THE INFLUENCE OF ADMINISTRATORS’ PERCEPTION OF THE CHILDREN ACT 8 OF 2001 ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING PROGRAMME IN PUBLIC PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN EAST POKOT SUB-COUNTY, BARINGO COUNTY, KENYA

<p>The Government of Kenya is committed to ensuring that all children within her borders have access to their rights as detailed in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. School administrators in Kenya are mandated with the responsibility of managing primary school activities, as well as the task of ensuring the success of the school programmes and their perceptions greatly determines the success of the implementation of educational policies of guidance and counselling programmes. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of administrators’ perception of the Children Act 8 of 2001 on the implementation of the guidance and counselling programme in public primary schools in East Pokot Sub-county, Baringo County, Kenya. The study was guided by client-centred approach theory and McGregor’s Theory X and Y. The ex post facto research design was utilized. The target population under study comprised the 438 administrators in East Pokot Sub County. The total sample size was 280 respondents consisting of 140 head teachers and 140 teacher counsellors from 140 sampled schools. Purposive sampling was used to select head teachers and teacher counsellors from the five school divisions in East Pokot Sub-county. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the respondents. The instruments were pilot tested in 20 primary schools in the neighbouring Samburu County. The validity of the instruments was checked by the researcher through expert judgement from the department of Psychology, Counselling and Educational Foundations, Laikipia University. Reliability was determined by the use of the Cronbach coefficient alpha. The questionnaire was considered reliable after yielding a reliability coefficient alpha of 0.96 since a Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.7 and above is considered sufficient to undertake the study. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer programme version 24.0 for windows was utilized to analyse the data. The data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics including percentages, means, and frequencies and simple regression which was tested at .05 level of significance. The study established that administrators’ perception of the Children Act 8 of 2001 influenced the implementation of the guidance and counselling programme in public primary schools in East Pokot Sub-county, Baringo County, Kenya. Findings might benefit the County Ministry of Education officers, parents, teachers and other stakeholders in the implementation of guidance and counselling programme in primary schools. The study determined that in the respondents’ opinion administrators’ perception of the Children Act 8 of 2001 does significantly influence the implementation of the guidance and counselling programme in public primary schools in East Pokot Sub-county, Baringo County, Kenya. The study thus recommends that intensive awareness on the Children Act 8 of 2001 among the administrators in primary schools be carried out to enhance the implementation of the guidance and counselling programme in public primary schools in the region.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0920/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

APLIKASI MHEALTH COVID-19 DI INDONESIA: ANALISIS KONTEN MENGGUNAKAN MOBILE APLICATION RATING SCALE (MARS)

It has been a year since the first COVID-19 cases in Indonesia and the development of COVID-19 health applications has grown significantly during that time. However, there has not been found research to analyze such an application in Indonesia. This study aims to evaluate the mHealth COVID-19 application in Indonesia application store, which will eventually become a reference for all researchers related to the mhealth application development in Indonesia. The researchers used COVID-19-related keywords to identify apps on iOS and Android devices. There were 17 applications selected for this research, and the applications' quality were assessed by two coders using the Mobile App Rating Scale (MARS). The search results totaled 842 applications, 19 of which met the researcher's criteria, and 17 applications were found to be assessed. This research was using the Krippendorff coefficient alpha (α) to calculate the reliability value of the agreement between coders. The result showed that PeduliLindungi applications had the highest (4.2/5) of the average MARS score, and the MARS scores of 14 applications were unacceptable (<3.0), which explained that most of the COVID-19 related apps in Indonesia are of low quality. Also, this research implies that the information-related features should be the next focus for overall quality improvement of the Indonesian mHealth application in the future.

Quantifying the Distorting Effect of Rapid Guessing on Estimates of Coefficient Αlpha

An underlying threat to the validity of reliability measures is the introduction of systematic variance in examinee scores from unintended constructs that differ from those assessed. One construct-irrelevant behavior that has gained increased attention in the literature is rapid guessing (RG), which occurs when examinees answer quickly with intentional disregard for item content. To examine the degree of distortion in coefficient alpha due to RG, this study compared alpha estimates between conditions in which simulees engaged in full solution (i.e., do not engage in RG) versus partial RG behavior. This was done by conducting a simulation study in which the percentage and ability characteristics of rapid responders as well as the percentage and pattern of RG were manipulated. After controlling for test length and difficulty, the average degree of distortion in estimates of coefficient alpha due to RG ranged from -.04 to .02 across 144 conditions. Although slight differences were noted between conditions differing in RG pattern and RG responder ability, the findings from this study suggest that estimates of coefficient alpha are largely robust to the presence of RG due to cognitive fatigue and a low perceived probability of success.

Quantifying the Distorting Effect of Rapid Guessing on Estimates of Coefficient Αlpha

An underlying threat to the validity of reliability measures is the introduction of systematic variance in examinee scores from unintended constructs that differ from those assessed. One construct-irrelevant behavior that has gained increased attention in the literature is rapid guessing (RG), which occurs when examinees answer quickly with intentional disregard for item content. To examine the degree of distortion in coefficient alpha due to RG, this study compared alpha estimates between conditions in which simulees engaged in full solution (i.e., do not engage in RG) versus partial RG behavior. This was done by conducting a simulation study in which the percentage and ability characteristics of rapid responders as well as the percentage and pattern of RG were manipulated. After controlling for test length and difficulty, the average degree of distortion in estimates of coefficient alpha due to RG ranged from −.04 to .02 across 144 conditions. Although slight differences were noted between conditions differing in RG pattern and RG responder ability, the findings from this study suggest that estimates of coefficient alpha are largely robust to the presence of RG due to cognitive fatigue and a low perceived probability of success.

