Structural Equation Modeling

Abandonar el tabaco

by Juan Antonio Moriano León

TOPA, Gabriela; MORIANO, Juan Antonio y MORALES, J. Francisco.
Clínica y Salud [online]. 2012, vol.23, n.1, pp. 43-61. ISSN 1130-5274.

Los meta-análisis sobre la Teoría de la conducta planificada (TCP) no se han aplicado al abandono del tabaco pese a... more Los meta-análisis sobre la Teoría de la conducta planificada (TCP) no se han aplicado al abandono del tabaco pese a que progresivamente se incrementa el número de estudios primarios. Nosotros llevamos a cabo un meta-análisis de 121 tamaños del efecto (ES) sobre la TCP y el abandono del tabaco y examinamos las influencias de cuatro potenciales variables moderadoras. Se obtuvieron ES globales con valores medios (ES = .28 para intenciónconducta, ES = .33 para control percibido-intención, ES = .29 para norma subjetiva-intención) o grandes (ES = .40 para actitud-intención). Los resultados de los análisis de moderadores mostraron que el intervalo de tiempo entre intención y conducta, la correspondencia de la escala, y la edad de los participantes moderaban el ES. Finalmente, la matriz de correlaciones conjunta fue usada como entrada para análisis de modelos de ecuaciones estructurales (SEM), poniendo a prueba un modelo más amplio. La TCP explica efectivamente la intención y la conducta de dejar de fumar.

Cross-cultural validity of the Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire: Adaptation and validation in a French-speaking sample

by Alexandre Heeren

Heeren, A., Douilliez, C., Peschard, V., Debrauwere, L., & Philippot, P. (2011). Cross-cultural consistency of the Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire: Adaptation and validation in a French sample. European Review of Applied Psychology, 61, 147-151.

Secularization and the multidimensional concept of religiosity

by Raul Tormos

presented at the conference of the International Sociological Association, Goteborg, 2010.

Structural relations between coping strategies and Burnout syndrome on health workers: A study of external and construct validity.

by Fernando Austria Corrales

The aim of this study was to validate hypothesized structural and functional relationships between coping strategies... more The aim of this study was to validate hypothesized structural and functional relationships between coping strategies and factors associated with burnout syndrome in independent samples of health workers from different hospitals and hospital care settings. We applied the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the scale of Coping with Extreme Risks adapted to the Mexican population, we analyzed the responses of 354 health workers in a tertiary hospital and 300 from a reference hospital. The samples were intentional, non-probability, quota. The group was formed by nurses, paramedics, diagnostics services, physicians and resident physicians. Results confirmed the factor structure of the instruments in the two samples and showed that the use of active coping strategies (control, information seeking, social support, among others) has protective effects on the factors associated with the syndrome (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal fulfillment at work), regardless of the sample, context and type of hospital care. We discuss the results and their implications in relation to external validity and findings in other related research.

Estrategias activas de afrontamiento: un factor protector ante el síndrome de burnout “o de desgaste profesional” en trabajadores de la salud

by Fernando Austria Corrales

Risk factors for adolescent smoking: Parental smoking and the mediating role of nicotine dependence

by Arielle (Schmidt) Selya

Co-authored with Lisa Dierker, Jennifer Rose, Donald Hedeker, and Robin Mermelstein.  In press, Drug and Alcohol Dependence (2012), doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2012.02.004

BACKGROUND: Parental smoking and early-emerging nicotine dependence symptoms are well-documented risk factors for... more BACKGROUND: Parental smoking and early-emerging nicotine dependence symptoms are well-documented risk factors for adolescent smoking. However, very little is known about the mediating pathways through which these risk factors may act, or whether parental smoking may cause or signal early-emerging nicotine dependence symptoms.

METHODS: Data were drawn from the longitudinal Social and Emotional Contexts of Adolescent Smoking Patterns Study. Adolescents who had smoked under 100 cigarettes in their lifetime (n=594; low-exposure group) and adolescents who had smoked over 100 cigarettes, but fewer than 5 cigarettes per day (n=152) were included in the analyses. Path analysis was performed on longitudinal data to investigate the association between parental smoking and smoking frequency at the 48 months follow-up, both directly and through mediating variables of smoking frequency, smoking quantity, and nicotine dependence.

