Marjorie Cristina Rocha da Silva

The use of the bi-factor model to test the uni-dimensionality of a battery of reasoning tests

BACKGROUND The Battery of Reasoning Tests 5 (BPR-5) aims to assess the reasoning ability of individuals, using sub-tests with different formats and contents that require basic processes of inductive and deductive reasoning for their resolution. The BPR has three sequential forms: BPR-5i (for children from first to fifth grade), BPR-5 - Form A (for children from sixth to eighth grade) and BPR-5 - form B (for high school and undergraduate students). METHOD The present study analysed 412 questionnaires concerning BPR-5i, 603 questionnaires concerning BPR-5 - Form A and 1748 questionnaires concerning BPR-5 - Form B. The main goal was to test the uni-dimensionality of the battery and its tests in relation to items using the bi-factor model. RESULTS Results suggest that the g factor loadings (extracted by the uni-dimensional model) do not change when the data is adjusted for a more flexible multi-factor model (bi-factor model). CONCLUSIONS A general reasoning factor underlying different contents items is supported.

Aceitação e rejeição entre pares e habilidades sociais em universitários

Acceptance and rejection between peers and social skills in college students. The aim of this study was investigate relations between social skills and acceptance-rejection in college students. 126 college students attending at physical education course from a university of the interior of the state of Sao Paulo were studied. The social skills assessment was taken by the Inventario de Habilidades Sociais (IHS) and the sociometric measure was related to the rejection or acceptation of the students by their peers in the studying and go out situations. Among the results, the acceptance in both situations was not explained by any of the social skills measures to men. To the women, in both situations acceptance were explained by the self-exposition to stranger’s measure. This research clarifies some of the social behaviors that can be used in social skills training with men and women to avoid its rejection in the group and maximizes the acceptance.

Análise de itens de uma prova de raciocínio estatístico

This study aimed at to analyze the 18 questions (of multiple choice type) of a test on basic concepts of Statistics for the classic and modern theories. The test was taken by 325 undergraduate students, randomly selected from the areas of Human, Exact and Health Sciences. The analysis indicated that the test has predominantly one dimension and that the items can be better fitting to the model of three parameters. The indexes of difficulty, discrimination and biserial correlation present acceptable values. It is suggested to include new items to the test in order to obtain reliability and validity to use it in the education context and to reveal the statistical reasoning of undergraduate students when dealing with statistical data representation.

Teste de habilidades sociais para crianças: evidências psicométricas de uma versão inicial

Este artigo descreve o desenvolvimento de uma medida de avaliacao das habilidades sociais em criancas do ensino fundamental. Foram investigadas 257 criancas que cursavam de segundo ao quarto ano, de escolas publicas de cidades do interior do estado de Sao Paulo, com idades entre 8 e 11 anos e media de 9 anos. A escala foi composta de 99 itens descritores de situacoes de relacionamento interpessoal em situacoes escolares. A analise de componentes principais com rotacao varimax sugeriu uma estrutura de tres fatores que explicaram 38,42% de variância. Os fatores foram civilidade e altruismo (alfa = 0,85), desenvoltura e autocontrole na situacao de interacao (alfa=0,60) e assertividade de enfrentamento (alfa=0,47). A aplicacao do instrumento ocorreu de forma coletiva, realizada nas salas de aulas dos alunos, e somente a aqueles cujos pais haviam autorizado previamente. Esse instrumento avalia os fatores de habilidades sociais separando a dificuldade de expressao de cada uma das condutas, o que pode ser util no planejamento de intervencoes. Alem disso, esses resultados denotam confiabilidade no uso do instrumento em futuras pesquisas.

