Developing and Validating a Short-Form Questionnaire for the Assessment of Seven Facets of Conscientiousness in Large-Scale Assessments.

Conscientiousness is the most important personality predictor of academic achievement. It consists of several lower order facets with differential relations to academic achievement. There is currently no short instrument assessing facets of conscientiousness in the educational context. Therefore, in the present multi-study report, we develop and validate a short-form questionnaire for the assessment of seven Conscientiousness facets, namely Industriousness, Perfectionism, Tidiness, Procrastination Refrainment, Control, Caution, and Task Planning. To this end, we examined multiple representative samples totaling N = 14,604 Grade 9 and 10 students from Luxembourg. The questionnaire was developed by adapting and shortening an existing scale using an exhaustive search algorithm. The algorithm was specified to select the best item combination based on model fit, reliability, and measurement invariance across the German and French language versions. The resulting instrument showed the expected factorial structure. The relations of the facets with personality constructs and academic achievement were in line with theoretical assumptions. Reliability was acceptable for all facets. Measurement invariance across language versions, gender, immigration status and cohort was established. We conclude that the presented questionnaire provides a short measurement of seven facets of Conscientiousness with valid and reliable scores.

Reciprocal Relationships between Teacher Ratings of Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors in Adolescents with Different Levels of Cognitive Abilities.

Are internalizing and externalizing behavior problems interrelated via mutually reinforcing relationships (with each behavior leading to increases over time in levels of the other behavior) or mutually suppressing relationships (with each behavior leading to decreases over time in levels of the other behavior)? Past research on the directionality of these relationships has led to ambiguous results, particularly in adolescence. Furthermore, the extent to which prior results will generalize to adolescents with low levels of cognitive abilities remains unknown. This second limit is particularly important, given that these adolescents are known to present higher levels of externalizing and internalizing behaviors than their peers with average-to-high levels of cognitive abilities, and that the mechanisms involved in the reciprocal relationships between these two types of behaviors may differ across both populations. This study examines the directionality of the longitudinal relationships between externalizing and internalizing behavior problems as rated by teachers across three measurement waves (corresponding to Grades 8-10) in matched samples of 138 adolescents (34.78 % girls) with low levels of cognitive abilities and 556 adolescents (44.88 % girls) with average-to-high levels of cognitive abilities. The results showed that the measurement structure was fully equivalent across time periods and groups of adolescents, revealing high levels of developmental stability in both types of problems, and moderately high levels of cross-sectional associations. Levels of both internalizing and externalizing behaviors were higher among adolescents with low levels of cognitive abilities relative to those with average-to-high levels of cognitive abilities. Finally, the predictive analyses revealed negative reciprocal longitudinal relationships (i.e., mutually suppressing relationships) between externalizing and internalizing problems, a result that was replicated within samples of adolescents with low, and average-to-high levels of cognitive ability.

Formation of academic self-concept and intrinsic value within and across three domains: Extending the reciprocal internal/external frame of reference model.

BACKGROUND: The reciprocal internal/external frame of reference (RI/E) combines two models of academic self-concept formation, namely the reciprocal effects model (REM) and the internal/external frame of reference (I/E) model. The REM assumes reciprocal relations between achievement and academic self-concept. The I/E model assumes contrast effects between achievement and self-concept across math and verbal domains. The RI/E model can be extended to more school subjects than one math and one verbal domain, and to other motivational constructs. AIMS: We examined an extended RI/E model considering achievement, academic self-concept, and intrinsic value related to math, German and English. SAMPLE: The sample consisted of 1939 German secondary school students. METHODS: The three measurement waves covered Grades 5 to 7. Cross-lagged panel models were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Within domains, there were reciprocal relations between achievement and academic self-concept but only unidirectional relations between former achievements and later intrinsic values. Across domains, there were significant negative relations between former math achievement and later self-concepts and intrinsic values in German and English, and between former German and English achievements and later self-concept and intrinsic value in math. These findings imply contrast effects across math and verbal domains. The pattern of relations among constructs was found to be generalizable across gender and school tracks and stable across measurement waves. CONCLUSION: The study provides further support for the validity of the RI/E model and its extension to English as another school subject and intrinsic value as another motivational construct.

Personal peer victimization and ethnic peer victimization: Findings on their co-occurrence, predictors, and outcomes from a latent profile analysis.