RESULTS: Father's smoking was associated with higher adolescent nicotine dependence scores at the baseline assessment wave. Structural equation modeling revealed that mother's smoking at baseline was associated with adolescent's smoking frequency at the 48-month follow-up, and its effect was partially mediated by both smoking frequency and nicotine dependence among low-exposure adolescent smokers.

CONCLUSIONS: Parental smoking is a risk factor for future smoking in low-exposure adolescent smokers, above and beyond the risks posed by smoking behavior and nicotine dependence. Moreover, parental smoking is associated with early-onset nicotine dependence in low-exposure adolescent smokers. As an easily measureable risk factor, parent smoking status can be used to identify and intervene with novice adolescent smokers who are at high risk for chronic smoking behavior.

A graphical method for assessing the identification of linear structural equation models

by Paolo Eusebi

Eusebi P
Structural Equation Modeling, 15 (3), 403-412

A graphical method is presented for assessing the state of identifiability of the parameters in a linear structural... more A graphical method is presented for assessing the state of identifiability of the parameters in a linear structural equation model based on the associated directed graph. We do not restrict attention to recursive models. In the recent literature, methods based on graphical models have been presented as a useful tool for assessing the state of identifiability of the parameters of the model. This article proposes the graphical counterpart of the rank condition of the matrix of structural coefficients, which allows for checking of the identifiability through a simple graphical rule. This approach can be used to develop algorithms.

An Exploratory Study of Brand Success: Evidence From the Food Industry

by Nebojsa Davcik, Ph.D.

Journal of International Food & Agribusiness Marketing

Volume 24, Issue 1, 91-109; 2012

with Jonas Rundquist

The goal of this research is to identify drivers that influence the brand success, in order to develop a more... more The goal of this research is to identify drivers that influence the brand success, in order to develop a more effective business strategy. An abductive theory approach is adopted and food managers from Italy and Sweden were questioned. The authors modeled the eight correlated first-order factors, using seven independent variables and the dependent variable brand success. The variance-based structural equation modeling approach (partial least square [PLS] algorithm) have been applied. This study provides insight and empirical evidence on brand success. The findings can be employed as more effective brand strategies in a sector that has been under-investigated in academic literature and practice.

Factors of stickiness in transfers of know-how between MNC units

by Hamed Qahri Saremi

The journal of strategic information systems, 2012.

The effective sharing of organizational knowledge is particularly relevant for multinational corporations, where... more The effective sharing of organizational knowledge is particularly relevant for multinational corporations, where firm-specific tacit knowledge (know-how) is considered a source of competitive advantage for subsidiaries participating in a global strategy. To that end, multinational corporations (MNCs) are asking their IT departments to support both the exploitation of existing knowledge and the unit-to-unit transfer of new know-how derived in units from exploration. Nonetheless, new know-how derived from exploratory research, development and experience in one unit can be difficult to transfer to units that can exploit that know-how to commercial ends. The factors that impede the transfer of new know-how have been conceptualized as “factors of stickiness”. In this paper, we present a theoretical model of organizational factors that can cause (or conversely mitigate) stickiness in the flow of new know-how between MNC units. To test the six hypotheses of the model, we used meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) of 31 empirical studies, representing 10,432 cases of new know-how transfer between units. The result of MASEM shows that the factors of receiving units’ potential absorptive capacity and transmission channel in form of social capital that is enacted through its three dimensions (i.e., embedded social ties between units, institutional shared vision of units, and interorganizational trust of units) affect recipient subsidiaries’ capability to exploit new know-how in practice (i.e., realized absorptive capacity), thus effectuating its transfer. Based on our findings, we propose research directions within the context of agile information systems development, distributed software projects, and management of information systems functions in MNCs.

Virtual Collaborative R&D Teams in Malaysia Manufacturing SMEs

by Nader Ale Ebrahim نادر آل ابراهیم

ALE EBRAHIM, N., AHMED, S., ABDUL RASHID, S. H., TAHA, Z. & WAZED, M. A. 2012. Virtual Collaborative R&D Teams in Malaysia Manufacturing SMEs. Advanced Materials Research, 433-440, 1653-1659.

