Measuring Hispanic Optimism and Personal Expectancy

Proceeding from the notion that short-story sequences construct semblances of 'community' through their interweaving of distinct but related fictional voices, we examine the 'visions of community' offered in these two recent story sequences. Portraying, respectively, the African American inhabitants of Washington, DC, and the dispersed Chicano peoples of the Southwest, Jones's and Gilb's collections depict the tensions experienced by minority groups between assimilationist desires and dreams of ethnic identification and continuity. Ultimately, each collection constructs a vision of community whose values and desires reflect an ironic, supplemental relationship to the national narrative of the United States. The semblance of community in the short story sequence, its tendency to produce a collective metanarrative through a series of discrete, multivoiced tales, gives this form peculiar relevance to the social transformations of the millennial era. Continuing population shifts and border crossings in a 'polyethnic, diasporic world' (to borrow Frederick Buell's phrase) make the concept of community in its various linkages with multiculturalism, ethnicity, and postmodern nationhood crucial to both cultural theory and to critical readings of contemporary sequences. Many recent collections of stories represent minority peoples inhabiting what Homi K. Bhabha calls the 'unsettling space' between 'the phantasm of rootedness and the memory of dissemination'.[1] If all communities are inherently 'imagined' and socially constructed, as Benedict Anderson has insisted, they nevertheless determine the production and definition of social identity by marking the convergence of shared memories, beliefs, and cultural practices, developed in relation to specific places, landscapes, or homelands. Because story sequences 'construct tenuous fictive communities' through their aggregation of separate yet conjoined narratives, producing at least a simulacrum of composite unity (e pluribus unum), each sequence thus also replicates in microcosm the formation of an imagined national community and the coalescence of its sustaining narrative.[2] Story sequences that emerge as minority discourse consequently have a doubled, paradoxical relationship to the national narrative from and against which they are written, representing community narratives that challenge even as they supplement the dominant discourse of nationhood. Two recent American story sequences, Edward P. Jones's Lost in the City (1992) and Dagoberto Gilb's The Magic of Blood (1993) illustrate this ironic, supplementary relationship to the national master-narrative, which in the United States idealizes New World settlement ordained by God, heroic revolution against colonial oppression, and establishment of a democratic republic ensuring pursuit of the 'American Dream' of prosperity. These ethnic counter-narratives (both first books by winners of the PEN/ Hemingway Award), present alternate versions of minority life in the United States in the late twentieth century. Without essentializing either African American or Chicano experience, respectively, we can read these texts against each other as articulations of specific histories and cultural identities that differ from each other even as they differ from the 'mainstream' Euro-American narrative of the nation. Each sequence evokes a particular geography and an ambiguous sense of community, one 'located', the other disseminated. Neither text features a recurrent protagonist or interwoven fictive lives (characters from one story encountered briefly in another); both, however, imply commonalities of experience through repetitions of character type, circumstance, and event. In short, both subtly construct from disparate stories an overarching narrative that registers the practices and rituals, the conjunctions and disjunctions, of an ethnic group distinct from the dominant culture. Through the hybrid form of the sequence (between short story and novel), the metanarratives of Jones and Gilb recall the 'strategies of hybridisation' defined by Bhabha: 'They deploy the partial culture from which they emerge to construct visions of community, and versions of historic memory, that give narrative form to the minority positions they occupy: the outside of the inside: the part in the whole. …

This study compares Latino host, Latino immigrant, Asian-American host, Asian-American immigrant and European-American host groups of adolescents with respect to four acculturation-related variables: ethnic identity exploration, ethnic identity affirmation/belonging, outgroup orientation, and American identity. Using the five ethno-generational categories as a grouping variable, we conducted analyses of 313 survey responses to the acculturation items at two time periods, 9 weeks apart. Results showed that differences among the three host racial/ethnic groups can best be explained by a group dominance perspective, whereby the two racial/ethnic minority groups are more similar to each other than they are to the European-American group. Furthermore, the relationship between American identity and ethnic identity components is stronger among the three host groups, as compared to the immigrant groups. Implications for future research with adolescent members of the host group whose heritage culture is non-European are drawn.

