scholarly journals Factors and Influences Contributing to the College/University Selection: A Study of Private Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) in Oman

TEM Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 908-915
Author(s):  
Niraj Mishra ◽  
S.L Gupta

HEI selection is an important decision for all aspiring students of higher education and it affects the commitment, motivation to study and career prospects. The present study investigates the factors responsible for student selection of different colleges and universities across Oman. Data has been collected through questionnaire which was both distributed physically and through online mode to students of three private universities and nine private colleges in Oman. The sample size was 300 and consisted of foundation and first year students in diploma and undergraduate courses. The scale items were subjected to reliability and validity checks. Reliability of scale has been tested using “Cronbach alpha”, “rho_a” and “composite reliability”. The Average Variance Extracted (AVE) was used to test both convergent and discriminant validity of scale. In the present study SmartPLS was used to test the research hypothesis. The relationships between Fixed College Characteristics and HEI selection decision; College Efforts to Communicate and HEI selection decision; Student Characteristics and HEI selection decision, are found to be significant (t >1.96 at p <0.05). However there is no significant relationship between External Influence and HEI selection decision.

Author(s):  
Inmaculada-Concepción Jemes-Campaña ◽  
Rita-Pilar Romero-Galisteo ◽  
María-Teresa Labajos-Manzanares ◽  
Pablo Gálvez-Ruiz ◽  
Noelia Moreno-Morales

Evaluating the service quality in early intervention (EI) from the perspective of professionals with knowledge in this area is essential for the improvement of EI centres. In this study, we aimed to test the reliability and validity of the adapted Inventory of Quality in Early Intervention Centres-P (IQEIC-P) in a sample of professionals who worked in EI centres. Three hundred and twenty-four professionals of 85 EI Spanish centres were recruited for this research. Various psychometric analyses were used to evaluate the factorial structure, the internal consistency, factorial validity and construct validity. A 5-dimension structure was obtained in the exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The results showed an adequate internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha values between 0.71 and 0.83, and composite reliability (CR) values higher than 0.70), as well as satisfactory convergent and discriminant validity (average variance extracted (AVE) values above 0.50). In the confirmatory factor analysis, good model fit indicators were observed. The IQEIC-P showed adequate psychometric properties, demonstrating to be a valid instrument for the evaluation of service quality in EI centres from the perspective of professionals. The benefits will influence the professionals themselves, and they will have a positive and direct impact on the families that are attended to in these centres.


Assessment ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Watson ◽  
Ericka Nus ◽  
Kevin D. Wu

The Faceted Inventory of the Five-Factor Model (FI-FFM) is a comprehensive hierarchical measure of personality. The FI-FFM was created across five phases of scale development. It includes five facets apiece for neuroticism, extraversion, and conscientiousness; four facets within agreeableness; and three facets for openness. We present reliability and validity data obtained from three samples. The FI-FFM scales are internally consistent and highly stable over 2 weeks (retest rs ranged from .64 to .82, median r = .77). They show strong convergent and discriminant validity vis-à-vis the NEO, the Big Five Inventory, and the Personality Inventory for DSM-5. Moreover, self-ratings on the scales show moderate to strong agreement with corresponding ratings made by informants ( rs ranged from .26 to .66, median r = .42). Finally, in joint analyses with the NEO Personality Inventory–3, the FI-FFM neuroticism facet scales display significant incremental validity in predicting indicators of internalizing psychopathology.


Author(s):  
Yoshiaki Obara

Many Japanese private higher education institutions also face a risk of falling into the "losing group." It seems that small/rural colleges end up receiving less extra income from admissions over the tei-in (the quota for first-year students) level. This loss creates less scholarship money for capable students. The small/rural institutions are likely to lose prospective students as a negative cycle works against them. This tendency, in turn, augments the opportunities available to large, metropolitan higher education institutions. In Japan, a clear division is anticipated, with the larger institutions getting much larger and the smaller and rural ones getting much smaller. This is a hard fact that we will face in the foreseeable future.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 426-439 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghazala Khan ◽  
Faiza Khan

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to develop and validate a measurement scale for determining the “Halalness” of restaurants and related behaviour among Muslim consumers in the absence of the halal logo. The study responded to scholarly calls for further research in exploring the consumption practices of Muslims.Design/methodology/approachThe scale was developed and validated using a rigorous methodology recommended in the scale development literature. The study used a total sample of 438 (66 respondents for pilot study, 208 for exploratory survey and 164 for the confirmatory survey) to collect the data. Reliability and validity of the measurement scale was established through average variance extracted, Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability, critical ratios and discriminant validity.FindingsThe results from the exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory analysis propose a three-dimensional measurement scale with 14 items for establishing the “Halalness” of restaurants and including social servicescape; neighbourhood and behaviour.Research limitations/implicationsThe study was unable to validate a number of cues and behaviour such as the presence of images in the restaurant or consumer responses to the presence of alcohol. The researchers are therefore encouraged to test these cues.Originality/valueThe study addresses a gap in Islamic literature, and it is among the first to provide conceptualisation and empirically validate a scale for measuring the “Halalness” of restaurants. The scale was tested and validated based on samples drawn from two different countries, thereby allowing for generalizability.


