title: Validation and Cultural Adaptation of the Motors of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (MoVac-COVID19S) in German

authors: Adu, Peter

abstract: <jats:p> Abstract: Background: Context-specific standardized psychometric instruments are essential for ensuring valid and reliable assessment of health outcomes across diverse populations to aid the advancement of research and health-related interventions. However, instruments measuring attitudes toward vaccinations are lacking in the extant literature. Therefore, we performed a cross-cultural adaptation of the Motors of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (MoVac-COVID19S) in Germany. Method: During the months of June and July 2022, 475 individuals aged 18 years and older from the general population of Germany participated in an online cross-sectional survey. Participants responded to five demographic questions, a measure of COVID-19 vaccine uptake willingness, and the MoVac-COVID19S. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) fit indices were used to evaluate the factor structures of the MoVac-COVID19S. Results: The CFA revealed that all examined factor structures of both the 9-item and 12-item versions of the MoVac-COVID19S were acceptable among the sample. Overall, CFI, GFI, and TLI values were higher than 0.95; RMSEA and SRMR values were all less than 0.08 for all the estimated models. The one-factor model of the 9-item version of the MoVac-COVID19S exhibited best fits indices compared to the one-factor and four-factor structures of the 12-item version of the scale. The bifactor model revealed that the general factor explained a higher percentage of the Explained Common Variance (ECV; ranging from 55% to 94%) in the majority of the items, compared to the specific factors. The scale was found to demonstrate convergent validity with related measures. Conclusion: The German version of the MoVac-COVID19S should be considered a unidimensional rather than a multidimensional measure. Although the 9-item version of the scale performed better among the sample compared to the 12-item version, the overall scores of both versions were found to be valid and reliable measures of attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccinations. The MoVac-COVID19S has the potential to be adapted for assessing attitudes toward any future vaccination programs. Limitations: While our study sampled only the general German population, the criticisms of CFA warrant further research using advanced methods, such as the Rasch model, and subgroups. </jats:p>

text: Validation and Cultural Adaptation of the Motors of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (MoVac-COVID19S) in German <jats:p> Abstract: Background: Context-specific standardized psychometric instruments are essential for ensuring valid and reliable assessment of health outcomes across diverse populations to aid the advancement of research and health-related interventions. However, instruments measuring attitudes toward vaccinations are lacking in the extant literature. Therefore, we performed a cross-cultural adaptation of the Motors of COVID-19 Vaccination Acceptance Scale (MoVac-COVID19S) in Germany. Method: During the months of June and July 2022, 475 individuals aged 18 years and older from the general population of Germany participated in an online cross-sectional survey. Participants responded to five demographic questions, a measure of COVID-19 vaccine uptake willingness, and the MoVac-COVID19S. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) fit indices were used to evaluate the factor structures of the MoVac-COVID19S. Results: The CFA revealed that all examined factor structures of both the 9-item and 12-item versions of the MoVac-COVID19S were acceptable among the sample. Overall, CFI, GFI, and TLI values were higher than 0.95; RMSEA and SRMR values were all less than 0.08 for all the estimated models. The one-factor model of the 9-item version of the MoVac-COVID19S exhibited best fits indices compared to the one-factor and four-factor structures of the 12-item version of the scale. The bifactor model revealed that the general factor explained a higher percentage of the Explained Common Variance (ECV; ranging from 55% to 94%) in the majority of the items, compared to the specific factors. The scale was found to demonstrate convergent validity with related measures. Conclusion: The German version of the MoVac-COVID19S should be considered a unidimensional rather than a multidimensional measure. Although the 9-item version of the scale performed better among the sample compared to the 12-item version, the overall scores of both versions were found to be valid and reliable measures of attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccinations. The MoVac-COVID19S has the potential to be adapted for assessing attitudes toward any future vaccination programs. Limitations: While our study sampled only the general German population, the criticisms of CFA warrant further research using advanced methods, such as the Rasch model, and subgroups. </jats:p>

