality.

Construct validity of the Social Provisions Scale: a bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling approach

Extant theory posits well-differentiated dimensions of perceived social support as measured using the Social Provisions Scale (SPS). However, evidence is inconsistent with this multidimensionality perspective, with SPS factor correlations near unity and higher between-factor than within-factor item correlations. This article reports on research investigating the internal structure, gender invariance, and predictive validity of SPS scores. The analyses are conducted in a novel bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) framework, which is designed to account for presumed psychometric multidimensionality in SPS items due to (a) their fallibility as pure indicators of the constructs they are purported to measure and (b) the coexistence of general and specific factors. Based on 376 item responses, evidence was obtained for a bifactor-ESEM representation of the SPS data. In addition, support was found for the invariance of item thresholds and the latent mean invariance of six of the seven SPS factors in the retained solution. Only mean levels of Social Integration were found to differ by gender, with men scoring higher than women. Finally, evidence was obtained for the predictive validity of SPS scores with respect to loneliness and psychological well-being. Quite apart from yielding evidence validating the SPS, this research demonstrates the utility of bifactor ESEM for psychological assessment.

The Role of Trait Emotional Intelligence in Academic Performance: Theoretical Overview and Empirical Update

ABSTRACT Considerable debate still exists among scholars over the role of trait emotional intelligence (TEI) in academic performance. The dominant theoretical position is that TEI should be orthogonal or only weakly related to achievement; yet, there are strong theoretical reasons to believe that TEI plays a key role in performance. The purpose of the current article is to provide (a) an overview of the possible theoretical mechanisms linking TEI with achievement and (b) an update on empirical research examining this relationship. To elucidate these theoretical mechanisms, the overview draws on multiple theories of emotion and regulation, including TEI theory, social-functional accounts of emotion, and expectancy-value and psychobiological model of emotion and regulation. Although these theoretical accounts variously emphasize different variables as focal constructs, when taken together, they provide a comprehensive picture of the possible mechanisms linking TEI with achievement. In this regard, the article redresses the problem of vaguely specified theoretical links currently hampering progress in the field. The article closes with a consideration of directions for future research.

A Short Form of the Career Interest Test 21-CIT

The Career Interest Test (CIT) is a 63-item forced-choice instrument designed to measure seven career interests. Although the measure possesses favorable psychometric properties, there have been recent calls for the development of a shortened version of the inventory. The present article reports on research conducted to develop a short form of the CIT. Using archival data from over 180,000 respondents, categorical confirmatory factor analyses were conducted with limited information methods. Items with the highest absolute factor loadings for each career interest were retained for the short form of the inventory, comprising 21 items, and renamed the 21-CIT. The large within-subject correlations between career interest scores on the full CIT and 21-CIT indicate that the short form provides a comparable degree of content coverage for the career interests. We consider implications for career research and practice as well as suggest directions for future research.

Resolving Dimensionality Problems With WHOQOL-BREF Item Responses:

The World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale (WHOQOL-BREF) is predicated on a multidimensional perspective on quality of life (QOL); yet studies are unclear about the latent structure underlying responses. This article reports on a study conducted to investigate the structure of WHOQOL-BREF scores. Competing latent structures of the data were examined in a general population sample. In addition, the complete factorial invariance of the retained model was investigated across gender. We also investigated latent mean differences in the QOL dimensions over age as well as age by gender interactions effects. Based on responses to the WHOQOL-BREF, support was found for a bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling representation of the data. This measurement structure accounts for construct-relevant multidimensionality in item responses due to the presence of general and specific factors underlying the data and the fallibility of indictors as pure reflections of only the single constructs they are purported to measure. Furthermore, support was found for measurement and structural invariance across gender. Finally, evidence was obtained for a curvilinear relationship of age with QOL, characterized by a midlife nadir. Taken together, the results of the study yield important validation data for the WHOQOL-BREF and tentatively resolve the dimensionality issues in the measurement of QOL using this instrument.

The Validity of CAAS Scores in Divergent Social Occupations

This research investigated the latent structure and full measurement invariance of the Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS) in three independent samples of social occupations for the first time, namely, preservice teachers (n = 344), retail workers (n = 394), and mothers (n = 160). Convergent and divergent validity of the CAAS data was tested against scores on the Career Adaptability Scale of the Career Futures Inventory (CA-CFI) using a multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) framework. The criterion validity of the CAAS scores with respect to data on self-efficacy and satisfaction with life was also investigated. The results support the multidimensional, hierarchical latent structure of the CAAS data. The invariance of the retained structure across the distinct samples as well as support for convergent, divergent, and test-criterion validity further attests the suitability and wide applicability of the CAAS as a measure of career adaptability.

Evaluating Measures of Optimism and Sport Confidence

ABSTRACT The psychometric properties of the Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R), the Sport Confidence Inventory (SCI), and the Carolina SCI (CSCI) were examined in a study involving 260 athletes. The study aimed to test the dimensional structure, convergent and divergent validity, and invariance over competition level of scores generated by these instruments. Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) supported the measurement models for the SCI and CSCI but favoured a two-dimensional model for the LOT-R. ESEM analyses of the total pool of 33 items indicated satisfactory divergent validity among these optimism and sport confidence measures with the only overlap occurring between the LOT-R and CSCI measures of optimism. The SCI discriminated among athletes participating at different competitive levels and emerged as the most suitable instrument for measuring individual differences in sport confidence. The CSCI emerged as a better measure of optimism in a sporting context than the more general LOT-R.

Profiles of Psychological Resilience in College Students With Disabilities

The present article reports on research conducted to identify profiles of psychological resilience using factor mixture models. We also examine gender as a predictor of resilience profile membership and career optimism, academic satisfaction, and psychological well-being as outcomes of profile membership. Based on resilience data from university students with disabilities, factor mixture modeling revealed three distinct profiles of resilience (viz., “vulnerable,” “spirituality-dominant,” and “engaged-resilient”). Results also revealed that females were almost 4 times as likely to be in the spirituality-dominant profile than the vulnerable profile. Finally, distal outcome analyses revealed that career optimism, academic satisfaction, and well-being were higher in the engaged-resilient profile than the other profiles. Notably, spirituality-dominant and vulnerable individuals possessed about the same levels of career optimism, satisfaction, and well-being. The findings have important implications for the theory and assessment of resilience, suggesting the tenability of a person-centered assessment of psychological resilience.