This article argues that the incorporation of immigrants into the advanced industrial states may be best understood in the context of recent theoretical debates over the changing character of racial and gender inequality. Specifically, it attempts to draw parallels between the conditions of working-class minorities and women born in the advanced economies and the economic progress of new immigrant groups. Shifting from a focus on individualized discrimination, emphasis is placed on the structural divisions within each immigrant group. For example, the bifurcation of the black community, resulting from the relative success of its middle class and the persistent decline of the underclass, is mirrored in the differentiation of immigrant and refugee groups. In contrast to the success stories of a few immigrant entrepreneurs or reconstituted fragments of an uprooted capitalist class, the majority within these immigrant and refugee groups are forming part of a restructured working class found throughout the advanced industrial states. This emphasis on the restructuring of the working class identifies grounds for a political framework based on a broad coalition of interests among those of various backgrounds who work for low and modest wages.

Strategic Self‐Regulation for Speaking English as a Foreign Language: Scale Development and Validation

The present study analyses perceived pressure to conform to minority group norms and examines its implications for identity (in-)compatibility among six immigrant groups in the Netherlands ( N = 5,783). We analyzed whether orientation toward the majority and minority and the perceived diversity climate explained individual and group differences in perceived minority pressure. Subsequently, we estimated multigroup models to examine whether perceived pressure moderated the association between minority and majority identifications. We found substantial group differences in perceived pressure that were not well explained by orientation toward the majority and minority groups, or the perceived diversity climate. Immigrants who had spent a larger proportion of their life in the receiving society experienced more, but those who had more work experience in the Netherlands experienced less pressure. Perceived pressure was higher the more the Netherlands was perceived as hospitable for immigrants, but also at higher levels of perceived intergroup hostility. Minority and majority group identifications were negatively associated across all six immigrant groups, but only among the Moroccan-Dutch did perceived pressure significantly moderate this association. Specifically, identifications became more compatible (i.e., more positively associated) at lower levels of pressure, a trend that we also observed among all other groups except the Turkish-Dutch; yet in these groups the interaction, though similar in magnitude and direction, was not statistically significant. We concluded that minority group dynamics may contribute to the (in-)compatibility of multiple group identifications, but more research is needed to understand the group characteristics that explain perceived minority pressure and its implications for minority members’ identification patterns.

Knowledge sharing is an important component of knowledge management systems. Security knowledge sharing substantially reduces risk and investment in information security. Despite the importance of information security, little research based on knowledge sharing has focused on the security profession. Therefore, this study analyses key factors, containing attitude, self-efficacy, personal outcome expectation, and facilitating condition, in respect of the information security workers intention to share knowledge. Information security professionals in virtual communities, including the Information Security Professional Association (ISPA), Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), Society of Information Risk Analysts (SIRA), and LinkedIn security groups, were surveyed to test the proposed research model. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the structural equation modelling (SEM) technique were used to analyse the data and evaluate the research model. The results showed that the research model fit the data well and the structural model suggests a strong relationship between attitude and knowledge sharing intention. Hypotheses regarding the influence of self-efficacy and personal outcome expectation, to knowledge sharing attitude were upheld. Facilitating condition showed significant influences on moderating between attitude and intention.

Objective: There is a lack of instrument that is valid and reliable to measure the determinant of pharmacist's care (PCare) for herbal and dietary supplement (HDS) users. The present study aimed to develop scales to measure the determinant of PCare for HDS users and to quantify the practices. The study utilized qualitative and quantitative approaches.
 
 Methods:�Three scales were developed: Direct TPB scale based on a modified Theory of Planned Behaviour (m-TPB) framework, Indirect TPB scale based on the m-TPB and beliefs elicited from community pharmacists (CPs), and PCare-HDS scale based on findings from the qualitative study. This study involved three phases: (1) qualitative study to explore CPs' salient practices of PCare for HDS users, and the beliefs associated with the practices; (2) generation of item pools; and (3) psychometric evaluation of the scales.
 
