African Journal of Psychological Assessment最新文献

{"title":"Can a general factor be derived from employees’ responses to items on the Individual Work Performance Review?","authors":"Xander van Lill, Leoni van der Vaart","doi":"10.4102/ajopa.v6i0.133","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ajopa.v6i0.133","url":null,"abstract":"This study aimed to investigate whether permissible inferences can be derived from employees’ standing on a general performance factor from their responses to the Individual Work Performance Review (IWPR) items. The performance of 448 employees was rated (by their managers) using the IWPR. Latent variable modelling was performed through a bifactor exploratory structural equation model with the robust version of the maximum likelihood estimator. The general factor’s score was also used to inspect correlations with two work performance correlates: tenure and job level. In line with international findings, the results suggested that a general factor could explain 65% of the common variance in the 80 items of the IWPR. Job level, but not tenure, correlated with general job performance. The results support calculating an overall score for performance, which might be a suitable criterion to differentiate top performers, conduct criterion validity studies, and calculate the return on investment of selection procedures or training programmes.Contribution: The present study provides initial evidence for a general factor influencing employees’ responses to items on a generic performance measure in South Africa. In addition, the study showcases the application of advanced statistical methods in factor analyses, demonstrating their efficacy in evaluating the psychometric properties of hierarchical factor models derived from data provided on performance measures.","PeriodicalId":34043,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Psychological Assessment","volume":"67 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139606526","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Satisfied with teaching? Psychometric properties of the Teaching Satisfaction Scale","authors":"T. Pretorius, A. Padmanabhanunni, Kyle M. Jackson, Brendon D. Faroa","doi":"10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.140","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.140","url":null,"abstract":"Job satisfaction among teachers is a central feature of educational research owing to its benefits for both teachers and students. Compared with their counterparts, teachers satisfied with their roles and responsibilities in the work context demonstrate greater commitment to their organisation, are less likely to leave the profession, and contribute more positively to the educational attainment of their students. Theoretical advances in the study of job satisfaction have emphasised the importance of using stable and robust quantitative measurement tools to facilitate cross-cultural comparisons. This study aims to broaden research on the Teaching Satisfaction Scale (TSS) by examining its psychometric properties through classical test theory (CTT) and Rasch and Mokken analyses. Overall, the three approaches confirmed that the TSS is a unidimensional scale with sound validity and internal consistency. The TSS was also found to be a valuable resource for researchers in different cultural contexts, as it can be used without overburdening teachers and it provides valuable information to support interventions aimed at enhancing job satisfaction.Contribution: These approaches confirmed that the scale is unidimensional with satisfactory reliability and validity and that the TSS is a valuable resource as it can be used without overburdening teachers and can inform interventions aimed at enhancing job satisfaction.","PeriodicalId":34043,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Psychological Assessment","volume":"65 25","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138594765","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The development of the Conceptual Construct Validity Appraisal Checklist.","authors":"Mario R Smith, Erica Munnik","doi":"10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.121","DOIUrl":"10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.121","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The validation of instruments is integral to sound psychometric assessment practices. Construct validity, as the apex indicator, is established largely based on data-reduction techniques. This bias overlooks the importance of expert-based content validity and alternate approaches to construct validity. The construct definition, object classification, attribute classification, rater identification, scale formation, and enumeration and reporting (C-OAR-SE) framework provides an alternative to traditional approaches to construct validation. However, the theory lacks articulation into an appraisal instrument that can form an integral part of the methodology used for validation studies. There is a need to focus on the conceptual clarity of constructs and its subsequent impact on operationalisation as a prerequisite to data reduction. This study reports on the development of the Conceptual Construct Validity Appraisal Checklist (CCVAC), based on the C-OAR-SE framework. The CCVAC assesses conceptual construct validity as the logical underpinning of instruments. The CCVAC has three sections, assessing theoretical definitions, operational definitions and scoring, respectively. The measure produces subsection and section scores and a global interpretation matrix. The construction followed a rigorous five-step process. The CCVAC was piloted on the Emotional Social Screening Tool for School Readiness (E3SR). The CCVAC performed well and appears non-sensitive to theoretical frameworks. The E3SR achieved a moderate level of construct validity as estimated by the CCVAC. The kappa statistic (0.55) indicated a moderate inter-rater agreement. All ethics principles were adhered to.