Validity and Reliability of the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) in a Nationwide Sample of Greek Educators
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Participants
2.2. Measures
2.3. Procedure
2.4. Translation
3. Statistical Analysis
4. Results
4.1. Internal Consistency Reliability
4.2. Intercorrelations
4.3. Results from CFA
4.4. Convergent Validity
4.5. Differences in Sex, Age and Years of Working Experience at School
5. Discussion
6. Strengths and Limitations
7. Conclusions
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
CFA | Confirmatory Factor analysis |
CFI | Comparative Fit Index |
GFI | Goodness of Fit Index |
IPC LOC Scale | Internality, Powerful Others and Chance Multidimensional Locus of Control Scale |
PSI | Problem Solving Inventory |
RMSEA | Root Mean Square Error of Approximation |
RSES | Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale |
References
- Paul P. Heppner, and Charles E. Baker. “Applications of the Problem Solving Inventory.” Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling Development 29 (1997): 229–41. [Google Scholar]
- Paul P. Heppner, Thomas E. Witty, and Wayne A. Dixon. “Problem-solving appraisal and human adjustment: A review of 20 years of research using the problem solving inventory.” Counseling Psychologist 32 (2004): 344–28. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Thomas J. D’Zurilla, and Marvin R. Goldfried. “Problem solving and behavior modification.” Journal of Abnormal Psychology 78 (1971): 107–26. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Erin Largo-Wight, Michael P. Peterson, and William W. Chen. “Perceived problem solving, stress, and health among college students.” American Journal of Health Behavior 29 (2005): 360–70. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- Paul P. Heppner. “Problem-Solving Inventory.” In Measures for Clinical Practice : A Sourcebook. Volume 2: Adults, 3rd ed. Edited by Kevin J. Corcoran and Joel Fischer. New York: The Free Press, 1981, pp. 591–94. [Google Scholar]
- Arthur M. Nezu. “Problem solving and behavior therapy revisited.” Behavior Therapy 35 (2005): 1–33. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Lynda Butler, and Donald Meichenbaum. “The assessment of interpersonal problem-solving skills.” In Assessment Strategies for Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions. Edited by Philip C. Kendall and Steven D. Hollon. New York: Academic Press, 1981, pp. 197–225. [Google Scholar]
- Paul P. Heppner, and Chris H. Petersen. “The development and implications of a personal problem solving inventory.” Journal of Counseling Psychology 29 (1982): 66–75. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Paul P. Heppner, and Yu-Wei Wang. “Problem-solving appraisal and psychological adjustment.” In Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology, 2nd ed. Edited by Charles R. Snyder and Shane J. Lopez. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009, pp. 127–38. [Google Scholar]
- Steven G. LoBello. “Test review of The Problem Solving Inventory.” In The Eleventh Mental Measurements Yearbook. Edited by Jack J. Kramer and Jane Close Conoley. Lincoln: Buros Center for Testing, 1992, p. 6. Available online: http://marketplace.unl.edu/buros/ (accessed on 11 December 2015).
- C. J. Camp. “Test review of The Problem Solving Inventory.” In The Eleventh Mental Measurements Yearbook. Edited by Jack J. Kramer and Jane Close Conoley. Lincoln: Buros Center for Testing, 1992, p. 5. Available online: http://marketplace.unl.edu/buros/ (accessed on 11 December 2015).
- Laura Nota, Paul P. Heppner, Salvatore Soresi, and Mary J. Heppner. “Examining cultural validity of the Problem-Solving Inventory (PSI) in Italy.” Journal of Career Assessment 17 (2009): 478–94. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Yu-Ping Huang, and Lisa Y. Flores. “Exploring the validity of the Problem-Solving Inventory with Mexican American high-school students.” Journal of Career Assessment, 2011. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Sammy K. Cheng, and David J. Lam. “Relationships among life stress, problem solving, self-esteem, and dysphoria in Hong Kong adolescents: Test of a model.” Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology 16 (1997): 343–55. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Samuel O. Salami, and Oyesoji A. Aremu. “Relationship between problem-solving ability and study behaviour among school-going adolescents in southwestern Nigeria.” Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology 4 (2006): 139–54. [Google Scholar]
- Gavin Beccaria, and M. Anthony Machin. “Examining the validity of the problem solving inventory in Australia.” In Paper presented at the 27th International Congress of Applied Psychology (ICAP 2010), Australian Psychological Society, Flinders Lane, Australia, 11–16 July 2010.