BACKGROUND: Findings on whether immigrant students suffer from higher levels of peer victimization have been inconsistent, perhaps due to a blend of measures for personal and ethnic peer victimization. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we investigated personal and ethnic peer victimization using latent profile analyses. The profiles were related to various predictor and outcome variables. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The sample consisted of N = 4367 German elementary school students attending grades 3 and 4. METHODS: The students responded to eight items addressing personal peer victimization and one item addressing ethnic peer victimization. RESULTS: The findings indicated a three-profile solution. In Profile 1, students experienced a combination of personal and ethnic peer victimization; Profile 2 contained students without any victimization experiences; in Profile 3, students experienced personal peer victimization only. Relative to native German-speaking students, non-native German-speaking students had a higher chance to be classified in Profile 1 compared to Profiles 2 and 3. Both profiles of peer victimization (i.e., Profiles 1 and 3) were associated with negative outcomes including higher levels of different types of anxiety and depression, and lower levels of self-esteem and peer self-concept. CONCLUSIONS: Student subgroups of different patterns of peer victimization were found, whereby ethnic peer victimization was blended with personal peer victimization in one subgroup, and personal peer victimization was experienced in a pure form in another subgroup. The two victimization subgroups did not differ with regard to outcomes, but were differentially predicted by students' native language.

Mathematics Motivation in Students With Low Cognitive Ability: A Longitudinal Study of Motivation and Relations With Effort, Self-Regulation, and Grades.

Expectancy-value theory (EVT) is a popular framework to understand and improve students' motivation. Unfortunately, limited research has verified whether EVT predictions generalize to students with low levels of cognitive ability. This study relies on Grade 5 and 8 data from 177 students with low levels of cognitive ability and a matched sample of 177 students with average to high cognitive ability from the German "Project for the Analysis of Learning and Achievement in Mathematics." Results showed that students with low levels of cognitive ability were able to differentiate EVT components. Both groups demonstrated a similar downward developmental trend in motivation from early to middle adolescence, and similar relations between EVT components and levels of efforts, self-regulation, and mathematics class grades.

School attitude and perceived teacher acceptance: Developmental trajectories, temporal relations, and gender differences.

BACKGROUND: Positive school attitudes defined as students' school liking and school attachment are positively related to many desirable outcomes. Student-teacher relations have often been considered to be an important determinant of school attitudes. AIMS: Students' perceived teacher acceptance was used as an indicator for student-teacher relations. Using a longitudinal data set, we examined the developmental trajectories of school attitudes and perceived teacher acceptance. In addition, we studied the temporal relations between both constructs.. We also examined gender differences in the mean levels, mean level development, and relations of school attitudes and teacher acceptance. SAMPLE: The sample consisted of 2,376 German elementary school students. METHODS: The students rated their school attitudes and perceived teacher acceptance three times across grade levels 3-4. Latent growth curve models were used to examine the developmental trajectories of both constructs. Cross-lagged panel models were used to examine the temporal relations between both constructs. RESULTS: Positive school attitudes and perceived teacher acceptance declined across time. School attitudes and perceived teacher acceptance were positively and reciprocally related across the three waves. Boys and girls did not differ in their temporal relations between school attitudes and perceived teacher acceptance and in the developmental trajectories of both constructs. Girls were found to display higher mean levels of school attitudes and perceived teacher acceptance. CONCLUSIONS: Research and practice should seek for effective means to counteract the decline of students' positive school attitudes and perceived teacher acceptance. Interventions to foster students' school attitudes might benefit from enhancing student-teacher relations, and vice versa.

An integrated model of academic self-concept development: Academic self-concept, grades, test scores, and tracking over 6 years.

Our newly proposed integrated academic self-concept model integrates 3 major theories of academic self-concept formation and developmental perspectives into a unified conceptual and methodological framework. Relations among math self-concept (MSC), school grades, test scores, and school-level contextual effects over 6 years, from the end of primary school through the first 5 years of secondary school (a representative sample of 3,370 German students, 42 secondary schools, 50% male, M age at grade 5 = 11.75) support the (1) internal/external frame of reference model: Math school grades had positive effects on MSC, but the effects of German grades were negative; (2) reciprocal effects (longitudinal panel) model: MSC was predictive of and predicted by math test scores and school grades; (3) big-fish-little-pond effect: The effects on MSC were negative for school-average achievement based on 4 indicators (primary school grades in math and German, school-track prior to the start of secondary school, math test scores in the first year of secondary school). Results for all 3 theoretical models were consistent across the 5 secondary school years: This supports the prediction of developmental equilibrium. This integration highlights the robustness of support over the potentially volatile early to middle adolescent period; the interconnectedness and complementarity of 3 ASC models; their counterbalancing strengths and weaknesses; and new theoretical, developmental, and substantive implications at their intersections. (PsycINFO Database Record

Political efficacy in adolescence: Development, gender differences, and outcome relations.

