1,720,970 research outputs found
Differential Item Functioning and Measurement Invariance of Self- and Proxy-Reports: An Evaluation of Objective Quality of Life Measures for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
No full textUniversity of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. January 2015. Major: Social Work. Advisor: Elizabeth Lightfoot. 1 computer file (PDF); xi, 160 pages.Abstract The field of intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) uses objective quality of life indicators for policy and program development (Verdugo, Schalock, Keith, & Stancliffe, 2005). An ongoing concern in this field is the assessment of quality of life for people who are unable to answer for themselves. In these instances, a proxy-respondent, or someone who knows the person with ID/DD well, will respond on his/her behalf. Research examining the efficacy of using proxy-respondents has yielded mixed results. While some studies failed to show statistically significant differences in responses (McVilly, Burton-Smith, & Davidson, 2000; Rapley, Ridgway, & Beyer, 1998; Stancliffe, 1999), other research has found meaningful differences between matched pairs of self- and proxy-respondents (Rapley et al., 1998). A principle limitation of these previous studies is the reliance on simplistic analytic methods, such as a t-test or correlation to determine if similarities existed between these matched groups. Methodologically, the previous studies on self- and proxy-respondents used t-tests and correlations to examine the relationship between self- and proxy-responses. The present study extends this body of research through the use of differential item functioning and measurement invariance to examine the use of self- and proxy-respondents. Specifically, this study examined the internal structure of the three objective quality of life measures on the National Core Indicators, including the Community Inclusion, Life Decisions, and Everyday Choices scales. Study findings revealed that several items function differently for these two groups when comparing these respondents based on the total score of the scale, which implies that construct-irrelevant differences impacted some item responses (American Educational Research Association [AERA], American Psychological Association [APA], National Council on Measurement in Education [NCME], 1999). In addition, an examination of measurement invariance established that metric invariance fits these data well, meaning that it is not possible to compare these two groups. These findings have policy-and program-evaluation implications, since construct irrelevance (AERA, APA, & NCME, 1999) indicates that for the items identified as functioning differently for these groups, responses also include another construct that is separate from the construct that the scale intends to measure. With these differences, it becomes more difficult to conclude that changes in outcome can be attributed to program social justice implications, since differential item functioning and measurement invariance assessments relate to fairness in testing (Huggins, 2013). When items function differently for groups, this means that respondents find these items difficult, which makes full participation challenging. When individuals find items confusing or hard, then responses may not accurately reflect their experiences. These findings have implications for policy and practice, since policy makers and practitioners use these scales to make program decisions for people with ID/DD.Hepperlen, Renee. (2015). Differential Item Functioning and Measurement Invariance of Self- and Proxy-Reports: An Evaluation of Objective Quality of Life Measures for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/185606
Caring for a child with a disability in a Zambian community: A study using photo-elicitation
No full textBackgroundOver the past 25 years, caregivers of children with disabilities (CWD) in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) have received limited attention from researchers. Previous research identified the physical, emotional, and social challenges of caregiving in resource-limited areas. Researchers also identified protective factors, such as problem-focused coping and emotion-focused coping. This study seeks to explore experiences of caregivers of CWD through participant-driven photo-elicitation, in a low-income subdistrict of Lusaka, Zambia.MethodsResearchers considered the experiences of caregivers providing support to their children with disabilities (CWD). Ten parent participants completed this qualitative study using photo-elicitation. Parent participants completed an individual interview to describe their experiences reflected in the pictures they took. The research team used qualitative content analysis to identify the themes.ResultsFive general themes emerged from the data. The last two themes, “Also, a human being,” and “The community should learn,” are unique in research of CWD caregivers in LMIC settings. It indicates ways that these parents sought to encourage more inclusion and acceptance of their CWD in the community and to speak to other parents who might be struggling with providing care for their CWD.ConclusionsThis study expanded disability research to include perspectives from a low-income area in Lusaka, Zambia. In doing so, we acquire a new viewpoint and enhanced understanding of their community experiences. Practice considerations include encouraging disability advocates to continue their work of educating the community about the inherent dignity and worth of people with disabilities and supporting CWD\u27s rights
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Effective Online Discussion Prompts: A Literature Review and Content Analysis: Considerations for Social Work Education
No full textVariations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
More Job Services—Better Employment Outcomes: Increasing Job Attainment for People With IDD
No full textJob search, job placement, and on-the-job supports are valuable services provided to many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to obtain work in the community. Investigating those who were unemployed at the time of service entry, this study seeks to extend understanding about the effect of services. Using extant data, a sample of 39,277 people with IDD using Vocational Rehabilitation services were studied to understand the potential cumulative effects of these job-related services and individual characteristics on job attainment. Findings showed people with IDD of different demographic groups had different outcomes. Also, those receiving three job-related services were 16 times more likely to obtain employment than the reference group. This study has wide implications for research, policy, and practice
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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