Structural Equation Modeling

Given its key role in enhancing learners’ communicative competence, willingness to communicate (WTC) has received much research attention in the field of second language (L2) teaching and learning. Numerous studies have explored the antecedents of WTC in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context. As an attempt to shed more light on this line of research, this study was set to investigate the effects of grit and foreign language anxiety as predictors of L2 WTC among Iranian EFL learners. For this purpose, a number of 163 undergraduate English major students from several universities participated in this survey. The required data were collected by distributing valid and reliable instruments measuring the three target variables (i.e., WTC, grit, and anxiety). A structural equation modeling (SEM) approach was utilized to test the hypothesized structural models for the relations between these variables. The SEM results indicated that grit accounted for 10.6 % of the variance and FL anxiety explained 20% of the variance in the participants’ L2 WTC. Furthermore, the unique impact of foreign language anxiety on WTC was greater than that of grit. The implications of these findings for language teaching and learning are discussed at the end of the paper.

INTRODUCTION: Due to the increasing trend of natural and manmade disasters in the contemporary world, especially in Iran, as well as the variety and high number of disasters in recent years, the issue of managing the humanitarian services supply network has become very important. The purpose of this study is to design and evaluate the model of trust building in the humanitarian services supply network, considering the importance of building trust in these networks and theoretical poverty in this field. METHODS: For doing this study, three recent major disasters in Tehran province, Iran, (Plasco accident, city explosion and metro flood) were selected and had been studied and the trust building model in humanitarian service supply network is designed using Corbin and Strauss grounded theory version 2015 based on interviews with 8 humanitarian experts in that three disasters. Then, the relationships between the model components were investigated by Structural Equation Modeling with a researcher-made questionnaire distributed among 128 individuals participating in the above events. FINDINGS: The final model is designed in three phases of conditions, actions, and consequences based on grounded theory. Poor community structures and community management systems are a major obstacle to trust building and political power interventions, insufficient funding, uncertainty of the responsible person, unsuccessful performance, lack of coordination and cooperation of the responsible working groups, and lack of readiness are the main factors of distrust. The main components of the model are highly correlated and the components have significant relationships. CONCLUSION: The research final model can solve the existing problems in Iran's humanitarian services supply network by building trust among organizations, members of the network and finally among the public. Building trust enhances intra-network collaboration, and achieves the success and goals of the relief network through establishing greater coordination and cohesion. The dominance of the political factors in the relief network is also a major obstacle to obtaining the needed information and making good cooperation by those present in the network and thus, the involvement of political actors in the humanitarian supply network should be prevented.

The main aim of this thesis is to investigate the factors that could affect the students to adopt e-learning system in Libyan universities. This study is quantitative approach, a questionnaire was adopted from previous studies and distributed among the students to collect the data. The sample of the study consists 365 students from Libya. AMOS software was used to analysis the data. The results indicated that Performance Expectancy, Efforts Expectancy, Facilitating Conditions, Habit and Trust have significant impact on behavioural intention. Moreover, the relationship between Behavioural intention and use behaviour is also significantly positive. However, the relationship of social influence and behavioural intention was not found significant. Finally, the moderation effect was significant and supported between social influence, trust, and Habit with behavioural intention.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of both work to family enrichment and family to work enrichment on family satisfaction and work satisfaction. The moderating role of positive and negative affectivity is also examined in this regard. Methodology : This Study is an empirical survey research with the statistical population of faculty members of Iran’s universities. The research questionnaires were distributed among professors of five premier universities of Tehran. 200 people were used by simple random sampling. Carlson et al. (2000), Carlson, Kacmar, and Williams (2000), Brayfield and Crockett (1955), Schumm, McCollum, Bugaighis, Jurich, and Bollman (1986) and Agho et al. (1992) questionnaires were used and research hypotheses were tested through structural equation modeling by PLS software. Findings : The results showed that according to path coefficient, work family enrichment has a positive and significant effect on faculty members’ job satisfaction (0.7562) and family satisfaction (0.7362) both T-statistics are upper than 1.96. Positive affectivity enhances these relationships as a moderating variable (0.6423). However, negative affectivity had no significant effect on the relationship between work family enrichment and family and job satisfaction (both T-statistics are lower than 1.96). Conclusion : positive aspects of work family interface, in other words, work family enrichment in comparison with work family conflict variable should be considered as an important variable in psychology of family and organization. The issue of work family enrichment in the scientific jobs of faculty members of universities which have distinctive job qualifications compared with other jobs could have a significant effect in job and family satisfaction