Análise do funcionamento diferencial dos itens do Exame Nacional do Estudante (ENADE) de psicologia de 2006

Resumo Parte do Sistema Nacional de Avaliacao das Instituicoes de Educacao Superior considera o desempenho dos estudantes por meio do ENADE. Neste artigo efetuou-se uma analise dos itens da prova do ENADE de psicologia aplicada em 2006 tentando-se detectar itens com funcionamento diferencial (DIF), isto e, itens com problema de equivalencia ao medir ingressantes e concluintes e estudantes de instituicoes publicas e privada. Analisou-se uma amostra de 26.613 estudantes ingressantes e concluintes representativa de todos os cursos do pais. Empregou-se a analise de Rasch e regressao logistica para se detectar o DIF. Onze itens dos 30 que compunham a prova apresentaram DIF. Dois tipos de DIF ocorreram, um tipo em itens com baixa discriminacao e outro em itens com alta discriminacao. O subgrupo mais relevante tende a favorecer alunos de instituicoes publicas. Discute-se tambem a questao da discriminacao elevada como indicativo de DIF. Palavras-chave: Teoria de Resposta ao Item, ENADE, Regressao logistica, Modelo de Rasch, Validade. Differential item functioning of the national student exam for psychology (ENADE) 2006

Autoconceito e desempenho de universitários na disciplina estatística

This study aimed to assess the university students ’ self-concept in statistics course and its relation to academic area, period, semester, age and gender of the sample. An identification questionnaire and a self-concept scale were answered by 116 Psychology students and 32 Pedagogy students. The sample consisted of eighteen to sixty-five year-old, 86% female and 58% evening period students. The Thurstone scale with 2 1 items allowed classifying in low, appropriated and high self-concept. The analysis showed appropriated self-concept in 67% of participants. T he principal results have revealed that there is positive correlation between self-concept and achievement in statistics course. On the other hand, it is not possible to state how the high self-concept contributed to a better student ’s achievement. The limitations of this study suggested other studies related to this construct in the academic area of research.

Avaliação de atitudes de estudantes de psicologia via modelo de crédito parcial da TRI

The aim of this work was to assess psychology students’ attitudes toward statistics trough credit partial model of IRT, and to identify the association among the students’ attitudes, academic performance, and selfperception in Statistics. A not random sample of 361 Psychology students answered the identification questionnaire and the attitudes scale towards Statistics. The students aged 18-65, 81% were female and 53% from evening classes. The likert scale is composed of 20 items, ten positives and ten negatives, which express the feelings towards Statistics. There is one item which verifies the university student’s self-perception towards its own performance in Statistics. It was observed that the scale was reliable and valid to measure attitudes. The students presented their attitudes slightly more negative than positive. It was noticed the existence of positive and significant correlations among attitudes, academic performance and performance self-perception.

DIFERENÇAS ENTRE GÊNERO E PERFIL SÓCIO-ECONÔMICO NO EXAME NACIONAL DE DESEMPENHO DO ESTUDANTE

No contexto atual da educacao, o estudo de variaveis relacionadas as diferencas de genero em estudantes do ensino superior contribui para a compreensao de variaveis associadas ao desempenho academico bem sucedido. Assim, esta pesquisa objetivou verificar em que medida o desempenho dos estudantes no Exame Nacional de Desempenho dos Estudantes – ENADE, do Brasil, variou segundo genero, e variaveis socioeconomicas. Foram utilizados dados de 147.600 ingressantes e 129.876 concluintes de diversos cursos de graduacao que fizeram o ENADE em 2005, selecionados por amostragem aleatoria estratificada. Os estudantes responderam a 110 questoes sobre o seu perfil socioeconomico e cultural. Os homens obtiveram desempenho medio significativamente maior que as mulheres, nos dois componentes, formacao geral e conhecimentos especificos, nos cursos de Matematica, Letras, Biologia, Historia, Geografia e Filosofia. Observou-se certa tendencia de modificacao ou ate inversao de papeis em areas reconhecidas tradicionalmente como estereotipadas, o que pode estar refletindo no processo de ensino e relacoes sociais estabelecidas entre colegas e professores.