- Nail Sahin, Nesrin H. Sahin, and Paul P. Heppner. “Psychometric properties of the problem solving inventory in a group of Turkish university students.” Cognitive Therapy and Research 17 (1993): 379–96. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Paul P. Heppner, Tyrone Brian Pretorius, Meifen Wei, Dong-gwi Lee, and Yu-Wei Wang. “Examining the generalizability of problem-solving appraisal in Black South Africans.” Journal of Counseling Psychology 49 (2002): 484–98. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Helen A. Neville, Paul P. Heppner, and Li-Fei Wang. “Relations among racial identity attitudes, perceived stressors, and coping styles in African American college students.” Journal of Counseling and Development 75 (1997): 303–11. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Diane Marcotte, Michel Alain, and Marie-Josee Gosselin. “Gender differences in adolescent depression: Gender-typed characteristics or problem-solving skills deficits? ” Sex Roles 41 (1999): 31–48. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Gabriel Roşeanu, and Marian Mihai. “Adaptation study of the Problem Solving Inventory on the Romanian population.” International Journal of Education and Psychology in the Community 2 (2012): 89–101. [Google Scholar]
- Paul P. Heppner, Mary Kampa, and Lee Brunning. “The relationship between problem-solving self-appraisal and indices of physical and psychological health.” Cognitive Therapy and Research 11 (1987): 155–68. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Julian B. Rotter. “Generalized expectancies for problem solving and psychotherapy.” Cognitive Therapy and Research 2 (1978): 1–10. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ann H. Baumgardner, Paul P. Heppner, and Robert M. Arkin. “Role of causal attribution in personal problem solving.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 50 (1986): 636–43. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hanna Levenson. “Reliability and Validity of the I, P, and C Scales—A Multidimensional View of Locus of Control.” 1973. Available online: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED087791.pdf (accessed on 1 September 2015). [Google Scholar]
- Hanna Levenson. “Activism and Powerful Others: Distinctions within the Concept of Internal-External Control.” Journal of Personality Assessment 38 (1974): 377–83. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Hanna Levenson. “Differentiating among internality, powerful others, and chance.” In Research with the Locus of Control Construct: Vol. 1, Assessment Methods. Edited by Herbert M. Lefcourt. New York: Academic Press, 1981, pp. 15–63. [Google Scholar]
- Ntina Kourmousi, Vasiliki Xythali, and Vasilios Koutras. “Reliability and Validity of the Multidimensional Locus of Control IPC Scale in a Sample of 3668 Greek Educators.” Social Sciences 4 (2015): 1067–78. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Morris Rosenberg. Society and the Adolescent Self-Image. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1965. [Google Scholar]
- David P. Schmitt, and Jüri Allik. “Simultaneous Administration of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale in 53 Nations: Exploring the Universal and Culture-Specific Features of Global Self-Esteem.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 89 (2005): 623–42. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef] [PubMed]
- “Panhellenic School Network.” Available online: http://www.sch.gr/ (accessed on 3 April 2014).
- Sch.gr. “Teachers’ Survey.” Available online: http://www.sch.gr/96-announces/3004-2014-04-23-09-40-07 (accessed on 3 April 2014).
- Guillermo Solano-Flores, Eduardo Backhoff, and Luis Ángel Contreras-Niño. “Theory of Test Translation Error.” International Journal of Testing 9 (2009): 78–91. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Fons van de Vijver, and Ronald K. Hambleton. “Translating tests: Some practical guidelines.” European Psychologist 1 (1996): 89–99. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Ralph O. Mueller. Basic Principles of Structural Equation Modelling. New York: Springer-Verlag, 2000. [Google Scholar]
