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PurposeWe surveyed educational leaders in a large, urban school district in the southeastern United States, examining: (1) the factor structure of scores from a new measure of administrators' preferred teacher applicant characteristics, and (2) the relationships between administrator demographics and their preferences.Design/methodology/approachWe implemented a non-experimental, cross-sectional survey design using the Preferred Teacher Applicant Characteristics Survey (PTACS). We undertook descriptive and exploratory factor analyses in order to examine dimensions and underlying patterns among the 31 survey items. The retained factors served as the dependent variables in our multiple regression analyses.FindingsWe identified a four-factor structure: (1) personal, (2) professional, (3) student outcomes, and (4) demographics. Our analyses suggest that there was not meaningful variability in administrators' preferred characteristics of applicants across racial and gender variables, but revealed a significant difference between principals and assistant principals for applicant demographics.Research limitations/implicationsOur findings are limited in their generalizability to the respondents from a single urban district who completed our survey in spring 2018. Although we cannot establish causation, the significant difference between principals and assistant principals for demographics may result from principals feeling greater pressure from district targets to hire diverse staff than their assistant principal counterparts. It is important to note that preferences for teacher applicant characteristics are different from actual hiring decisions and the availability of preferred characteristics.Originality/valueOur study is the first large-scale use of the instrument in a large US urban school district, a context, which poses significant challenges to the education of youth as well as the hiring and retention of educators.

This study examined the factor structure of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory and the gender differences in masculinity and femininity among high school students (N = 379) in a Midwestern state in the U.S. Principal component analyses suggested a three-factor model (Femininity, Personal Masculinity, and Social Masculinity). Findings also showed that females in this study rated their femininity and masculinity significantly higher than males. When compared to the means reported in existing studies, males in this study had significantly lower ratings of their masculinity, while females had a significantly higher means on masculinity than the female sample in Bem’s 1974 study. Implications for school counselors and counseling researchers are discussed.

We surveyed principals and assistant principals in 12 suburban and rural school districts in Kentucky in order to identify the underlying dimensions of the Preferred Teacher Applicant Chara...

Utilizing both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, this study examined the factor structure of scores from the Korean version of the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), based on data from 925 Korean college students. The current findings provide evidence that resilience, as measured by the BRS, is unidimensional as originally conceptualized.

This meta-analysis of five studies examined the effect of school-based intervention programs on psychosocial well-being of gifted racial/ethnic minority students in K–12 school settings. Analyses determined the overall effect sizes for various intervention programs and compared the effect sizes for subgroups by grade (i.e., elementary vs. secondary) and program developer (i.e., local district vs. national institution). Results indicated a significant impact of school-based intervention programs on students’ psychosocial well-being overall. The impact did not significantly differ by grade or program developer. The significance of these results is discussed.

The two main objectives of this study were to examine the relationship between high school student (9th – 12th) gender and nontraditional career and technical education (CTE) course taking, and the combined effects of gender and program area on estimated future wage earnings for male and female CTE completers. A Midwestern state CTE database (143,510 male and 125,562 female students) designed to fulfill the data collection requirements mandated by the Perkins IV legislation was utilized to answer the two research questions. Findings from logistic regression showed that gender was a statistically significant predictor of nontraditional course taking pattern, with males taking more nontraditional courses than females. Findings from factorial analysis of variance indicated that the effect of gender on estimated future wage earnings measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics was largely dependent on program area. These findings collectively suggest that although gender pattern in CTE course taking still exists, gender wage gap may be decreasing. Implications of these findings as they relate to educational policy and occupational gender segregation perspective are discussed.

There has been tremendous growth of women’s community organizations over the past 40 years. The aims and efforts for these organizations range from educational, financial, medical, and human services, to career and professional development. While the span of interests and causes varies, the commonality these groups share is the quest to have positive impact on the lives of women in local communities. This study assesses types and levels of collaboration occurring among women’s community organizations in a midwestern city in the US. The Theory of Reasoned Action is used to explain attitudes about knowledge sharing and collaboration. Results reveal that there is a link between a positive attitude toward collaboration and an intention to share knowledge. Furthermore, factors such as perception of reciprocity and perception of low barriers to collaboration are significantly associated with knowledge sharing attitudes.

