RESUMO

INTRODUCTION: The Cognitive Distortions Questionnaire (CD-Quest) is an instrument that identifies logical errors or cognitive distortions and is used in trial-based cognitive therapy (TBCT). However, it had previously only been available for adults. OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate a version of the CD-Quest for teens (CD-Quest-T) aged 11 to 17 years and test its psychometric properties. METHOD: A total of 299 schoolchildren participated in the investigation. After content validity was assessed, the language was adapted for the target age group, and the length of the instrument was reduced to eight items (from the initial 15). Five cognitive therapists analyzed the content and structure of the items. Finally, to investigate the construct validity of the CD-Quest-T, the instrument was divided into a full scale and two subscales, which measure the frequency of the distortions and the intensity attributed to them, respectively. RESULTS: The overall internal consistency of the scale was α = 0.77, whereas subscale indices were α = 0.75 for the frequency scale and α = 0.73 for the intensity scale. Results from exploratory factor analysis and concurrent validity analysis indicated that the CD-Quest-T items have good psychometric properties and generate scores reliably. CONCLUSION: The psychometric properties of the CD-Quest-T demonstrate its adequacy for measurement of cognitive distortions in adolescents.

Assuntos

Cognição , Idioma , Adolescente , Criança , Humanos , Psicometria , Reprodutibilidade dos Testes , Inquéritos e Questionários

RESUMO

Abstract Introduction The Cognitive Distortions Questionnaire (CD-Quest) is an instrument that identifies logical errors or cognitive distortions and is used in trial-based cognitive therapy (TBCT). However, it had previously only been available for adults. Objectives To develop and validate a version of the CD-Quest for teens (CD-Quest-T) aged 11 to 17 years and test its psychometric properties. Method A total of 299 schoolchildren participated in the investigation. After content validity was assessed, the language was adapted for the target age group, and the length of the instrument was reduced to eight items (from the initial 15). Five cognitive therapists analyzed the content and structure of the items. Finally, to investigate the construct validity of the CD-Quest-T, the instrument was divided into a full scale and two subscales, which measure the frequency of the distortions and the intensity attributed to them, respectively. Results The overall internal consistency of the scale was α = 0.77, whereas subscale indices were α = 0.75 for the frequency scale and α = 0.73 for the intensity scale. Results from exploratory factor analysis and concurrent validity analysis indicated that the CD-Quest-T items have good psychometric properties and generate scores reliably. Conclusion The psychometric properties of the CD-Quest-T demonstrate its adequacy for measurement of cognitive distortions in adolescents.

RESUMO

Large-scale educational assessment has been established as source of descriptive, evaluative and interpretative information that influence educational policies worldwide throughout the last third of the twentieth century. In the 1990s the Brazilian Ministry of Education developed the National Basic Education Assessment System (SAEB) that regularly measures management, resource and contextual school features and academic achievement in public and private institutions. In 2005, after significant piloting and review of the SAEB, a new sampling strategy was taken and Prova Brasil became the new instrument used by the Ministry to assess skills in Portuguese (reading comprehension) and Mathematics (problem solving), as well as collecting contextual information concerning the school, principal, teacher, and the students. This study aims to identify which variables are predictors of academic achievement of fifth grade students on Prova Brasil. Across a large sample of students, multilevel models tested a large number of variables relevant to student achievement. This approach uncovered critical variables not commonly seen as significant in light of other achievement determinants, including student habits, teacher ethnicity, and school technological resources. As such, this approach demonstrates the value of MLM to appropriately nuanced educational policies that reflect critical influences on student achievement. Its implications for wider application for psychology studies that may have relevant impacts for policy are also discussed.