2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin Koffel

This study examined the reliability and validity of an expanded version of the Iowa Sleep Disturbances Inventory (ISDI; Koffel & Watson, 2010) in 2 samples (219 college students and 200 psychiatric patients). The expanded ISDI includes the scales of Sleep Paralysis and Sleep Hallucinations. These scales, along with the Nightmares scale, help define a higher order factor entitled Unusual Sleep Experiences. This factor was distinct from the factors of Insomnia and Lassitude that were reported previously. The expanded ISDI showed strong evidence of convergent and discriminant validity with the corresponding interview ratings on a clinician rating version of the ISDI. Mean convergent correlations were .68 in students and .70 in patients. Convergent correlations were significantly higher than discriminant correlations in 99.8% of the 624 comparisons. This study also reports the associations of higher order sleep factors with questionnaire and interview measures of pathological symptoms (e.g., depression, anxiety, dissociation, and schizotypy). The Lassitude factor was specific to dysphoria, whereas the Unusual Sleep Experiences factor was specific to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociation. Finally, several ISDI scales showed strong evidence of specificity in relation to pathological symptoms; in particular, there were strong associations between (a) ISDI Fatigue and measures of dysphoria, (b) ISDI Nightmares and measures of PTSD, and (c) ISDI Sleep Hallucinations and measures of dissociation.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (13) ◽  
pp. 1785-1795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia DiMillo ◽  
Nathan C Hall ◽  
Hélène Ezer ◽  
Ralf Schwarzer ◽  
Annett Körner

The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Received Support Scale of the Berlin Social Support Scales in a Canadian sample of English and French language melanoma patients ( N = 137). Participants received a skin self-examination education and completed self-report questionnaires. Exploratory factor analyses, reliability analyses, and independent samples t-tests were conducted. Findings support the unidimensionality of the Received Support Scale of the Berlin Social Support Scales. The psychometric similarities of the French and English versions of the scale, its strong internal consistency, as well as its convergent and discriminant validity support the use of the Received Support Scale of the Berlin Social Support Scales in patients with melanoma.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-246
Author(s):  
Youngshin Song ◽  
Moonhee Gang ◽  
Misook Jung

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Barriers or Facilitators to Using Research in Practice (BARRIERS) scale for use in Korea. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used with 364 nurses working in clinical settings. Item analysis was conducted and convergent and discriminant validity were evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency reliability was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a 4-factor structure with 25 items that explained 62.9% of the variance. Convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed as examining the factor loading, average variance extracted, and composite reliability. The values of factor loading for 25 items were having higher estimate than criterion and the average variance extracted value for 4 factors ranged from .575 to .667. The Cronbach’s alpha was .90 for the 25 items. Conclusion: The Korean version of the 25-item BARRIERS scale was a reliable and valid scale to measure barriers to research use in Korean health care settings. Based on this psychometric evaluation, research barriers and its associated factors will be investigated using the Korean version of the BARRIERS scale in further study.


2012 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregory S. Chasson ◽  
Suqin Tang ◽  
Bradley Gray ◽  
Hongwei Sun ◽  
Jianping Wang

Background: There has been an increased effort to understand the nature of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in non-Western cultures. In particular, growing research has examined OCD in China, but there are no comprehensive instruments that measure both OCD severity and heterogeneity for characterizing samples. Aims: A validated, comprehensive measure that could be used in China would provide researchers with a useful instrument for evaluating severity and heterogeneity of OCD in a non-Western culture, allowing researchers to better understand the universal and cultural components that play a role in the nature of OCD. Method: The current investigation presents data on the reliability and validity of a Mandarin translation of the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (CH-OCI) using both a student (n = 1950) and clinical sample (n = 50 patients with OCD; n = 50 patients with anxiety as a comparison group). Results: Results support the factor structure, convergent and discriminant validity, criterion-related validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency of the CH-OCI. Conclusions: Validation of the instrument permits researchers and clinicians to measure OCD presentation in Mandarin-speaking samples.


F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 256
Author(s):  
Hyemin Han ◽  
Kelsie J. Dawson ◽  
YeEun Rachel Choi ◽  
Youn-Jeng Choi ◽  
Andrea L. Glenn

Background: Moral Growth Mindset (MGM) is a belief about whether one can become a morally better person through efforts. Prior research showed that MGM is positively associated with promotion of moral motivation among adolescents and young adults. We developed and tested the English version of the MGM measure in this study with data collected from college student participants. Methods: In Study 1, we tested the reliability and validity of the MGM measure with two-wave data (N = 212, Age mean = 24.18 years, SD = 7.82 years). In Study 2, we retested the construct validity of the MGM measure once again and its association with other moral and positive psychological indicators to test its convergent and discriminant validity (N = 275, Age mean = 22.02 years, SD = 6.34 years). Results: We found that the MGM measure was reliable and valid from Study 1. In Study 2, the results indicated that the MGM was well correlated with other moral and positive psychological indicators as expected. Conclusions: We developed and validated the English version of the MGM measure in the present study. The results from studies 1 and 2 supported the reliability and validity of the MGM measure. Given these, we found that the English version of the MGM measure can well measure one’s MGM as we intended.


F1000Research ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 256
Author(s):  
Hyemin Han ◽  
Kelsie J. Dawson ◽  
YeEun Rachel Choi ◽  
Youn-Jeng Choi ◽  
Andrea L. Glenn

Background: Moral Growth Mindset (MGM) is a belief about whether one can become a morally better person through efforts. Prior research showed that MGM is positively associated with promotion of moral motivation among adolescents and young adults. We developed and tested the English version of the MGM measure in this study with data collected from college student participants. Methods: In Study 1, we tested the reliability and validity of the MGM measure with two-wave data (N = 212, Age mean = 24.18 years, SD = 7.82 years). In Study 2, we retested the construct validity of the MGM measure once again and its association with other moral and positive psychological indicators to test its convergent and discriminant validity (N = 275, Age mean = 22.02 years, SD = 6.34 years). Results: We found that the MGM measure was reliable and valid from Study 1. In Study 2, the results indicated that the MGM was well correlated with other moral and positive psychological indicators as expected. Conclusions: We developed and validated the English version of the MGM measure in the present study. The results from studies 1 and 2 supported the reliability and validity of the MGM measure. Given this, we found that the English version of the MGM measure can measure one’s MGM as we intended.


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