Robert F. Dedrick

National Adolescent and Child Treatment Study (NACTS) Outcomes for Children with Serious Emotional and Behavioral Disturbance

The specific purpose of the study was to compile descriptive data on children with serious emotional disturbance (SED), including (a) demographic and family characteristics, (b) level of psychological and adaptive functioning, (c) services received, and (d) outcomes or how the children fared over time. The sample consisted of 812 children, ages 8 to 18 years (M = 13.89 years, SD = 2.35), who had been identified as having SED and were being served by either mental health (46%) or public school (54%) systems in accordance with P.L. 94–142. Data were collected annually during a 7-year period. Results indicated that, at entry into the study, the children already had serious problems in many domains and the problems remained serious for these children at the end of the study.

Multilevel Modeling: A Review of Methodological Issues and Applications

This study analyzed the reporting of multilevel modeling applications of a sample of 99 articles from 13 peer-reviewed journals in education and the social sciences. A checklist, derived from the methodological literature on multilevel modeling and focusing on the issues of model development and specification, data considerations, estimation, and inference, was used to analyze the articles. The most common applications were two-level models where individuals were nested within contexts. Most studies were non-experimental and used nonprobability samples. The amount of data at each level varied widely across studies, as did the number of models examined. Analyses of reporting practices indicated some clear problems, with many articles not reporting enough information for a reader to critique the reported analyses. For example, in many articles, one could not determine how many models were estimated, what covariance structure was assumed, what type of centering if any was used, whether the data were consistent with assumptions, whether outliers were present, or how the models were estimated. Guidelines for researchers reporting multilevel analyses are provided.

Factors associated with community adjustment of young adults with serious emotional disturbance: A longitudinal analysis.

Rates of change in strength- and deficit-based behaviors in relation to community adjustment were examined for 292 participants in the 7-year longitudinal National Adolescent and Child Treatment Study (NACTS; Greenbaum et al., 1996) as they transitioned from adolescence to the adult world. Scores from 6 domains including education, employment, residence, social support network, self-reported and caretaker-reported satisfaction were combined to form the Index of Community Adjustment (ICA). Participants with higher social-adaptive behavior upon entry into NACTS and whose social-adaptive behavior improved over time attained higher ICA scores.These results underscore the need to provide comprehensive and integrated services that promote development of social-adaptive skills associated with successful transition to adulthood for individuals with emotional challenges.

Development and validation of the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-4 (SATAQ-4).

The Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire-3 (SATAQ-3) and its earlier versions are measures designed to assess societal and interpersonal aspects of appearance ideals. Correlational, structural equation modeling, and prospective studies of the SATAQ-3 have shown consistent and significant associations with measures of body image disturbance and eating pathology. In the current investigation, the SATAQ-3 was revised to improve upon some conceptual limitations and was evaluated in 4 U.S. and 3 international female samples, as well as a U.S. male sample. In Study 1, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses for a sample of women from the Southeastern United States (N = 859) indicated a 22-item scale with 5 factors: Internalization: Thin/Low Body Fat, Internalization: Muscular/Athletic, Pressures: Family, Pressures: Media, Pressures: Peers. This scale structure was confirmed in 3 independent and geographically diverse samples of women from the United States (East Coast N = 440, West Coast N = 304, and North/Midwest N = 349). SATAQ-4 scale scores demonstrated excellent reliability and good convergent validity with measures of body image, eating disturbance, and self-esteem. Study 2 replicated the factorial validity, reliability, and convergent validity of the SATAQ-4 in an international sample of women drawn from Italy, England, and Australia (N = 362). Study 3 examined a sample of college males from the United States (N = 271); the 5-factor solution was largely replicated, yet there was some evidence of an underlying structure unique to men. Future research avenues include additional item testing and modification of the scale for men, as well as adaptation of the measure for children and adolescents.

Hierarchical Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Child Behavior Checklist/4-18.

Hierarchical confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the 2-factor 2nd-order structure of T. M. Achenbachs (1991) Child Behavior Checklist in a sample of 577 children who had been identified as having serious emotional disturbance. An alternative 1-factor 2nd-order model also was tested. Results supported T. M. Achenbachs model in which the broadband Internalizing factor was represented by the narrowband Withdrawn, Somatic, and Anxious/Depressed syndromes, and the broadband Externalizing factor was represented by the narrowband Delinquent and Aggressive syndromes. Consistent with T.M. Achenbachs model, the remaining narrowband syndromes (i.e., Social, Thought, Attention) loaded equally on both broadband factors and should not be included in scoring either Internalizing or Externalizing. Fit of the 1-factor model also was good and only slightly poorer than the 2-factor model. Therefore, an overall score would be appropriate as a measure of global problem behavior.