</p><p><strong>Contribution: </strong>The CCVAC is theoretically grounded and provides a quantifiable methodology to objectively assess conceptual construct validity. The CCVAC makes the methodology underpinning construction explicit and produces quantifiable outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":34043,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Psychological Assessment","volume":"3 1","pages":"121"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12082252/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89884555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Adolescent hope and optimism: A scoping review of measures and their psychometric properties","authors":"Esther J. Chongwo, Ezra K. Too, Adam A. Mabrouk, Amina Abubakar","doi":"10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.137","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.137","url":null,"abstract":"There is much research examining adolescent hope and optimism, but there is limited information on the available measures, particularly the most frequently used measures and their psychometric properties. We conducted a scoping review to: (1) identify measures of hope and optimism for use among adolescents; (2) determine the most frequently used measures of adolescent hope and optimism; (3) document the psychometric properties of the identified measures. We searched five bibliographic databases and Open Grey for relevant articles published from database inception to 03 May 2023. The search included the key terms ‘adolescents’, ‘optimism’, ‘hope’ and ‘measures’. We targeted adolescents aged 10–19 years without country or gender restrictions. We identified 86 measures of optimism and 64 measures of hope for use among adolescents from 803 eligible studies. Most of the included studies (n = 341, 42.5%) originated from North America. We identified 22 most frequently used measures used across 603 (75.1%) of the included studies, with 509 (84.4%) of them providing their psychometric properties. The reported validity of the tools included face, content, construct, criterion, convergent, discriminant, predictive validity and measurement invariance. There are several measures of adolescent hope and optimism. The most frequently used measures of these constructs demonstrated sound psychometric properties, especially reliability. However, most of the evidence originates from high-income countries. There is a need for development, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of these tools to other settings.Contribution: Hope and optimism are character strengths that have been consistently linked to positive health outcomes in adolescents. Based on increasing research on adolescent hope and optimism, there have been measures developed to assess these constructs but there is no study summarising the available measures, particularly regarding the most frequently used measures and their reliability and validity across contexts. This study aimed at filling this gap. Information on this will be useful to various stakeholders to make evidence-informed choice on selection of the most relevant instrument for use in adolescents in their contexts.","PeriodicalId":34043,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Psychological Assessment","volume":"58 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135721211","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bifactor modelling and measurement invariance testing of the Innovative Behaviour Inventory","authors":"Hamfrey Sanhokwe, Willie Chinyamurindi, Joe Muzurura","doi":"10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.113","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.113","url":null,"abstract":"Innovation-driven growth demands that organisations periodically assess the innovative behaviour of employees and facilitate appropriate interventions to nurture it. Human behaviour is complex. Corporate researchers rely on standard measures to appreciate employee behaviours at work. Quality tools support decision-making by detecting gaps and creating opportunities for improvement at work. One promising measure is the Innovative Behaviour Inventory (IBI). Although the IBI was developed and validated in Europe, it can still be applied in other contexts if it exhibits adequate psychometric properties and diagnostic utility. Using a probability sample drawn from Zimbabwe, the study used bifactor analysis to assess the dimensionality of the IBI measurement model. The study assessed the measurement invariance of the IBI using multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. The study modelled the general factor of the IBI. Multiple tests confirmed the internal consistency reliability, convergent and discriminant validity of the measure. The IBI was invariant across gender groups. The IBI adds to the suite of available tools for assessing innovative work behaviour as part of a dedicated leadership excellence agenda. The IBI offers practical advantages because of its integrated, multi-faceted nature, diagnostic utility and robust psychometric properties. Periodic surveys, using the IBI, provide corporate researchers and organisational leaders with information on the quality of innovative behaviour that resides in their organisations. The IBIs invariance and ability to quantify, as summative scores, the levels of innovative behaviour enable sub-group analysis. Sub-group analytical outputs facilitate targeted interventions in the workplace.Contribution: Appreciating the quality of the IBI measurement model carries ethical and practical significance. Studies of this nature safeguard the subjects of research and promote purpose-driven corporate and scholarly work.","PeriodicalId":34043,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Psychological Assessment","volume":"67 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135988829","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Situating international histories of psychological assessment in a changed scientific landscape","authors":"David J. F. Maree","doi":"10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.142","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.142","url":null,"abstract":"No abstract available.","PeriodicalId":34043,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Psychological Assessment","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76485367","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cross-cultural cognitive assessment: Data from Africa","authors":"K. Cockcroft","doi":"10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.139","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.139","url":null,"abstract":"No abstract available.","PeriodicalId":34043,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Psychological Assessment","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"83601162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Psychometric properties of the Flourishing Scale for South African first-year students.","authors":"Karina Mostert, Leon T de Beer, Ronalda de Beer","doi":"10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.130","DOIUrl":"10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.130","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study focused on a positive construct of