This content analysis presents an overview of single-case-specific articles published between 2003 and 2014 in 20 American Counselling Association (ACA) journals. In addition to the frequency of single-case design articles, contributors and their affiliation, methodological design, participant populations, and topics of interest and application settings are analysed.

To promote the academic success of middle school students, the authors examined the effects of computer uses on mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics performance of students, paying focused attention to immigrant students. They analysed the effects of computer use for schoolwork and gaming of middle school students applying a Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) USA. The results showed that when students frequently used computer for schoolwork, they revealed high mathematics self-efficacy, which in turn led to high mathematics performance. On the other hand, the students that used computer for gaming frequently indicated low mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics performance. The authors' study results highlight the importance of guiding students to use computers properly, which is directly and indirectly associated with students' self-efficacy and performance in mathematics.

The goal of the study was to provide empirical findings on the effects of different types of parents’ school involvement (PSI) on their children's mathematics performance. For PSI, we explored parent participation in parent–teacher conferences, voluntary parental involvement in school activities, parent informal contact with school or teachers, and parental phone contact with school or teachers. In addition, we paid focused attention to families of linguistic and racial minority groups who may have different dynamics of PSI for children's schooling and academic achievement. We conducted comprehensive descriptive statistics and multilevel longitudinal modelling using a nationally representative database, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-K), to establish study conclusions with high validity and generalizability. The results showed that four different types of PSI had differential effects for different linguistic and racial groups. The study findings have practical suggestions and implications fo...

Drawing upon prior research, we identify strategic value and transaction effectiveness as two significant HRD contributions and examine their dyadic effect on leadership and people management practices, and influence on firm performance. Results of path analysis on 138 participants supported the dyadic effect hypothesis. More significantly, we found leadership and people management practices as a significant predictor on the relationship between strategic value and organizational performance, which suggests that organizational performance is affected by the combined effect of leadership and people management practices. A key implication of this research is that where organizations had effective leadership and people management practices, both types of HRD contributions – strategic value and transaction effectiveness – significantly enhanced firm performance.

The rationale behind establishing a strong professional identity in counseling includes increasing the likelihood of ethical performances, an advanced awareness of counseling roles, and, ultimately, a better chance for the profession to survive. Scholars have underscored the importance of developing a unified professional identity, but have yet to do so in a way that has generated widespread support. This article presents a review of the literature detailing efforts to define professional identity and its components.

This study tested the oblique four-factor model of the Gender Role Conflict Scale for a sample of gay men and lesbian women residing in the United States. 400 gay men and 292 lesbian women recruited from university and college gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender LISTSERVs participated. The internal consistency reliability of the Gender Role Conflict Scale scores was high, but low means on the expressive dimension of gender role conflict were noted. The results of two separate sets of confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the four-factor model's fit to the data could be enhanced for both groups by applying item parceling to lower the number of indicators per factor, suggesting that the actual structural validity of the Gender Role Conflict Scale may be better than suggested by the reported fit indices.

Role ambiguity was examined as a moderator of occupational self-efficacy and job satisfaction on the basis of the data obtained from 280 employees of U.S. housing finance agencies in four states. The interaction effect was found to be small but significant. The practical implications of role ambiguity at different levels of occupational self-efficacy were discussed. The value of reducing role ambiguity is higher for those who have low self-efficacy The theoretical implications of the findings support the inclusion of dispositional and situational interactions in research regarding job satisfaction.

