Jason P. Kopp

Internet AddIctIon And delAy dIscountIng In college students

To examine the relation between Internet addiction and delay discounting, we gave 276 college students a survey designed to measure Internet addiction and a paper-based delay-discounting task. In edour larger sample, we identified 14 students who met the criteria for Internet addiction; we also identified 14 matched controls who were similar to the Internet-addicted students in terms of gender, age, and grade point average. We then compared the extent to which these groups discounted delayed rewards. We found that Internet addicts discounted delayed rewards faster than non-Internet addicts. These results suggest that Internet addicts may be more impulsive than non-Internet addicts and that Internet addiction may share behavioral characteristics with other types of addiction.

The Development and Evaluation of the Academic Entitlement Questionnaire

Validity evidence was gathered for the Academic Entitlement Questionnaire (AEQ). After reviewing entitlement literature, items were written to cover the breadth of academic entitlement. Results provide evidence for the substantive, structural, and external aspects of validity of the AEQ. Implications for research and use of the AEQ are discussed.

Do Examinees Have Similar Test-Taking Effort? A High-Stakes Question for Low-Stakes Testing

Given the prevalence of low-stakes testing internationally (e.g., NAEP, TIMSS, PIRLS), it is crucial to try to better understand examinee motivation in these contexts. In the current study, mixture modeling results supported three different profiles of test-taking effort over the course of five tests. Classes 1 and 2 had varying levels of effort whereas Class 3 had steady levels of effort across the five tests. Examination of relationships between class membership and external variables suggested the classes could be differentiated by achievement goals, personality, and ability. Implications of these results for international assessment and directions for future research are discussed.

Linking Academic Entitlement and Student Incivility Using Latent Means Modeling

Academic entitlement has been theoretically linked with uncivil student behavior; however, this relationship has not been tested. To address this gap in the literature, the authors used latent means modeling to estimate the relationship between the Academic Entitlement Questionnaire and uncivil student behavior. The authors gathered scores on the questionnaire from 2 samples of students: civil/compliant and uncivil/noncompliant. Measurement invariance was established for the Academic Entitlement Questionnaire, providing additional validity evidence for the scale and allowing for the estimation of the latent mean difference in academic entitlement. As predicted, noncompliant students were significantly higher in academic entitlement than were compliant students. These results empirically link academic entitlement and student incivility, further supporting that academic entitlement is an important construct in academia and should receive increased attention from educators.

Does the Measurement or Magnitude of Academic Entitlement Change Over Time

Academic entitlement (AE) characterizes students who believe they deserve positive academic outcomes independent of performance. Using the Academic Entitlement Questionnaire, we evaluated the longitudinal stability of the measurement and magnitude of AE. Results indicated partial measurement invariance, slight average increase in AE, and differential individual change in AE over time.