Structural equation modeling (SEM), as a flexible and versatile multivariate statistical technique, has been growingly used since its introduction in the 1970s. This article presents a methodological synthesis of the characteristics of the use of SEM in L2 research by examining the reporting practices in light of the current SEM literature to eventually provide some empirically grounded recommendations for future research. A total of 722 instances of SEM found in 145 empirical reports published in 16 leading L2 journals across two periods of 1981-2008 and 2009-2020 were systematically reviewed. Each study was coded for a wide range of analytic and reporting practices. The results indicate that despite the growing popularity of SEM in L2 research, there was a wide variation and inconsistency in its uses and reports within and across the two periods in regard to the underlying assumptions, variables and models, model specification and estimation, and fit statistics. Drawing on the current SEM literature, we will discuss the findings and research implications for future use and reporting of SEM in L2 research.

Teachers’ classroom management plays a potent role in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, especially in relation to other psychological variables, namely self-efficacy and personality types. Consequently, the present study aimed at generating a structural equation model of evidence to better illustrate the relationship among classroom management, self-efficacy, and personality types as well as the pertinent sub-scales. A sample of 249 Iranian EFL teachers completed three questionnaires including the Behavior and Instructional Management Scale, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Personality Type, and Teacher Efficacy Scale. The structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and the schematic illustration confirmed the hypothesized model (x2df = 1.28; RMSEA=.03; RMR =.03; GFI =.98; AGFI=.95; NFI =.98; CFI =.99; IFI =.99; TLI=.98), revealing significant internal interplay among the classroom management approaches, self-efficacy, personality types, and their sub-scales. The results of multiple regression further confirmed the direction of the path model illuminating the predictability power of the teachers’ personality types and their self-efficacy concerning the EFL teachers’ classroom management approaches. In other words, EFL teachers’ personality types and self-efficacy can predict their classroom management approaches. The study offered pedagogical implications for teachers, policymakers, and stockholders.

The current study used Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) as a statistical technique to test a hypothesized mediating model to uncover the underlying relationship between the L2 motivational self-system, L2 anxiety, and L2 willingness to communicate (L2 WTC). This study is significant because it considers the unique experiences of English as a foreign language (EFL) learner in the era of globalization by incorporating the L2 motivational self-system. The mediating effect of L2 anxiety was also accounted for, providing a deeper understanding of how emotional factors influence L2 WTC. The data were collected through a questionnaire administered to 260 students at six public universities in China. The results showed that (a) two subcomponents of the L2 motivational self-system (ideal L2 self and L2 learning experience) were positive predictors to L2 WTC; (b) the higher the degree to which learners were motivated by their ought-to L2 self, the higher the anxiety of English learning; and (c) L2 anxiety had a suppressing effect between the L2 motivational self-system and L2 WTC. Specifically, L2 anxiety weakens the direct positive effect of the L2 motivational self-system on L2 WTC, leading to a decrease in L2 WTC. Pedagogical implications and future research directions were also addressed.