Perceived job fit typically encompasses an employee's suitability for the requirements of the job or the culture and values of the organization. This view of job fit overlooks another suitability judgment made by employees in which contribution to the organization is compared with the rewards received in return. Cable and DeRue referred to this type of fit as needs–supplies fit in their 2002 study. To distinguish needs–supply fit from the two more commonly examined types of fit, person–organization fit and person–job fit, the researchers developed the Perceived Fit Scale (PFS). The purpose of the current study was to examine the psychometric properties of the PFS by evaluating its reliability, concurrent validity, and factor structure via confirmatory factor analysis. Three hundred and seventeen certified public accountants participated in the study. The factor analysis results showed that the final model in this study was similar to the factor structure of the PFS reported by the developers, thus providing further support for need–supply fit as a viable dimension of perceived job fit.

The short form of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) contains half as many items as the long form and yet has often demonstrated better reliability and validity. This study uses exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic methods to examine the structure of the short form of the BSRI. A structure noted elsewhere also emerged here, consisting of two masculine factors and a single feminine factor. The three-factor model was found to be invariant across gender groups and also across two divergent samples, the first sample of college students and the second sample of accountants. As expected, women were found to score higher on the feminine factor. On a masculine factor that seemed to represent social control, men scored significantly higher than women did. However, no differences were found between men and women on a second masculine factor that seemed to represent a more internal, self-control dimension.

This study examines the structural validity of scores from the Bem Sex Role Inventory using a maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Six hundred and sixty-five graduate and undergraduate students participate in the study. A seven firstorder factor model almost identical to the model reported in a previous CFA study is used as the baseline comparison model. The data for testing these models are obtained from an exploratory sample randomly selected from the whole sample. A hierarchical factor structure model with seven first-order factors (compassionate, interpersonal affect, shy, dominant, decisive, athletic, and self-sufficient) and two second-order factors (masculinity and femininity) fit the data quite well. The fit indices based on the validation sample collectively indicate a very good fit. The results of this study are notably consistent with the hierarchical factor models suggested in two previous CFA studies.

Social cognitive theory suggests that self-constructs are better predictors when the specificity levels of self-constructs (as predictors) and the criterion variable closely correspond. In this study it was examined whether self-constructs measured at an intermediate level of specificity better correspond with the criterion variable (course grades: an intermediate level of specificity) than general self-constructs or specific self-constructs. Self-constructs in this study included self-efficacy and self-concept at varying degrees of specificity: general self-efficacy, academic self-efficacy, specific self-efficacy, academic self-concept, and specific self-concept. College students (N = 230) in general education courses voluntarily completed the three self-efficacy measures and the two self-concept measures. Results of correlation and simultaneous multiple regression analyses indicated that the closer the level of specificity of self-efficacy and self-concept, the stronger the relationship between the two constructs. Both academic self-concept and specific self-concept were significant predictors of term grades. In addition, academic self-concept was also a significant predictor, whereas neither general self-efficacy nor academic self-efficacy was significant. Measurement issues and implications of the findings are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 197–205, 2005.

Dual-credit programs are an increasingly popular policy tool of state-driven postsecondary reform, particularly where legislatures and state higher-education boards seek to increase access to higher education and achieve greater collaboration between schools and colleges. This study reports on the role and impact of dual-credit programs in the reform of Kentucky postsecondary education. Student records of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System analysis reveal that more students are enrolling and succeeding in dual-credit courses. Participation rates of students from underserved populations are also increasing, thus indicating the efficacy of Kentucky's policies on dual-credit to help institutions meet the state's reform goals for access and achievement in higher education.

This study reports on a summary of 23 separate exploratory factor analytic validation studies of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) conducted during the 25 years since its publication. The ERIC and PsycLit databases were used to locate those validation studies. Number of items factor analyzed, sample characteristics, extraction and rotation methods used, names of factors, and factor structures reported in each of 23 studies were tabulated and analyzed. Two to four factors were retained in most of the studies, with masculine factors showing more factorially complex tendencies. Findings from this study suggest that masculinity and femininity have not been adequately operationalized in the BSRI and that the true structure of masculinity/femininity may be more complex than it appears when measured by the BSRI, which suggests that the BSRI may not capture the complex nature of masculinity/femininity. Implications of the results and the potential usefulness of the BSRI are discussed.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the internal structure of scores from Bandura’s Multidimensional Scales of Perceived Self-Efficacy (MSPSE). Data were obtained from college freshmen, a population previously untested with MSPSE. Results show that scores from nearly all items aligned almost exclusively with theoretically and empirically derived dimensions. Some differences in empirically derived dimensions occurred as a result of extraction procedures, although the differences observed still provided theoretically interpretable constructs. These results suggest that Bandura’s scales, with slight revisions, show promise for research on self-efficacy with undergraduate college students.

