Faculty of Education - Theses

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End date: 1979 × Start date: 1960 × Type: Masters Coursework thesis × Subject: Psychological tests × Subject: Testing ×

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    The effects of item wording on item characteristics on the state-trait anxiety inventory and the state-trait curiosity inventory
    Matthews, Tim ( 1977)
    The state/trait distinction originally identified by Cattell ard Scheier has been used as a basis for the development of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the State Trait Curiosity Inventory (STCI). Several studies have shown the state-trait distinction to be operationally meaningful in both anxiety and curiosity research. However an unexpected finding of factor analytic studies using these instruments has been the consistent emergence of a factor defined by the reversed items of the scales. Previous studies looking at this reversed items factor have offered explanations in terms such as stress level, which are external to the actual measuring instruments. Whilst the explanations offered for this occurrence were usually consistent with the data of the study, they were usually inconsistent with the explanations and findings of other studies. It seems that the only common element in studies examining the reversed items factor is the items themselves. Thus the present study has examined the characteristics of the STAI and STCI in terms of the items of the scales rather than in terms external to the instruments. Previous studies have noted that the reversed and non-reversed items characteristically display different means and variances, usually with higher means and variances associated with reversed items. Item means and variances were examined in the present study as the dependent variables, with the independent variables being the direction of item wording and the item content. The separation of direction of item wording and item content was achieved by rewording each item of the original scales to point in the opposite direction, thus providing for each item, one reversed and one non-reversed form. Ninety-six teachers' college students were randomly assigned to one of the four combinations of direction and content so produced, and their responses to the scale) provided item means and variances for each of the combinations of treatment level. A two-way analysis of variance was carried out for each scale on both the item means and the item variances so derived. The experimental design also provided for the incorporation of a validation study identical in method to the experimental study but based on a sample independent of the experimental study. It was found in two separate sets of data, that direction of item wording and item content significantly affect item means and variances, and that these factors have a significant interactive effect over and above their significant individual effects. These findings were viewed as throwing considerable doubt on the interpretation of the scales of the STAI and STCI in terms of anxiety and curiosity respectively, since these scores have been shown in the present study to be significantly affected by the actual wording of the items themselves.
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    The development and validation of an instrument to assess environmental attitudes
    Duke, Geoff ( 1976)
    This study has attempted to produce valid and reliable scales for the measurement of environmental attitudes. There have already been a great many studies published which were concerned with the assessment of various. aspects of environmental attitudes. However, few of these studies seem to have undertaken any field testing of the scales used and consequently, the , validity of the scales used may be questioned. Furthermore, very few of the tests were published, which makes it difficult for other workers to confirm the published results. A group of four scales were developed in this study and details of their validity and reliability are presented. The attitude scales were derived from a pool of Likert - type items using an oblique rotation factor analysis of the item responses of senior high school and college students. The first order factor correlation matrix was subjected to a second oblique factor analysis and the factor attitude scales were constructed on the basis of the second order factors.. These scales were then used to investigate the attitudes of students at Rusden State College. Overall it was shown that Environmental Studies students had more favourable attitudes towards the environment than non - Environmental Studies students. No significant differences could be found between the-first and third year students. This could possibly reflect the increased incidence of environmental studies programmes in schools. The scales developed in - this study could prove to be useful in the measurement of environmental attitudes. Future research work in this. area should concentrate more on the relative effects on. environmental attitudes of influences other than environmental education programmes, such as parental and home influences and personal attributes. Thus it would be possible to determine the nature of individuals who need environmental education and the relative impact of different environmental education courses on different groups of students. Also this information would aid the design of environmental education programmes so that each group of students would be presented with the most effective programme.