We investigated by means of a simulation study how well methods for factor rotation can identify a two-facet simple structure. Samples were generated from orthogonal and oblique two-facet population factor models with 4 (2 factors per facet) to 12 factors (6 factors per facet). Samples drawn from orthogonal populations were submitted to factor…

A readily applicable procedure is discussed that allows evaluation of the discrepancy between the popular coefficient alpha and the reliability coefficient of a scale with second-order factorial structure that is frequently of relevance in empirical educational and psychological research. The approach is developed within the framework of the…

Careless responding is a bias in survey responses that disregards the actual item content, constituting a threat to the factor structure, reliability, and validity of psychological measurements. Different approaches have been proposed to detect aberrant responses such as probing questions that directly assess test-taking behavior (e.g., bogus…

The Computer Anxiety Scale (CAS) measures the perceptions of individuals with respect to their anxiety toward computers. Although the CAS was developed a number of years ago, research has shown that its factor structure has remained stable. Recent cross-cultural studies using samples of college students from various countries have also shown that…

The notion of item context effects implies that psychometric properties of an item or scale are altered by the presentation format, for example, blocked versus randomized. In an experimental study with high school students, the experimental group (n = 407) answered a four-dimensional academic self-concept questionnaire, in which the items were…

This article summarizes the key finding of a study that (a) tests the measurement invariance (MI) of the popular Students' Approaches to Learning instrument (Programme for International Student Assessment [PISA]) across ethnic/cultural groups within a country and (b) discusses implications for research focusing on the role of affective measures in…

This article reports on the development of a short questionnaire to measure work engagement--a positive work-related state of fulfillment that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. Data were collected in 10 different countries (N = 14,521), and results indicated that the original 17-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) can be…