This exploratory study was designed to examine the relationship between gender role dimensions derived from the Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) and the 4 dimensions of gender role conflict represented on the Gender Role Conflict Scale (GRCS) using a sample (N = 400) composed of exclusively gay men. Results from regression of 3 BSRI scores (femininity, social masculinity, personal masculinity) on the 4 subscale scores of the GRCS indicated that gender role conflict was most strongly and positively associated with the negative aspect of masculinity (social masculinity), accounting for about 11% of variability in social masculinity scores. In particular, the success–power–competition dimension of the GRCS was the major predictor of social masculinity in gay men. Gender role conflict was also strongly but negatively associated with femininity, accounting for approximately 10% of the variance in femininity scores among the men in the sample. Implications and recommendations for further studies are discu...

To explore the magnitude of overlap between sociotropy and autonomy with sex-role orientation, relations of Beck's Sociotropy–Autonomy Scale with 6 measures of sex-role orientation were examined using a convenience sample of 153 undergraduate students. The sample included 95 women and 58 men whose mean age was 20.4 yr. A principal axis factor analysis yielded two clear factors, one masculine and one feminine. Sociotropy related strongly to the feminine factor, and Autonomy related strongly to the masculine factor. The mean score for women was significantly higher than that for men on Sociotropy, but the mean difference on Autonomy was not statistically significant. These findings suggest there may be some definitional overlap between vulnerability to depression and sex-role orientation.

Using stereotypes, researchers have predicted that novelty seeking declines in adulthood. Through this cross-sectional study, the authors revealed that only the external sensational type of novelty seeking declined, whereas the internal sensational and internal and external cognitive types remained stable or increased. A population of 233 adults (152 men, 81 women) completed the Novelty Experiencing Scale (P. H. Pearson, 1970). Correlational analyses revealed that older men sought novelty more frequently through cognition than did younger men and that older women were less likely than were younger women to seek novelty through their senses. Multivariate analysis of variance, 2 x 5 (Gender x Age), showed that cognitive novelty seeking increased significantly among participants younger than 50 years of age. Sensational novelty seeking was lower among women older than 40 years and among men older than 50 years. The analyses revealed no significant Gender x Age interactions.

The primary purpose of this study was to examine sex role group differences (androgynous, masculine, feminine, and undifferentiated) in three different levels of self-efficacy (general, academic, and course specific). A sample of 215 undergraduate participants completed the three measures of self-efficacy and the sex role measure. Results showed that there was a multivariate significance among the sex role groups in the three levels of self-efficacy and that both masculine and androgynous groups had significantly higher general and academic efficacy means than the undifferentiated or feminine groups. The major findings in this study are largely consistent with findings of previous researchers, supporting the theory that masculinity may be a key construct in the differentiation of individuals in self-efficacy, which has been shown to be an important predictor of achievement.

The purpose of this study was to examine further the factorial validity of the Self-efficacy Scale via component and subsequent correlational analyses. 651 undergraduates enrolled in an introductory psychology course voluntarily completed the Self-efficacy Scale and the Bem Sex-role Inventory. A principal component analysis with an orthogonal rotation produced a two-factor solution which was remarkably similar to the factor structures reported previously. The two factors (General Self-efficacy and Social Self-efficacy) accounted for about 34% of the total variance. Further, the correlation coefficients indicated that General Self-efficacy was more strongly related to masculine traits than to feminine traits, as defined by the Bem Sex-role Inventory.