Dimensionality assessment in ordinal data: a comparison between parallel analysis and exploratory graph analysis.

In the social sciences, accurately identifying the dimensionality of measurement scales is crucial for understanding latent constructs such as anxiety, happiness, and self-efficacy. This study presents a rigorous comparison between Parallel Analysis (PA) and Exploratory Graph Analysis (EGA) for assessing the dimensionality of scales, particularly focusing on ordinal data. Through an extensive simulation study, we evaluated the effectiveness of these methods under various conditions, including varying sample size, number of factors and their association, patterns of loading magnitudes, and symmetrical or skewed item distributions with assumed underlying normality or non-normality.

Examination of Student-Teacher Interpersonal Relationships Circumplex Model in the Greek Educational Context.

Student-teacher interpersonal relationships contribute significantly to the academic trajectory and achievement of children and adolescents. The Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI) is one of the most widely applied measures for assessing students' perceptions about the teachers' interpersonal behaviour. QTI comprises eight subscales that are assumed to follow a circumplex model.

Factorial Validity and Measurement Invariance of the Principal Leadership Questionnaire in Greek Educational Context.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the applicability of the Principal Leadership Questionnaire (PLQ) to Greek educational context and to present the most important aspects describing educational leadership in a centralized educational context. It was sought to examine; a) the factorial structure of PLQ b) its invariance across teachers' levels of education and c) its concurrent validity. Data were collected from 730 Greek primary and secondary school teachers of 77 schools.

Teachers' and children's perceptions about their relationships: examining the construct of dependency in the Greek sociocultural context.

This study examines teachers' and children's perceptions of dependency, and their linkages with other relationship dimensions, in a cultural context with a more collectivistic orientation. Additionally, it examines the factorial validity and reliability of the Greek version of the Child Appraisal of Relationship with Teacher Scale (CARTS) and teacher-child perceptions' convergence of relationship quality. Participants were 348 kindergarten students and 35 teachers from Greek kindergarten classrooms.

Applying Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling to Examine the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale in a Representative Greek Sample.

Teacher-child relationships in early childhood are a fundamental prerequisite for children's social, emotional, and academic development. The Student-Teacher Relationship Scale (STRS) is one of the most widely accepted and used instruments that evaluate the quality of teacher-child relationships. STRS is a 28-item questionnaire that assess three relational dimensions, Closeness, Conflict, and Dependency.

Working memory contributions to reading comprehension components in middle childhood children.

This study examined working memory contributions to reading comprehension subskills in Greek children (mean age 9 years, 1 month). The phonological loop of the Baddeley and Hitch working memory model was assessed with 3 recall tasks (words, nonwords, and digits) and a word list matching task. The central executive (CE) was assessed with 3 tasks (listening, counting, and backward digit recall).

The influence of multiple administration of a psychomotor test on performance and learning.

Exercise scientists frequently use criterion measure tests to assess levels of motor performance and physical fitness or to evaluate the success of their intervention programs. During this process, the same motor test might be administered multiple times. The aim of the present study was to examine whether familiarization with a psychomotor test would influence performance and/or learning.

Applicability of the planned behavior theory to attitudes of students in early childhood education toward teaching culturally diverse classes: the role of self-identity.

The present study was designed to examine the predictive utility of planned behavior theory to the multicultural education domain. One hundred and forty-eight students in early childhood studies (146 women, 2 men; M age = 21.8 yr.

Sex and sport-related differences in satisfaction among Greek swimmers.

The purpose was to test the applicability of the Scale of Athlete Satisfaction for Greek swimmers and to assess sex and sport-related differences for swimers' mean satisfaction. The sample of 351 Greek swimmers comprised 186 males and 165 females competing in five categories of the National Swimming Championhip in Greece. Their mean age was 16 yr.

Can secondary school students' self-reported measures of height and weight be trusted? An effect size approach.

