Michelle Y. Chen

Reading Proficiency and Comparability of Mathematics and Science Scores for Students From English and Non-English Backgrounds: An International Perspective

The purpose of this research is to examine the comparability of mathematics and science scores for students from English language backgrounds (ELB) and non-English language backgrounds (NELB). We examine the relationship between English reading proficiency and performance on mathematics and science assessments in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The findings indicate a strong relationship with reading proficiency accounting for up to 43% of the variance in mathematics and up to 79% in science. In all comparisons, ELB students either outperformed NELB students or performed at the same level. However, when statistical adjustments were made for reading proficiency, in both mathematics and science, the score gap between the groups became statistically non-significant in three out of the four countries. These findings point to differences in score meaning in mathematics and science assessments and limitations in comparing performances of ELB and NELB.

Prediction of adherence to a gluten‐free diet using protection motivation theory among adults with coeliac disease

BACKGROUND Coeliac disease is a chronic autoimmune disease that requires strict adherence to a gluten-free diet. However, strict adherence to a gluten-free diet is difficult, with findings from a recent review suggesting that up to 42% of individuals with coeliac disease do not eat a strict gluten-free diet. METHODS The present study aimed to examine psychosocial predictors of adherence (purposeful and accidental) to a gluten-free diet among adults with coeliac disease over a 1-month period. In this longitudinal study, 212 North American adults with coeliac disease completed online questionnaires at two time points, baseline and 1 month later. RESULTS The results revealed that intentions partially mediated the effects of symptom severity, self-regulatory efficacy, planning and knowledge on purposeful gluten consumption. Intentions did not mediate the effects of severity, response cost, self-regulatory efficacy, planning and knowledge for accidental gluten consumption but, interestingly, self-regulatory efficacy directly predicted fewer accidental incidents of gluten-consumption. CONCLUSIONS These findings delineate the differential psychological processes in understanding accidental and purposeful gluten consumption among adults with coeliac disease and emphasise the importance of bolstering self-regulatory efficacy beliefs to prevent accidental and purposeful consumption of gluten.

“Go Girls!”: psychological and behavioral outcomes associated with a group-based healthy lifestyle program for adolescent girls

The objective of this study was to assess changes in adolescent girls’ health-enhancing cognitions and behaviors targeted by the Go Girls! group-based mentorship lifestyle program. Three hundred and ten adolescent girls (nested within 40 Go Girls! groups) completed questionnaires that assessed cognitions (attitudes, self-regulatory efficacy, and intentions) and behaviors (physical activity and dietary) at four time points (two pre-program, one at the end of the program, and one at 7-week follow-up). Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine changes in the outcome variables among Go Girls! participants (Mage = 11.68 years, SD = 0.80). No significant changes occurred in the outcome variables during the baseline comparison period (Time 1–2). When compared to the average of the baseline assessments, 7 weeks after completing the program, girls reported significant improvements in physical activity (MBaseline PAtotal = 3.82, SD = 3.49; MT4 PAtotal = 4.38, SD = 3.75) and healthy eating (MBaseline = 10.71, SD = 1.13; MT4 = 11.35, SD = 1.05) behavior and related cognitions (d values ≥0.65). Findings provide preliminary support for programs that foster belongingness and target health behaviors through mentorship models.

Reporting of Measurement Validity in Articles Published in Quality of Life Research

Quality of life in health has received a great deal of attention in research, policy, and clinical practice. Measurement (psychometric) validity is a central issue in the development and evaluation of quality of life instruments. In this study, we examined the reporting of validity evidence in articles published in the 2012 volume of the journal Quality of Life Research, the official journal of the International Society for Quality of Life Research (ISOQOL) and the leading academic journal in health-related quality of life research. The journal’s official website was used to search for research articles for our study. Thirty-three articles were reviewed. The number of sources of validity evidence reported per study ranged from zero to five, with a mode of two. The sources of validity evidence reported included internal structure (n = 20 [60.6 %]), construct validity (n = 19 [57.6 %]), convergent validity (n = 19 [57.6 %]), discriminant validity (n = 14 [42.4 %]), concurrent validity (n = 8 [24.2 %]), content validity (n = 4 [12.1 %]), and predictive validity (n = 1 [3.0 %]). Validity evidence regarding response processes and consequences were not reported in any of the studies. Our findings suggest that researchers conducting validation studies are not relying on only one source of validity evidence at the exclusion of all others. However, certain sources of evidence central to the validity claim are not reported.

Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-36 (SF-36) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQoL) Assessment: Reporting of Psychometric Validity Evidence

More emphasis has been placed on the inclusion of patients’ perspectives in the assessment of outcomes and treatment effects in medicine and health care via the use of psychometric patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments. In this study, we examined the reporting of the validity evidence for the SF-36 and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQoL) Assessment, two commonly used psychometric PRO instruments. Searches were conducted on PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and EMBASE in January 2013. Thirty randomly selected empirical articles (15 each for the SF-36 and WHOQoL) were included in the present analysis. We found that researchers conducting validation studies on the SF-36 and WHOQoL report a wide variety of validity evidence and are not relying on only one source of validity evidence at the exclusion of all others. Although the SF-36 and WHOQoL both possess evidence to support their score inferences, certain sources of evidence that are emerging as central to the validity claim (e.g., response processes, consequences) have yet to be examined.

Reporting of Measurement Validity in Articles Published in Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement

Quality of life (QoL) has become a widely studied area in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. In developing and evaluating quality of life measures, validity is a fundamental issue. With an aim towards understanding the validation practices and improving the field of QoL, we investigated the reporting of validity evidence of articles published in Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement. A systematic search of the official journal website for papers published between 2012 and February 2013 was conducted. We searched explicitly for papers with “valid”, “validity”, or “validation” in the title. Twenty-one papers published and in press were located and included in this review. We found a variety of sources of validity evidence reported; however, certain sources of evidence such as response process and consequences were not reported in our sample of papers. We close the chapter with recommendations for validation practices based on our present review.

Ecological Framework of Item Responding as Validity Evidence: An Application of Multilevel DIF Modeling Using PISA Data

Test takers, their cognitive process of item responding, and subsequently their test performance all co-exist within a context shaped by individual experiences. To draw valid inferences about response processes from test scores, the complex and interconnected contextual factors within and outside the test settings need to be taken into consideration. In this chapter, we presented and discussed an ecological framework of item responding that is intended to be used as a conceptual framework to guide systematic investigation of item responses or test performance for validation purposes. We provide a demonstration of this ecological framework in the investigation of ecological response process variables as they relate to differential item functioning (DIF). Understanding why (matched) groups perform differently on items provides a unique window into item response processes, and test validation. A multilevel modeling approach is introduced to address the corresponding research questions.