Multilevel confirmatory factor analysis of a scale measuring interagency collaboration of children’s mental health agencies.

Multilevel confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate the factor structure underlying the 12-item, three-factor Interagency Collaboration Activities Scale (ICAS) at the informant level and at the agency level. Results from 378 professionals (104 administrators, 201 service providers, and 73 case managers) from 32 children’s mental health service agencies supported a correlated three-factor model at each level and indicated that the item loadings were not significantly (p > .05) different across levels. Reliability estimates of the three factors (Financial and Physical Resource Activities, Program Development and Evaluation Activities, and Collaborative Policy Activities) at the agency level were .81, .60, and .72, respectively, whereas these estimates were .79, .82, and .85 at the individual level. These multilevel results provide support for the construct validity of the scores from the ICAS. When the ICAS was examined in relation to Level 1 and Level 2 covariates, results showed that participants’ characteristics (i.e., age, job role, gender, educational level, and number of months employed) and agency characteristics (i.e., state location and number of employees) were not significantly ( p > .05) related to levels of interagency collaboration.

Testing the Structure of the Child Behavior Checklist/4-18 Using Confirmatory Factor Analysis:

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to evaluate the factor structure of T. M. Achenbachs eight cross-informant syndrome scales of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCIJ4-18) using data generated on a sample of 631 youngsters, ages 8 to 18 years (M= 14.02, SD = 2.39), who had been classified as having serious emotional disturbances. Results of the CFA (overall fit, pattern of factor loadings, and syndrome correlations) support Achenbachs eight-correlated-factor model and provide additional evidence of the construct validity of the scores obtained from the CBCV/4-18.

Development of the Electronic Portfolio Student Perspective Instrument: An ePortfolio integration initiative

WITH THE PROLIFERATION OF EPORTFOLIOS and their organizational uses in higher education, it is important for educators and other relevant stakeholders to understand the student perspective. The way students view and use ePortfolios are revealing elements to aid educators in the successful integration of ePortfolio systems. This research describes the development of the Electronic Portfolio Student Perspective Instrument (EPSPI) and initial validation (N=204) efforts in the context of an ePortfolio initiative in a College of Education. The EPSPI incorporates four domains from a student perspective: employment, visibility, assessment, and learning; and connects those domains with four relevant stakeholders: students, administrators, faculty, and employers. Descriptive analyses, exploratory factor analysis, and a qualitative analysis using grounded theory were used. Results indicate that student perspectives towards ePortfolios are multidimensional with three distinct, internally consistent underlying constructs: learning, assessment, and visibility. Qualitative analysis revealed four interrelated themes from a student perspective: system characteristics, support structure, purpose, and personal impact.

Using an Interactive Singing Software Program: A Comparative Study of Struggling Middle School Readers

Software that teaches users to sing in tune and in rhythm while providing real-time pitch tracking was used in a study of struggling middle school readers. The software, Carry-a-Tune (CAT) was originally developed to improve singing; however, since it involves a repeated reading format, we used it to determine its effect on comprehension and reading achievement. Twenty-four students in grades 7 and 8 utilized the software program for 30 minutes, three times a week for 9 weeks. A matched control group of 24 students had a different reading experience during the same time period. The mean pretest instructional reading level for both groups was fourth grade. The mean instructional level scores for the treatment group improved significantly (7 months during the 9-week study). The matched control group students did not experience gains. Sustainability data from assessment 4 months after the studys conclusion indicated treatment students gained another 6 months. This placed them solidly in mid-fifth grade for instructional reading level. The control students, again, evidenced no significant gains.

Factor structure of the Child Behavior Checklist/6-18 in a sample of girls adopted from China

Confirmatory factor analysis with robust weighted least squares estimation of the 103 dichotomously scored items of the Child Behavior Checklist/6-18 (T. M. Achenbach & L. A. Rescorla, 2001) in a sample of 516 girls adopted from China (ages 6.0-15.7 years; M = 8.2, SD = 1.9) indicated that the fit of the 8-factor model was good (root-mean-square error of approximation = .047) and was slightly better than what T. M. Achenbach and L. A. Rescorla (2001) reported for the same model (.06). Support for the 2nd-order factor structure of Internalizing and Externalizing Problems also was provided. Comparisons of the mean scores for the syndromes and Internalizing, Externalizing, and Total Problems revealed mostly small differences between the sample of adopted Chinese girls and T. M. Achenbach and L. A. Rescorlas normative samples.