 Results: The qualitative study identified eight domains of PCare for HDS users, divided into two dimensions of direct and non-direct customer/patient care activities, and identified relevant beliefs underlying the practices. Item generation procedures produced pools of items for the scales. These items were examined and refined by a group of pharmacy experts in a content validity study. A face validity study established the clarity and comprehensibility of the items. For the third phase, a cross-sectional survey was carried out among CPs in Bangkok. The sample was divided into two datasets: sample 1, to explore the factor structures and to refine the scales; and sample 2, to cross-validate the factor structures. Additionally, Rasch analysis and criterion validity tests were performed on the entire sample of CPs. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) supported the factor structures of the Direct TPB and PCare-HDS scales, and identified an additional factor for the Indirect TPB scale. Both the EFA and a preliminary confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) guided the refinement of the scales. Data from the second dataset for all three scales fitted well with the models using CFA. Discriminant and convergent validity were shown for the scales. Rasch analysis showed no substantial misfit and the category functioning followed monotonic increases in mean and step measures for all domains of the scales. All constructs of the scales had good to excellent internal consistency reliability. The scales had criterion validity to some extent.
 
 Conclusion:�The scales were shown to have validity and reliability and can be of interest to researchers aiming to understand PCare for HDS users. Further study can validate the scales in different sample of CPs such as in the Northern and Southern regions of Thailand.� �����

Caring leadership plays a pivotal role in supporting nurses' well-being, fostering patient recovery, and advancing organizational performance. Despite its recognized importance, a validated instrument for measuring caring leadership has been lacking in the literature. This study aimed to develop a Caring Leadership Scale and evaluate its validity, reliability, and practical applicability. Guided by a conceptual framework of caring leadership, scale items were initially generated through qualitative interviews, open-ended questionnaires, and a comprehensive literature review. The Delphi technique was used to refine these items. A pilot survey informed further modifications before a large-scale survey was conducted with 2,125 frontline nurses from six tertiary hospitals across China. Item screening was carried out using classical test theory, including assessments of item discrimination, item-total correlations, and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha). Content validity, factor structure, internal reliability, and acceptability were investigated using content validity indices, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, correlation coefficients, and descriptive statistics. An initial pool of 40 items across five dimensions was developed. Following two Delphi rounds and preliminary testing, 39 items were retained. Item analysis led to the elimination of 12 items that did not meet predetermined criteria. The final scale consisted of 27 items across five dimensions, rated on a 5-point Likert scale. The content validity indices were strong, with item-level CVIs ranging from 0.90 to 1.00, a scale-level content validity index universal agreement (S-CVI/UA) of 0.89, and a scale-level content validity index average (S-CVI/Ave) of 0.99. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) supported a well-defined five-factor structure, with common factor variances ranging from 0.849 to 0.949. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated good model fit (RMSEA = 0.078, CFI = 0.964, NFI = 0.958, TLI = 0.959, IFI = 0.964). The average variance extracted (AVE) ranged from 0.834 to 0.925, and composite reliability (CR) ranged from 0.965 to 0.989. The scale showed moderate correlations with job satisfaction (r = 0.463-0.484, p < 0.001). Internal consistency was high, with Cronbach's alpha values between 0.962 and 0.993, and split-half reliability coefficients ranging from 0.955 to 0.982. This study presents the first validated instrument for measuring caring leadership in nursing. The final 27-item scale demonstrates robust psychometric properties, including excellent validity, reliability, and user acceptability. It offers a scientifically sound and practical tool for assessing caring leadership among nurse leaders.

Workplace incivility is defined as low-intensity deviant behavior with ambiguous intent to harm the target. In this sense, it involves a violation of workplace norms that could damage the quality of working relationships. The aim of this study is to evaluate the factor structure of the adaptation of Straightforward Incivility Scale (SIS; Leiter 2013) in an Italian sample. A sample of 404 healthcare workers completed the SIS. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. In the first step of analysis, exploratory factor analysis and parallel analysis with 202 participants revealed three factors: supervisor, coworker, and instigated incivility. In the second step, a confirmatory factor analysis with 202 participants supported the 15-item three-factor model in the cross-validation sample. Results provide confirmation of the cross-cultural stability of the facet, factor, and global scale structure of the SIS.

