Factorial Structure and Invariance of the Academic Expectations Stress Inventory Across Hispanic and Chinese Adolescent Samples

Abstract

Using confirmatory factor analysis, the current study provided further evidence for the two-factor structure of the Academic Expectations Stress Inventory [AESI; Ang RP, Huan VS (2006) Educ Psych Meas 66:522-539] using a sample of 191 US Hispanic adolescents and a sample of 211 Singapore Chinese adolescents. This study also examined the cross-cultural validity of the AESI using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis to investigate the invariance of the factor structure of the AESI across both samples. Results from multigroup confirmatory factor analysis suggested that while partial invariance was observed across the samples, the consistency of fit indices indicating either no change or a minimal loss of fit between the unconstrained basic model and the partially constrained models, provided support that partial invariance was acceptable. Analyses of covariance results indicated that perceived overall academic stress and academic stress arising from self-expectations were significantly higher among Singapore Chinese adolescents compared with US Hispanic adolescents.

Effects of Family Context on Adolescents’ Psychological Problems: Moderated by Pubertal Timing, and Mediated by Self-Esteem and Interpersonal Relationships

“…Contextual factors may attenuate or amplify the effect of pubertal timing on adolescent psychological symptoms (White et al 2012). East Asian countries, including Taiwan, may be interesting cultural contexts for studying this issue because they generally have conservative social norms for and collectivist influence on adolescent behaviors (Ang et al 2007;Lin et al 2008;Yi et al 2009). Precocious development may signify an abnormality and make earlymaturing adolescents feel less welcome, particularly where assimilation and standardization are highly valued.…”

“…The emphasis on academic achievement, a common emphasis shared by many East Asian countries, might cause strained relations between adolescents and the adults around them (especially parents, grandparents, and teachers) and thus undermine their psychosocial health (Ang et al 2007;Chen and Lu 2009;Tsai et al 2013). Nonetheless, the mediating roles of self-esteem and interpersonal interaction between the effects of early pubertal timing and developmental outcomes are scarcely studied, and additional investigations are required.…”

Academic expectations as sources of stress in Asian students

“…The Academic Expectations Stress Inventory (AESI) was designed by Ang and Huan (2006) to measure academic stress in Asian students in relation to the expectations of parents, teachers and students. It was validated by exploratory and confirmatory factor analytical (CFA) techniques (Ang and Huan 2006;Ang et al 2007), but had not been subjected to a more rigorous examination with the Rasch or Item Response Theory Model (IRT), which provided estimates of person and threshold locations on a latent variable scale (Curtis and Boman 2007, p. 249). Factor analyses and IRT based analyses are considered to be complementary, with the combination of both psychometric analyses providing a better understanding of scale performance problems than either method alone (De Vet et al 2005).…”

A Scale Adaptation Study Related to the Examination of Adolescents' Levels of Educational Stress

“…This result supports our study's results. In addition to these, another cause of high levels of educational stress experienced by last graders at high schools may be that it is likely that academic stress and stress associated with academic expectations experienced by last graders at high schools are higher than those of other age groups (Ang, Huan, & Braman, 2007;Zeidner, 1992). Effect size coefficient is smaller than expected, but it is moderately meaningful.…”