A Test Can Have Multiple Reliabilities

It is argued that the generalizability theory interpretation of coefficient alpha is important. In this interpretation, alpha is a slightly biased but consistent estimate for the coefficient of generalizability in a subjects x items design where both subjects and items are randomly sampled. This interpretation is based on the “domain sampling” true scores. It is argued that these true scores have a more solid empirical basis than the true scores of Lord and Novick (1968), which are based on “stochastic subjects” (Holland, 1990), while only a single observation is available for each within-subject distribution. Therefore, the generalizability interpretation of coefficient alpha is to be preferred, unless the true scores can be defined by a latent variable model that has undisputed empirical validity for the test and that is sufficiently restrictive to entail a consistent estimate of the reliability—as, for example, McDonald’s omega. If this model implies that the items are essentially tau-equivalent, both the generalizability and the reliability interpretation of alpha can be defensible.

Reliability and Validity of the Rhinitis Control Assessment Test (Thai Version) in Patients with Rhinitis

Objective: To assess the reliability and validity of the Rhinitis Control Assessment Test (RCAT) (Thai version) in patients with rhinitis. Materials and Methods: This is a questionnaire-based research, cross-sectional study. The researchers had asked permission from the developer to translate the RCAT into Thai language based on the international standard of translation method. Validity test was evaluated by the expert looking at the items in the questionnaire and agreeing that the test is a valid measure of the concept. Fifty patients with allergic and non-allergic rhinitis were recruited into the present study and completed the RCAT, total nasal symptom scores (TNSS) and skin tests were measured at the same time. Cronbach’s coefficient alpha and Pearson correlation were evaluated for its reliability. Results: The RCAT (Thai version) have a good reliability and validity with Cronbach’s coefficient alpha 0.73 and Pearson correlation 0.74 in correlation analysis with TNSS (p<0.01). The aspect of content validity was evaluated by three specialists, and they agreed to all six questions of RCAT (Thai version). Conclusion: The researchers have demonstrated that the RCAT (Thai version) have a good reliability and validity and is suitable for clinical application to evaluate the rhinitis symptoms. Keywords: Rhinitis; Allergic rhinitis; Non-allergic rhinitis; RCAT

Is it really brand love? A cautionary note on Nguyen and Feng’s study

In this cautionary note, the author argues that the recent study by Nguyen and Feng (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2020.10.001) did not investigate the antecedents and financial impacts of building brand love but rather those of brand liking. A close examination of some of the descriptive statistics reported by Nguyen and Feng indicates that their statistical models were run on consumer responses that are more indicative of brand liking than brand love. The author also demonstrates via one correlation estimate and one coefficient alpha value (taken from Nguyen and Feng’s article) that the single-item measure these authors used to gauge brand love is less than reliable. Marketing scholars, market researchers and brand managers are advised to be extremely cautious concerning the theoretical and managerial implications of that study.

Meta-Analysis of Correlation Coefficients: A Cautionary Tale on Treating Measurement Error

A scale to measure a psychological construct is subject to measurement error. When meta-analyzing correlations obtained from scale scores, many researchers recommend correcting measurement error. We considered three caveats when conducting meta-analysis of correlations: (1) the distribution of true scores can be non-normal, resulting in a violation of the normality assumption for raw correlations and Fisher's z transformed correlations; (2) coefficient alpha is often used as the reliability, but correlations corrected for measurement error using alpha can be inaccurate when some assumptions (e.g., tau-equivalence) of alpha are violated; and (3) item scores are often ordinal, making the disattenuation formula potentially problematic. Via three simulation studies, we examined the performance of two meta-analysis approaches with raw correlations and z scores. In terms of estimation accuracy and coverage probability of the mean correlation, results showed that (1) the true score distribution alone had slight influence; (2) when the tau-equivalence assumption was violated and coefficient alpha was used for correcting measurement error, the mean correlation estimate can be biased and coverage probability can be low; and (3) discretization of continuous items can result in under-coverage of the mean correlation even when tau-equivalence was satisfied. With more categories and/or items on a scale, results can improve when tau-equivalence was met or not. Based on these findings, we then gave recommendations when conducting meta-analysis of correlations.

Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Scale A-ONE: An Italian Cross-Sectional Study

Purpose. This study is aimed at validating the A-ONE scale in an Italian population with Central Nervous System (CNS) dysfunction. Material and Methods. Between May and November 2018, people aged between 60 and 90 with CNS dysfunction were recruited in a hospital in Rome, Italy. Patients were observed and evaluated during the activities of daily living. Internal consistency and reliability were evaluated with Cronbach’s coefficient alpha and intraclass correlation coefficient, respectively. As measured with Pearson’s correlation coefficient, the validity was examined comparing results of the A-ONE with the Barthel index. Responsiveness was evaluated 30 days after the first administration. Results. A total of 70 people having a diagnosis of neurological disorders were evaluated. The internal consistency showed Cronbach’s coefficient alpha ranging from 0.634 to 0.959. The measurement of reliability varied from 0.984 to 0.997 for intrarater and from 0.979 to 0.998 for interrater. Pearson’s correlation coefficient between the A-ONE and the Barthel index and the responsiveness showed statistically significant values ( p < 0.01 ). Conclusions. The present study provides preliminary evidence of reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the A-ONE when using elderly people with CNS dysfunction.