year: 2023-12-01

title: A Comparison of Thailand and New Zealand Students’ Ideas About Energy Related to Technological and Societal Issues

authors: Yuenyong, Chokchai

abstract: This study is a cross-cultural comparison between the ideas of 49 Thai Grade 9 students and the 30 New Zealand Grade 9 students (approximately 15 years old), about energy related to technological and societal issues. Students’ ideas were explored using the Questionnaire for exploring Students’ ideas about Energy, Technological, and Societal issues (QSETS). The QSETS questionnaire gave students the opportunity to express their ideas about energy related to societal and technological issues. Both groups of students were presented with the same set of issues, but specific places were related to each student’s own country. The study reveals some interesting student ideas that might be generated from engaging in different contexts. It seemed that the 15-year-old students had difficulty in perceiving the relationship between the study of society and energy. Around 50% of both groups of students did not understand, and did not know enough about, questions which referred to the relationship between society and energy. Thai and New Zealand students held different values in decision-making. Thai students placed value on decisionmaking concerning the development of the country. They strongly believed in scientific application for solving social problems. New Zealand students valued decision-making in relation to environmental issues. They were not quite sure that scientific knowledge could solve problems. They thought that science applications caused damage to the environment. This study has implications for the development of teaching approaches in different countries.

text: A Comparison of Thailand and New Zealand Students’ Ideas About Energy Related to Technological and Societal Issues This study is a cross-cultural comparison between the ideas of 49 Thai Grade 9 students and the 30 New Zealand Grade 9 students (approximately 15 years old), about energy related to technological and societal issues. Students’ ideas were explored using the Questionnaire for exploring Students’ ideas about Energy, Technological, and Societal issues (QSETS). The QSETS questionnaire gave students the opportunity to express their ideas about energy related to societal and technological issues. Both groups of students were presented with the same set of issues, but specific places were related to each student’s own country. The study reveals some interesting student ideas that might be generated from engaging in different contexts. It seemed that the 15-year-old students had difficulty in perceiving the relationship between the study of society and energy. Around 50% of both groups of students did not understand, and did not know enough about, questions which referred to the relationship between society and energy. Thai and New Zealand students held different values in decision-making. Thai students placed value on decisionmaking concerning the development of the country. They strongly believed in scientific application for solving social problems. New Zealand students valued decision-making in relation to environmental issues. They were not quite sure that scientific knowledge could solve problems. They thought that science applications caused damage to the environment. This study has implications for the development of teaching approaches in different countries.

year: 2008

title: Eta Mokena, daughter of Mokena Hou, and her husband, Hare Renata

authors: Hart, Philip

abstract: The family backgrounds of both Eta Mokena and Hare Renata can be traced, but little is known about her life compared with that of her husband. From an early age he lived in various places in Hauraki, cultivating, running pigs, catching birds, fish, and eels, and selling some of these to Pakeha. Both owned interests in several blocks of land, and Eta, being childless, gifted some interests to her nephew and nieces. Hare Renata had to fight off other claimants for several blocks of land, not always successfully, and not always by giving truthful evidence. Despite selling some of their interests in land, they were never financially secure.
Renata held interests in three goldfields whereas Eta held only one, in a claim named after her family. They settled in several places, and only rarely lived at Te Aroha until their last years.

text: Eta Mokena, daughter of Mokena Hou, and her husband, Hare Renata The family backgrounds of both Eta Mokena and Hare Renata can be traced, but little is known about her life compared with that of her husband. From an early age he lived in various places in Hauraki, cultivating, running pigs, catching birds, fish, and eels, and selling some of these to Pakeha. Both owned interests in several blocks of land, and Eta, being childless, gifted some interests to her nephew and nieces. Hare Renata had to fight off other claimants for several blocks of land, not always successfully, and not always by giving truthful evidence. Despite selling some of their interests in land, they were never financially secure.
Renata held interests in three goldfields whereas Eta held only one, in a claim named after her family. They settled in several places, and only rarely lived at Te Aroha until their last years.

year: 2016