- Litze Hu, and Peter M. Bentler. “Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives.” Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal 6 (1999): 1–55. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Paul P. Heppner, Janet Hibel, Gary W. Neal, Charles L. Weinstein, and Fredric E. Rabinowitz. “Personal problem solving: A descriptive study of individual differences.” Journal of Counseling Psychology 29 (1982): 580–90. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Paul P. Heppner, and Thomas S. Krieshok. “An applied investigation of problem-solving appraisal, vocational identity, and career service requests, utilization, and subsequent evaluations.” The Vocational Guidance Quarterly 31 (1983): 240–49. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Adrian C. Sherman, Graham E. Higgs, and Robert L. Williams. “Gender differences in the locus of control construct.” Psychology and Health 12 (1997): 239–48. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
- Patricia A. Haught, Lee Ann Hill, Anne H. Nardi, and Richard T. Walls. “Perceived ability and level of education as predictors of traditional and practical adult problem solving.” Experimental Aging Research 26 (2000): 89–101. [Google Scholar] [PubMed]
- Bonnie McLean Wright, David Mitchell Carscaddon, and Steven Dennis Lambert. “Sex, Education, Age, and Cautiousness: Implications for Counselors.” Adultspan Journal 2 (2000): 113–22. [Google Scholar] [CrossRef]
Personal and Job-Related Characteristics | N (%) |
---|---|
Sex | |
Men | 1030 (28.1) |
Women | 2638 (71.9) |
Age, mean (SD) | 44.4 (8.7) |
Age | |
≤40 | 1147 (31.5) |
41–49 | 1326 (36.4) |
≥50 | 1174 (32.2) |
Family status | |
Single | 1015 (27.8) |
Married | 2298 (63.0) |
Separated | 74 (2.0) |
Divorced | 226 (6.2) |
Widowed | 34 (0.9) |
Years of working experience at school, mean (SD) | 14.9 (9.5) |
School | |
Public | 3267 (89.1) |
Private | 401 (10.9) |
Higher degree | |
Bachelor | 2452 (66.9) |
Master | 1059 (28.9) |
Ph.D. | 154 (4.2) |
Working status | |
Part time | 344 (9.4) |
Full time | 3324 (90.6) |
Mean | SD | Minimum | Maximum | Cronbach’s Alpha | Correlation Coefficients | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 2. | 3. | ||||||
1. Problem Solving Confidence | 25.4 | 7.8 | 11 | 61 | 0.90 | |||
2. Approach-Avoidance Style | 38.5 | 11.8 | 16 | 87 | 0.89 | 0.62 | ||
3. Personal Control | 14.6 | 5.1 | 5 | 30 | 0.79 | 0.61 | 0.67 | |
4. Total PSI score | 78.5 | 21.7 | 32 | 169 | 0.91 | 0.84 | 0.93 | 0.82 |
Internality | Powerful Others | Chance | Self-esteem | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Problem Solving Confidence | −0.54 | 0.41 | 0.38 | −0.62 |
Approach-Avoidance Style | −0.34 | 0.44 | 0.38 | −0.46 |
Personal Control | −0.30 | 0.54 | 0.46 | −0.56 |
Total PSI score | −0.45 | 0.51 | 0.45 | −0.61 |
Problem Solving Confidence | Approach-Avoidance Style | Personal Control | Total PSI Score | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mean (SD) | p | Mean (SD) | p | Mean (SD) | p | Mean (SD) | p | |
Sex | ||||||||
Men | 24.1 (7.5) | <0.001 * | 37.8 (11.5) | 0.018 * | 13.3 (5) | <0.001 * | 75.2 (21.1) | <0.001 * |
Women | 26.0 (7.8) | 38.8 (11.9) | 15.1 (5.1) | 79.9 (21.7) | ||||
Age | ||||||||
≤40 | 27.3 (8.0) | <0.001 ** | 41.0 (11.8) | <0.001 ** | 15.6 (5.1) | <0.001 ** | 83.9 (21.7) | <0.001 ** |
41–49 | 25.1 (7.4) | 37.9 (11.5) | 14.5 (5) | 77.4 (20.9) | ||||
≥50 | 23.6 (7.5) | 36.2 (11.6) | 13.4 (5.2) | 73.3 (21.2) | ||||
Years of working experience atschool | r = −0.15 | <0.001 ‡ | r = −0.12 | <0.001 ‡ | r = −0.12 | <0.001 ‡ | r = −0.15 | <0.001 ‡ |
© 2016 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Share and Cite
Kourmousi, N.; Xythali, V.; Theologitou, M.; Koutras, V. Validity and Reliability of the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) in a Nationwide Sample of Greek Educators. Soc. Sci. 2016, 5, 25. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci5020025
Kourmousi N, Xythali V, Theologitou M, Koutras V. Validity and Reliability of the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) in a Nationwide Sample of Greek Educators. Social Sciences. 2016; 5(2):25. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci5020025
Chicago/Turabian StyleKourmousi, Ntina, Vasiliki Xythali, Maria Theologitou, and Vasilios Koutras. 2016. "Validity and Reliability of the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) in a Nationwide Sample of Greek Educators" Social Sciences 5, no. 2: 25. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci5020025
APA StyleKourmousi, N., Xythali, V., Theologitou, M., & Koutras, V. (2016). Validity and Reliability of the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI) in a Nationwide Sample of Greek Educators. Social Sciences, 5(2), 25. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci5020025