This paper presents the results of empirical research conducted during March to September 2009. The study focused on... more This paper presents the results of empirical research conducted during March to September 2009. The study focused on the influence of virtual research and development (R&D) teams within Malaysian manufacturing small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The specific objective of the study is better understanding of the application of collaborative technologies in business, to find the effective factors to assist SMEs to remain competitive in the future. The paper stresses to find an answer for a question “Is there any relationship between company size, Internet connection facility and virtuality?”. The survey data shows SMEs are now technologically capable of performing the virtual collaborative team, but the infrastructure usage is less. SMEs now have the necessary technology to begin the implementation process of collaboration tools to reduce research and development (R&D) time, costs and increase productivity. So, the manager of R&D should take the potentials of virtual teams into account.

Technology Use in the Virtual R&D Teams

by Nader Ale Ebrahim نادر آل ابراهیم

ALE EBRAHIM, N., AHMED, S., ABDUL RASHID, S. H. & TAHA, Z. 2012. Technology Use in the Virtual R&D Teams. American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 5, 9-14.

Problem statement: Although, literature proves the importance of the technology role in the effectiveness of virtual... more Problem statement: Although, literature proves the importance of the technology role in the effectiveness of virtual Research and Development (R&D) teams for new product development. However, the factors that make technology construct in a virtual R&D team are still ambiguous. The manager of virtual R&D teams for new product development does not know which type of technology should be used. Approach: To address the gap and answer the question, the study presents a set of factors that make a technology construct. The proposed construct modified by finding of the field survey (N = 240). We empirically examine the relationship between construct and its factors by employing the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). A measurement model built base on the 19 preliminary factors that extracted from literature review. The result shows 10 factors out of 19 factors maintaining to make technology construct. Results: These 10 technology factors can be grouped into two constructs namely Web base communication and Web base data sharing. The findings can help new product development managers of enterprises to concentrate in the main factors for leading an effective virtual R&D team. In addition, it provides a guideline for software developers as well. Conclusion: The second and third generation technologies are now more suitable for developing new products through virtual R&D teams.

Factors That Affect Mathematics Science (MS) Scores in the Secondary Education Institutional Exam: An Application of Structural Equation Modeling

by Halil Eksi

Mustafa YAVUZ
Educational Sciences: Th eory & Practice
9 (3) • Summer 2009 • 1557-1572

Discovering what determines students’ success in the Secondary Education Institutional
Exam is very important to... more Discovering what determines students’ success in the Secondary Education Institutional
Exam is very important to parents and it is also critical for students, teachers, directors,
and researchers. Research was carried out by studying the related literature and structural
equation modeling techniques. A structural model was created that consisted of students’
mathematics and science scores used by the College of Science Schools in addition to family
income, attendance at private test preparatory courses, and parents’ educational levels.
Th e study’s population consisted of 23,895 students who took the Secondary Education
Institutional Exam in Konya/Turkey. Th e study sample consisted of 310 randomly selected
students from the study population. Th e results show that parents’ educational levels
have a direct eff ect, and that increased incomes due to both the father’s educational level
and a preparatory course attendance have indirect eff ects on mathematics-science scores.

Spiritual Leadership and Organizational Culture: A Study of Structural Equation Modeling

by Halil Eksi

Engin KARADAĞ
Educational Sciences: Th eory & Practice
9 (3) • Summer 2009 • 1391-1405

Th e aim of this study is to test the spiritual leadership behaviors of school principles in a
structural... more Th e aim of this study is to test the spiritual leadership behaviors of school principles in a
structural equation model. Th e study is designed to test causality with the assumption that
causality exists between the two variables. In this study, spiritual leadership behavior of
managers is treated as the independent variable whereas the organizational culture is the
dependent variable in the model. Population of this research is 2447 primary school teachers
who were working in 32 primary schools in Ataşehir-Istanbul/Turkey. Sampling group
consists of 359 voluntary teachers defined with (layer) cluster sampling method according
to three income levels (high-mid-low). Data are collected in two scales which were
originally developed by researcher. Th e Spiritual leadership scale consisted of two components
and five subscales (performance: commitment, vision, productive and attendance: belonging,
believe). Th e Organizational Culture Scale consisted of four subscales (managerial,
social, value and aim). In order to test the structural equity model designed in the research,
path coeff icients and defined relations between implied and observed variables are
used. Findings show that attendance highly aff ects performance and, in turn, performance
aff ects school culture at the mid-level. It is suggested that the perception of spiritual leadership
be improved in structural equation models in future studies.

