Person-thing Orientation: Evidence for Measurement Equivalence and Construct Validity among Israeli Students
Advisor Information
Carey S. Ryan
Location
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
3-3-2017 12:30 PM
End Date
3-3-2017 1:45 PM
Abstract
Person-thing orientation (PTO) refers to individuals’ orientation towards people (PO) and things (TO) in the environment, and has been shown to predict career choice. We examined responses to a PTO measure among 426 Israeli college students, using multi-group confirmatory factor analyses to compare Israeli responses to 121 preliminary responses from midwestern American college students. Analyses revealed evidence for configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance. Allowing one TO and two PO item intercepts to vary produced acceptable fit. The covariance between factors varied by culture; PO and TO were positively correlated among Israelis but unrelated among Americans. Analysis of latent means revealed no differences in PO, but Israelis demonstrated higher TO. Finally, Israeli science majors reported greater TO than did humanities majors, consistent with past work among Americans. These analyses provide evidence for the construct validity of PTO among Israeli students, suggesting that it is appropriate for studying Israelis’ workplace choices.
Person-thing Orientation: Evidence for Measurement Equivalence and Construct Validity among Israeli Students
Dr. C.C. and Mabel L. Criss Library
Person-thing orientation (PTO) refers to individuals’ orientation towards people (PO) and things (TO) in the environment, and has been shown to predict career choice. We examined responses to a PTO measure among 426 Israeli college students, using multi-group confirmatory factor analyses to compare Israeli responses to 121 preliminary responses from midwestern American college students. Analyses revealed evidence for configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance. Allowing one TO and two PO item intercepts to vary produced acceptable fit. The covariance between factors varied by culture; PO and TO were positively correlated among Israelis but unrelated among Americans. Analysis of latent means revealed no differences in PO, but Israelis demonstrated higher TO. Finally, Israeli science majors reported greater TO than did humanities majors, consistent with past work among Americans. These analyses provide evidence for the construct validity of PTO among Israeli students, suggesting that it is appropriate for studying Israelis’ workplace choices.