well-being, namely flourishing. In a multicultural and diverse country such as South Africa, it is a legal requirement to provide evidence that measures of psychological constructs, like flourishing, are fair, unbiased, and equivalent for diverse groups in the country. The aim was to test the psychometric properties of the Flourishing Scale, a purpose-made scale that measures positive functioning across various areas of life. This study tested the factorial validity, item bias, measurement invariance and reliability of the Flourishing Scale in a sample of 1088 South African first-year university students. A unidimensional structure was confirmed. Although three items showed statistically significant uniform and total bias for language and campus groups, the magnitude and practical impact were negligible. No evidence of bias across gender groups was found. Configural, metric and partial scalar invariance were established for language and campus groups. Full measurement invariance was established across gender groups. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.91, indicating high reliability. The study provided promising results for using the Flourishing Scale among South African university students to measure flourishing as an aspect of well-being.</p><p><strong>Contribution: </strong>This study contributes to the field of student well-being in South Africa. No studies could be found that test for item bias or measurement invariance of the Flourishing Scale, specifically for South African first-year students. This study is the first to test these psychometric properties of a Flourishing Scale in a multicultural setting for students from different languages.</p>","PeriodicalId":34043,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Psychological Assessment","volume":"20 1","pages":"130"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12152773/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85348386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The validity of a general factor of <i>emotional intelligence</i> in the South African context.","authors":"Xander van Lill, Anneke Stols, Pakeezah Rajab, Jani Wiggett","doi":"10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.123","DOIUrl":"10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.123","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Emotional intelligence</i> (<i>EI</i>) plays an important role in the prediction of important work-related outcomes, such as work performance. Southern African scholars frequently deploy total scores of <i>EI</i> without considering its hierarchical structure. This study investigated the presence of a general factor, as manifested among the subscales of the EQ-i 2.0, using an archival dataset of 16 581 employees in Southern Africa. Orthogonal first-order, single-factor, higher-order, oblique lower-order and bifactor models were specified to investigate the hierarchical structure of <i>EI</i>. The evidence supports the notion that a total score could be calculated for <i>EI</i> based on the EQ-i 2.0. A total <i>EI</i> score also appears to be predictive of employees' individual work performance, as measured by their managers. It might, therefore, be practically meaningful for practitioners to calculate or use a total score when making selection decisions about employees based on the EQ-i. 2.0.</p><p><strong>Contribution: </strong>The findings of the present study offer insights into the theoretical and empirical structure of EI based on statistical techniques that have not been used on the construct in the Southern African context. Concurrent validity evidence further provides additional support that an overall quantitative score, based on the EQ-i. 2.0, has utility in hiring practices, where the aim is to predict future work performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":34043,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Psychological Assessment","volume":"79 1","pages":"123"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12082208/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85501808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring the Emotional Dysregulation Scale-Short Form in isolated, confined, and extreme environments.","authors":"Charles H van Wijk","doi":"10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.119","DOIUrl":"10.4102/ajopa.v5i0.119","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Emotional Dysregulation Scale-Short Form (EDS-S) may have potential for assessing emotional dysregulation (ED) both in general clinical mental health environments and in specialised work settings. Before it can be used fairly and appropriately, evidence of its validity in the local South African (SA) context is required. This study thus explored its psychometric characteristics among local working adult samples by pursuing three specific objectives, namely, to investigate its structural validity, its construct validity, and issues around practical use (e.g. priming bias and ability to predict performance). Data were collected across four samples that comprised general workers and specialised naval personnel (total <i>N</i> = 1374), who also completed measures of clinical mental health and other adjustment difficulties. Statistical analysis included examination of socio-demographic effects, internal consistencies, confirmatory factor analysis, measurement invariance, and associations with measures of mental health and adjustment difficulties (including binomial logistic regressions and receiver operating/operator characteristics curve analyses). This study reported evidence of structural and criterion validity, with significant associations to measures of mental health and adjustment difficulties, for the 12-item EDS-S in non-clinical samples of SA workers. The study further provided preliminary support for its predictive utility in specialised work environments. Preliminary evidence of validity of the EDS-S in SA worker samples with sufficient English proficiency was demonstrated.</p><p><strong>Contribution: </strong>There is some support for the use of the EDS-S in clinical research and applied practise. However, caution must be observed for possible effects of language proficiency and further research into the role of language is required.</p>","PeriodicalId":34043,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Psychological Assessment","volume":"60 1","pages":"119"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-03-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12082231/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"82014761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}