Confirmatory factor analysis of the Cornell scale for depression in dementia among patient with dementia of various degrees

Digital competences represent essential skills for adapting to 21st-century conditions; encompassing the safe and critical use of information society technologies for work, daily life, and communication. Determining the digital competence levels of individuals is crucial to guide interventions aimed at enhancing these competences. This study presents the development process of a Digital Competence Scale for Faculty Members (DCS-FM), designed specifically to assess the digital competence levels of higher education instructors. The data collection process took place during the 2020–2021 academic year among faculty members working at ... University in ... province of Türkiye. Researchers collected the data themselves to ensure consistency and reliability throughout the process. As part of the validity studies, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted, yielding a six-factor structure. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed that the six-factor structure demonstrated good model fit indices. In the process of developing the scale and conducting validity and reliability studies, data were collected from a total of 740 unique faculty members. The scale development process involved two pilot applications and one main application, with exploratory factor, confirmatory factor, and item analyses conducted throughout. Confirmatory factor analysis of the collected data yielded a 30-item scale encompassing six factors. These factors align with the European Framework for Digital Competence of Educators (known as ‘DigCompEdu’) developed by the European Commission Joint Research Centre. Based on the validity and reliability analysis results and findings, it can be concluded that the scale possesses the sufficient psychometric properties sought in the literature.

Honoring Asian diversity by collecting Asian subpopulation data in health research.

Background Attitude toward medical law reasoning is the first step in improving medical law reasoning skills in physicians. Despite its importance, no validated instrument currently exists to assess it. This study aimed to develop and validate a Medical Law Reasoning Attitude Questionnaire (MLRAQ) in medical students. Methods The MLRAQ was developed based on the seven steps of AMEE Guide No. 87, related to designing questionnaires for educational research. In the first step, relevant articles were extracted through a systematic search. In the second step, medical law micro‐skills were explored through a qualitative study by conducting 20 interviews. In the third and fourth steps, the identified medical law micro‐skills were compared conceptually with previous studies, and the MLRAQ items were developed. Finally, content validity, cognitive interview, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and reliability analysis were performed in the fifth to seventh steps. Results MLRAQ consists of five factors and 24 items. The validation results showed that the content validity index (CVI) and content validity ratio (CVR) were greater than 0.90. Five subscales (prerequisites, problem identification, application of rule, analysis, and conclusion) explained 67.26% of the variance in exploratory factor analysis. Cronbach’s alpha = 0.894, indicating high internal consistency. ICC = 0.771–0.942, demonstrating strong reliability across measurements. In confirmatory factor analysis, SRMR and RMSEA were 0.078 and 0.058, respectively. GFI was 0.880, and CFI was 0.901, indicating acceptable fit indices. Conclusion The MLRAQ demonstrated valid and reliable evidence. Therefore, this instrument can assess attitudes toward medical law reasoning.

The latent factor structure of the German Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fifth edition (German WISC-V) was examined using complementary hierarchical exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) with Schmid and Leiman transformation and confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) for all reported models from the German WISC-V Technical Manual and rival bifactor models using the standardization sample (N = 1,087) correlation matrix of the 15 primary and secondary subtests. EFA results did not support a fifth factor (Fluid Reasoning). A four-factor model with the dominant general intelligence (g) factor resembling the WISC-IV was supported by EFA. CFA results indicated the best representation was a bifactor model with four group factors, complementing EFA results. Present EFA and CFA results replicated other independent assessments of standardization and clinical samples of the United States and international versions of the WISC-V and indicated primary, if not exclusive, interpretation of the Full Scale IQ as an estimate of g.

Backgrounds and ObjectivesAlthough reasons for immigration are significant predictors of immigrants’ health, factor structures of reasons for immigration are still unclear among older immigrants. The present study examined the factor structure of reasons for immigration among older Asian and Latino immigrants in the United States.Research Design and MethodsDrawn from the National Latino and Asian American Study, 396 Latino and 298 Asian immigrants over 55 years of age were selected for analysis. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted for nine items concerning reasons for immigration in each immigrant group.ResultsThree factors were extracted from both Asian and Latino immigrant elders: (a) “voluntary reasons” to pursue development, (b) “involuntary reasons” due to uncontrollable situations, and (c) “semivoluntary reasons” regarding family/medical duties. While immigration to join family members was located in the “semivoluntary reasons” factor among older Asian immigrants, it was located in the “voluntary reasons” factor among older Latino immigrants.Discussion and ImplicationsThese findings suggest that three underlying factors of reasons for immigration should be understood considering the different characteristics of two racial/ethnic groups of immigrants. In addition, a migratory reason to join the family should be considered differently for elderly Asian and Latino immigrants. This three-factor framework of reasons for immigration can help clinicians provide more culturally sensitive interventions for older minority immigrants.