Investigation of Factors Influencing Turkey’s Pisa 2006 Science Achievement with Structural Equation Modelling

by Halil Eksi

Duygu ANIL
Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice - 11(3) • Summer • 1261-1266

This study aims, in line with PISA (Programmes for International Students’ Achievement Evaluation) 2006, at... more This study aims, in line with PISA (Programmes for International Students’ Achievement Evaluation) 2006, at constructing a structural equation model between variables considered to be associated with 15 year old Turkish students’ science achievement scores and their responses to students questionnaire. In this sense, this is a relational research study. In data analysis, having identified the observed variables and the covered variables, the variables thought to predict science achievement and the relations holding between them were determined; and thus the extent to which the recommended pattern of relations was compatible with the real data was shown. On examining the structural equation modeling closely, it was found that the variable predicting students’ science achievement best and the most significant factor determining achievement
was “time”. The other factors predictive of science achievement were found to be “the environment”, “education” and “attitudes”, respectively.

The consequences of predicting scientific impact in psychology using journal impact factors.

by Peter Hegarty

Co-authored with Zoe Walton
Published as Hegarty, P., & Walton, Z. (2012).  The consequences of predicting scientific impact in psychology using journal impact factors.  Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7,  72-78

An academic journal’s impact factor (hereafter JIF) is an average measure of the citation count of individual articles... more An academic journal’s impact factor (hereafter JIF) is an average measure of the citation count of individual articles published in
that journal. JIF is used to assess merit, predict impact, and allocate resources, but the actual number of citations to individual articles is only modestly correlated with the JIFs of the journals in which they are published. We counted PsycInfo citations to 1,133 articles published in nine leading psychology journals (1996–2005). Both article length (r =.31) and reference list length (r = .41) predicted log-transformed citation counts better than JIF (r = .27). Articles with fewer graphs and more structural equation models were more frequently cited. Citation count was better predicted by a model based on article length and citation count rather than JIF. When JIF was used to predict citation count, the impact of women authors and social science
research was underestimated. These findings distinguish impact in science, as measured by JIF, from actual impact in psychology, and they show the unintended consequences of using a measure of the former to predict the latter. 

Psychometric Properties of the Satisfaction with Life Scale among Turkish University Students, Correctional Officers, and Elderly Adults

by Mithat Durak

Key Words: Satisfaction with Life Scale, SWLS, university students, elderly, correctional officers, confirmatory factor analysis, reliability, concurrent validity, discriminant validity, multi-group comparison

This study aims to extensively examine the psychometric properties of adapted version of the Satisfaction with Life... more This study aims to extensively examine the psychometric properties of adapted version of the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) in different Turkish samples. In order to test the psychometric properties of the SWLS three separate and independent samples are utilized in this study, namely university students (n = 547), correctional officers (n = 166), and elderly adults (n = 123). Concerning the reliability of the scale, internal consistency and item-total correlation coefficients are found to be satisfactory for all three samples. As for the validity studies, concurrent validity of the scale is supported in all three samples by revealing the association of SWLS with conceptually related measures, which included depression, self-esteem, positive affect and negative affect, work stress, and monthly income measures. Discriminant validity is examined only in the sample of university students, and SWLS revealed a non-significant correlation with a conceptually unrelated construct (i.e., willingness to self-censor). Consistent with the original scale, a single-factor solution model reveals an adequate fit in all three different samples. Furthermore, confirmatory factor analysis with multi-group comparisons performed demonstrates that SWLS has the same theoretical structure for three different groups on the basis of a single-factor solution model. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.

Testing the psychometric properties of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ) in Turkish university students and community samples

by Mithat Durak

Key Words: Ways of Coping Questionnaire, Psychometric Properties, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Cross-Cultural

Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ) has been extensively used to assess coping styles in the clinical or non-clinical... more Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ) has been extensively used to assess coping styles in the clinical or non-clinical context. The present study investigates the psychometric properties of WCQ in Turkish culture and attempts to get its shorter version by using three separate and independent samples (two groups of university students and one community sample). The constructive study was conducted with a sample of full-time university students (N = 472) and it indicated that the most relevant factor structure was seven-factor model. The factors were planful problem-solving, seeking refuge in supernatural forces, keep to self, seeking social support, seeking refuge in fate, escape/avoidance and accepting responsibility. After that, confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the adequacy of these factors with two different samples. Study 1 was conducted with a sample of university students (N = 485) and Study 2 was conducted with a sample of community (N = 416). Results demonstrated that seven-factor solution revealed better results in both samples in terms of goodness of fit indexes in confirmatory factor analysis. The results of reliability and validity analysis revealed that psychometric properties of WCQ were acceptable. In addition to getting shorter version of WCQ, the present study enhances cross-cultural information that increases awareness about the coping styles in a non-western culture.