Background: Self-reported measures of height and weight are a cost-effective alternative to direct measures in large-scale studies. This study was designed to examine the accuracy of adolescent students' self-reported height and weight taking into consideration the magnitude of the differences.

Methods: Self-reported height and weight were taken from 300 secondary public schools students.

The influence of intrinsic motivation on an endurance field test.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of various aspects of intrinsic motivation on the levels of performance in an endurance field test.

Methods: The sample of the study consisted of 144 undergraduate Physical Education students. A Greek version of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory (IMI) was administered to participants after the completion of the 20 m shuttle field test.

Does living in urban or rural settings affect aspects of physical fitness in children? An allometric approach.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate physical fitness in relation to fatness in urban and rural Greek children by means of allometric scaling.

Methods: The sample consisted of 360 (189 urban and 171 rural; age 12.3+/-0.

Hormonal responses to three training protocols in rowing.

The aim of this study was to examine the acute responses of serum growth hormone, testosterone, and cortisol to three training protocols in rowing. Six young rowers, members of the national team, carried out three frequently used protocols in rowing, i.e.

Greek adolescents, fitness, fatness, fat intake, activity, and coronary heart disease risk.

Background: A dramatic increase in adult mortality rates from coronary heart disease (CHD) in Greece, accompanied by increased prevalence of CHD risk factors in children, has been documented. However, there is controversy about the independent effects of certain lifestyle parameters on primary CHD risk factors.

Aims And Methods: To examine the association between CHD risk factors (HDL-C, LDL-C, HDL-C/TC, triglycerides, systolic and diastolic blood pressure) and lifestyle parameters (fitness, fatness, fat intake, and physical activity) in 210 12-year old Greek pupils.

Temporal stability of the intrinsic motivation inventory.

To examine the temporal stability of the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory a Greek version was administered to 144 undergraduate students after an endurance field test. The same procedure was repeated one week later. Factor analysis followed by varimax rotation showed that three factors (Perceived Competence, Interest/enjoyment, and Effort/importance) explained 65.

Hematologic and biochemical profile of juvenile and adult athletes of both sexes: implications for clinical evaluation.

The aim of the present study was to compare the values of seventeen hematologic and biochemical parameters between juvenile and adult athletes and non-athletes of both sexes. 579 athletes and 241 non-athletes participated in the study. We measured packed-cell volume, hemoglobin, red blood cell count, white blood cell count, platelet count, iron, glucose, urea, triacylglycerols, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, calcium, magnesium, creatine kinase, as well as alanine and aspartate aminotransferases.

Test-retest reliability of the Eurofit test battery administered to university students.

The purpose of this study was to examine the test-retest reliability of the Eurofit motor fitness tests performed by university students. A total of 98 undergraduate students who were enrolled in physical education departments in Greece participated (29 men aged 19.5 +/- 2.

Construct Validity of the Test of Gross Motor Development: A Cross-Validation Approach.

This study was designed to examine the underlying structure of the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD) in Ulrich (1985). The TGMD was administered to 644 children who were randomly divided into two groups (calibration group and validation group). The calibration group (n = 324) included 150 boys and 174 girls, and the validation group included 160 boys and 160 girls, ranging from 3 to 10 years.

Effect of supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid on human serum lipids and body fat.

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a natural component of meat and dairy products with anticarcinogenic, fat lowering, antiatherogenic and anticatabolic activity in animals. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of CLA supplementation to humans on body fat, certain biochemical parameters of serum, and the CLA content of serum lipids. Twenty-two volunteers were divided into a study group and a control group in a doubly blind design.

Evaluation of the specificity of selected dynamic balance tests.

Many researchers have suggested that balance is not a general motor ability but rather is specific to the task which is performed. The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between a laboratory test (stabilometer) for assessing dynamic balance and three field tests: the Modified Bass Test, Balance Beam Speed Test 1 (forward walking), and Balance Beam Speed Test 2 (sideward walking). In addition, associations of whole body reaction time with scores of the four tests of dynamic balance were assessed in 54 undergraduate students.