Yaacov J. Katz

The reliability and validity of the Hebrew version of the computer attitude scale

Abstract The Computer Attitude Scale developed by Gressard and Loyd is one of the most frequently used instruments to assess computer-related attitudes among pre-service and in-service teachers. The present study reports on the development of the Hebrew language edition of this instrument by means of translation and back translation. Data provided by a sample of 298 female undergraduate students in Israel support the reliability and validity of the Hebrew version of this instrument. Alpha coefficients of 0.84, 0.85 and 0.88 are good indicators of the reliability of the three subscales. Construct validity was demonstrated by correlations ranging between 0.21 and 0.53 with various measures of previous computer-related behaviour or behaviourial intentions.

The Relationship between Personality and Religiosity in an Israeli Sample

In this study, 190 female trainee teachers from Bar-Ilan University in Israel completed the Hebrew version of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire and the Katz religiosity scale. The data suggest four conclusions: a) religiosity is associated with neither neuroticism nor emotional stability; b) religiosity is associated with neither introversion nor extraversion; c) religiosity has a positive relationship with tendermindedness, and a negative relationship with toughmindedness and psychoticism; and d) there is a positive relationship between religiosity and lie scale scores. These Israeli findings are consistent with the developing consensus regarding the relationship between personality and religion in predominantly Christian cultures.

Measuring attitude toward Judaism: The internal consistency reliability of the Katz–Francis Scale of Attitude toward Judaism

This paper describes and discusses the development and empirical properties of the 24-item Likert-type Katz–Francis Scale of Attitude toward Judaism. The scale is designed to facilitate inter-faith comparisons within the psychology of religion alongside the well-established Francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity. Data are provided from a sample of 618 Hebrew-speaking undergraduate students attending Bar-Ilan University. The findings confirm the reliability of the scale and commend it for further use.

Online university learning: cognitive and affective perspectives

Online university courses have become popular in many universities and colleges throughout the world. In addition to the relative cost‐effectiveness of online learning, there are studies that indicate that students reach satisfactory achievement levels in these courses. The major aim of the present research was two‐fold: to examine students’ academic performance in a mandatory first‐year university Internet‐based “Introduction to statistics” course and to investigate psycho‐pedagogical variables which contributed to students’ online learning, compared to learning of students who participated in a traditional lecture‐based “Introduction to statistics” course. Results of the study indicate that students who participated in the mandatory online course reached similar academic performance levels to those achieved by students who participated in the traditional lecture‐based course. In addition, the findings indicate that participation in the online course improves psycho‐pedagogical attitudes towards online l...

Teacher and Student Attitudes to Affective Education: A European Collaborative Research Project.

This article reports on the outcomes of a comparative research project examining teacher and student attitudes to affective education across Europe. Affective education is defined as the aspect of the educational process that is concerned with the feelings, values, beliefs, attitudes and emotional well-being of learners. The article begins with a consideration of some of the conceptual issues in affective education and its diversity across Europe as a basis for stressing the relevance of cross-cultural comparisons. It then offers a general picture of the findings of the present research project, draws a number of tentative conclusions from this and ends with a reference to issues requiring further research in comparative work on affective education.

Affect and digital learning at the university level

Purpose – The purpose of the paper is to examine the efficiency of SMS based cell‐phone vocabulary learning as compared to email vocabulary delivery and snail mail vocabulary delivery at the university level.Design/methodology/approach – A total of 241 first year university students studied English vocabulary in their mandatory English foundation course. Students were divided into three groups: study via cell‐phone based SMS messages, via email messages and via snail mail delivery. Vocabulary lists were delivered weekly to students via the three delivery strategies during course. Students in the three groups were tested on English vocabulary and responded to a questionnaire that examined their attitudes toward flexibility of the learning strategy; user friendliness of the learning strategy; learner control of the learning process, learner motivation; and learner autonomy.Findings – Results of the study indicate that there were no significant differences for achievement attained by the three groups on the ...

Internal consistency reliability and validity of the Hebrew translation of the Oxford Happiness Inventory.

The Hebrew translation of the Oxford Happiness Inventory and the short form Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire were completed by 298 undergraduate women in Israel. The findings confirm the internal reliability of the Hebrew translation of the Oxford Happiness Inventory and support the construct validity according to which “happiness is a thing called stable extraversion.”

Computer science in K-12 school curricula of the 2lst century: Why, what and when?

In this paper we have examined the position and roles of Computer Science in curricula in the light of recent calls for curriculum change and we have proposed principles and issues to consider in curriculum design as well as identifying priority areas for further research. The paper is based on discussions within and beyond the International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP) Education Community since 2012 as well as an analysis of curriculum developments in five different countries. Emerging themes have been discussed with reference to important perspectives from curriculum theory including “powerful knowledge” as a key element of entitlement and management of the growth of expertise. Based on this analysis we have identified areas of consensus as well as constraints, risks and issues that are still subject to controversy. There is an emerging consensus of the importance of Computer Science and the nature of its “powerful knowledge”. Furthermore current understanding of the opportunities and benefits for starting to learn Computer Science early in primary schools has identified this early start as an entitlement and equity issue. There is a strong consensus that teacher professional development in Computer Science Education is critical for supporting curriculum change and is currently a major challenge in many countries. Other key issues include understanding how the growth of expertise affects potential structure and sequencing in the curriculum and the balance of content. Further considerations include how new technological opportunities interact with pedagogical approaches and can provide new potential for the growth of expertise.

The relationship between personality and computer related attitudes of Israeli teachers

Abstract The aim of this study was to examine the personality and attitudinal traits which are conducive to effective use of computers within the framework of cai . 164 teachers, who served as the research sample, were administered the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire which taps three major personality factors, namely extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism. They were also administered a questionnaire on attitude to computers. The results of this study indicate that teachers, more extraverted, more stable, and more toughminded in their attitudinal profiles, also have more positive computer oriented attitudes. In the light of these findings it is suggested that a personality and attitudinal examination of teachers using cai may lead to more efficient computer usage in the classroom.

Intelligence as a Function of Conservatism among White South African Students

This study examined the relationship between general conservatism and components of intelligence in a White South African student sample. The results indicated no significant difference for full-scale IQ as measured by the South African Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) between subjects who achieved higher or lower scores on the conservatism variables. However, those subjects who had more conservative scores on measures of sociopolitical attitudes and traditionalism achieved higher scores on the block design and digit symbols subtests of the scale. A similar pattern emerged for performance IQ, with those with more conservative scores on the measure of traditionalism achieving higher scores than the less conservative subjects. In addition, disordinal interactions emerged when the relationship between the significant variables underlying conservatism and scores on the South African WAIS was examined.