Key Practitioners Message

Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ) is a feasible measure especially for non-native clinicians to understand the client's coping styles by exploring and being sensitive to his/her cultural values in order to establish therapeutic alliance throughout the therapy assess.
Turkish version of WCQ includes specifi c dimensions of seeking refuge in fate and supernatural forces.
Clinicians can assess behavioural as well as cognitive responses of coping behaviours by WCQ.
WCQ can be used to identify focal point of the therapy when dealing with depression, negative affect and self esteem problems of Turkish clients.

The Mediator Roles of Life Satisfaction and Self-Esteem between the Affective Components of Psychological Well-Being and the Cognitive Symptoms of Problematic …

by Mithat Durak

Key Words: Problematic Internet use, Cognitions, Positive affect, Negative affect, Life satisfaction, Self-esteem

The factors associated with cognitions about problematic Internet use have been empirically tested in various studies.... more The factors associated with cognitions about problematic Internet use have been empirically tested in various studies. The aim of the present study was to examine the mediator roles of both life satisfaction and self-esteem between affective components of subjective well-being and cognitions about problematic Internet use. For this purpose, the model that was conceptualized by Davis (Comput Human Behav 17:187–195, 2001), Caplan (Comput Human Behav 18:553–575 2002), and Lent et al. (J Vocat Behav 74:190–198 2009) was modified and used as the theoretical framework for this study. The impacts of life satisfaction and self-esteem on the association between affective components of psychological well-being (positive and negative) and cognitions about problematic Internet use were tested by using structural equation modeling (SEM) in a sample of 480 Turkish university students. The results reveal that by playing a mediator role, self-esteem impacted positive/negative affect and life satisfaction and, hence, indirectly influenced cognitions about problematic Internet use. Examining the roles of self-esteem and subjective well-being will provide a new starting point for further studies.

Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Emotional Approach Coping Scale in Turkish University Students and Community Members

by Mithat Durak

Key Words: Emotional approach coping, Emotional expression, Emotional processing, Confirmatory factor analysis, Reliability, Validity, Multi-group comparisons

To evaluate emotional approach coping, including the dimensions of emotional processing and emotional expression, the... more To evaluate emotional approach coping, including the dimensions of emotional processing and emotional expression, the Emotional Approach Coping Scale (EACS) is frequently used. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of situational EACS among Turkish participants (n = 557), including university students (n = 283) and community members (n  = 274). The results revealed that a two-factor model showed significant goodness of fit for confirmatory factor analysis. Furthermore, multi-group comparisons based on sample groups (university students and community members) and gender groups demonstrated no significant differences between the constrained and unconstrained models. In addition to sufficient reliability of the EACS, the concurrent and discriminant validity of the scale were supported by association of the EACS with state anxiety and social desirability. The theoretical and practical implications of this study are discussed.

Procurement and Contract Management in the Public Sector: A Quantitative Study on Management Practice

by Fei Peng

Resubmission in Public Administration:An International Quarterly

As outsourcing proceeds apace, effective public sector management is, to an increasing extent, becoming effective... more As outsourcing proceeds apace, effective public sector management is, to an increasing extent, becoming effective procurement and contract management. However, there is no consensus on what constitutes this. In particular, a debate exists over the extent to which public bodies should trust their private sector suppliers. In this article, the authors cast light on this debate by presenting quantitative evidence from 180 contracts. The evidence is used to assess whether a cautious approach to procurement and contract management, one that downplays (although does not dismiss) the role of trust, is (a) justified by the levels of supplier opportunism faced by public bodies and (b) credible in terms of dealing with that opportunism. The evidence is also used to compare public sector practice to that found in the private sector. The evidence is, at times, inconsistent, but suggests that a cautious approach is worthy of consideration by public sector managers.