The present study focuses on political efficacy in terms of students' competence self-perceptions related to the domain of politics. The investigation addresses the mean level development and longitudinal relations to outcome variables including gender differences. Drawing on a sample of N = 2,504 German students, political efficacy, along with meaningful outcome variables (i.e., political information behavior, political knowledge, and interest in politics), was measured at 2 measurement points, once in Grade 7 and once in Grade 10. Students' mean levels of political efficacy increased from the first to the second measurement point, and boys consistently displayed higher levels. Political efficacy demonstrated reciprocal relations to political information behavior and political knowledge, and showed a unidirectional relation to interest in politics across time. The pattern of outcome relations was invariant across gender. This study contributes to research and theory on political socialization in adolescence as it outlines temporal relations among, and gender differences in, facets of political socialization. Therefore, this study also offers new practical insights into effectively facilitating political education in adolescent students. (PsycINFO Database Record

Self-Esteem Trajectories and Their Social Determinants in Adolescents With Different Levels of Cognitive Ability.

This study examines the development of self-esteem in a sample of 138 Australian adolescents (90 males; 48 females) with cognitive abilities in the lowest 15% (L-CA) and a matched sample of 556 Australian adolescents (312 males; 244 females) with average to high levels of cognitive abilities (A/H-CA). These participants were measured annually (Grade 7 to 12). The findings showed that adolescents with L-CA and A/H-CA experience similar high and stable self-esteem trajectories that present similar relations with key predictors (sex, school usefulness and dislike, parenting, and peer integration). Both groups revealed substantial gender differences showing higher levels of self-esteem for adolescent males remaining relatively stable over time, compared to lower levels among adolescent females which decreased until midadolescence before increasing back.

Exploring sources of construct-relevant multidimensionality in psychiatric measurement: A tutorial and illustration using the Composite Scale of Morningness.

This paper illustrates a psychometric approach of broad relevance to psychiatric research instruments. Many instruments include indicators related to more than one source of true-score variance due to the: (1) assessment of conceptually adjacent constructs; (2) the presence of a global construct underlying answers to items designed to assess multiple dimensions. Exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) is naturally suited to the investigation of the first source, whereas bifactor models are particularly suited to the investigation of the second source. When both sources are present, bifactor-ESEM becomes the model of choice. To illustrate this framework, we use the responses of 1159 adults [655 female, 504 male, mean age (Mage ) = 41.84] who completed the French Version of the Composite Scale of Morningness (CSM). We investigate the factor structure of the CSM, test the relations between CSM factors and body mass index, and verify the measurement invariance of the model across gender and age groups. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Breaking the double-edged sword of effort/trying hard: Developmental equilibrium and longitudinal relations among effort, achievement, and academic self-concept.

Ever since the classic research of Nicholls (1976) and others, effort has been recognized as a double-edged sword: while it might enhance achievement, it undermines academic self-concept (ASC). However, there has not been a thorough evaluation of the longitudinal reciprocal effects of effort, ASC, and achievement, in the context of modern self-concept theory and statistical methodology. Nor have there been developmental equilibrium tests of whether these effects are consistent across the potentially volatile early-to-middle adolescence. Hence, focusing on mathematics, we evaluate reciprocal effects models (REMs) over the first 4 years of secondary school (grades 5-8), relating effort, achievement (test scores and school grades), ASC, and ASC × Effort interactions for a representative sample of 3,144 German students (Mage = 11.75 years at Wave 1). ASC, effort, and achievement were positively correlated at each wave, and there was a clear pattern of positive reciprocal positive effects among ASC, test scores, and school grades-each contributing to the other, after controlling for the prior effects of all others. There was an asymmetrical pattern of effects for effort that is consistent with the double-edged sword premise: prior school grades had positive effects on subsequent effort, but prior effort had nonsignificant or negative effects on subsequent grades and ASC. However, on the basis of a synergistic application of new theory and methodology, we predicted and found a significant ASC × Effort interaction, such that prior effort had more positive effects on subsequent ASC and school grades when prior ASC was high-thus providing a key to breaking the double-edged sword. (PsycINFO Database Record