Adaptive teaching addresses students’ diversity and their immediate learning needs. Particularly, in the high-interactive context of English teaching, fostering adaptive teaching in teacher professional development programs not only stimulates teacher change at the micro level, but also facilitates implementing the organizational and curricular innovations imposed by authorities at the macro level. The current English teaching literature lacks a measure for evaluating and fostering adaptive teaching within higher education. Hence, within the present study, the Interconnected Model of Teacher Professional Growth (IMTPG) was adapted and validated as a measure for evaluating and fostering teacher adaptability for 183 international English teachers in higher education. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed for validating two different enactment and reflection links in the original IMTPG, and the final adapted IMTPG for adaptive teaching (At-IMTPG) was proposed. The AT-IMTPG can be applied for evaluating how adaptive English teachers are, seeking to resolve the problem of implementing educational innovations by English teachers in higher education. It can also be used to design teacher professional growth programs for fostering adaptive teaching within English teaching higher education. Such a change in the classroom level is hoped to be translated into an educational change in English teaching higher education.

The study scrutinized the probable significant relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Translation Competence (TC) in the Iranian students of Translation Studies. The first stage of the study followed a conventional statistical approach, in which the significant relationship between the variables as well as the predicting role of emotional intelligence for translation competence of the participants was examined through Pearson correlation and linear regression analyses. Two questionnaires of emotional competence, derived from Bar-On (1997), and translation competence, derived from Alavi and Ghaemi (2013), were utilized in the study. The findings of the initial phase revealed the significant relationship between the participants’ emotional intelligence and translation competence. In the second stage, modeling approach was employed to probe the relation between emotional intelligence and translation competence through structural equation modeling, using LISREL. The results demonstrated a significant relationship between EI and TC, justifying the results of the first non-modeling stage. The findings are of significance as the association between translation competence and emotional intelligence has been scarcely explored. Moreover, the relation between two variables was deeply explored through using non-modeling as well as modeling approach, adding the novelty of research. The results reflected that emotional intelligence plays a significant role in predicting the language learners’ translation competence. The results have some implications for language teaching. Language teachers can promote language learners’ emotional intelligence to reach successful learning outcomes. Through using useful techniques such as discussion, group-work activities, answering questionnaires, the learners' emotional intelligence can be significantly improved, leading to effective translation achievement.

Purpose: Digital literacy fosters social advantages such as chances to interact with others and forge and develop social relationships by enabling online activities and leading to online social capital development. This study investigated the relationship between digital literacy and online social capital. Methodology: The research method is quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational. Participants comprised 754 (520 female and 234 male) students of Tabriz universities during the months of June and August 2023, who were randomly selected from among those willing to cooperate and responded to the Digital Literacy Questionnaire (Ng, 2012) and Online Social Capital Questionnaire (Duradoni et al., 2022). Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling with SPSS version 27 and Amos Graphic version 24 software. Findings: Utilizing confirmatory factor analysis, the factorial structure of the research instruments was examined. The digital literacy questionnaire's three-factor structure and the online social capital questionnaire's two-factor structure were confirmed. The GFIs were higher than 0.9, and the RMSEA was below 0.08. The fit indices indicate that the structural model describing the relationship between digital literacy and online social capital is supported. The standard weights of the confidence and connectedness dimensions of the relationship between digital literacy and online social capital were 0.42 and 0.48, respectively (p<0.05). Conclusion: Digital literacy encompasses social, cognitive, and emotional skills in addition to technical ones. Therefore, digital literacy is multidimensional and lays the foundation for a new, constantly evolving style of online relationships and interpersonal connections. Higher levels of digital literacy and its components provide individuals with the ability and opportunity to convert their network of relationships into other forms of capital, obtain and provide support in the virtual space, and engage in emotional exchange, group leisure time, counselling, and collaboration. These competencies form the basis of online social capital.

This paper aims to conceptualize the success factors of a digital transformation (DT) strategy and analyze its impact on a company's economic performance. We explore the concepts that affect the field of DT definition and the key drivers that lead to successful DT. Through these key drivers considered as success factors, we propose a research framework linking these drivers to the DT strategy and then corporate economic performance in emerging markets. To test the research model empirically and provide a contextualized interpretation of the results, we adopted a sequential explanatory design. Initially, we performed a quantitative study through a survey among companies listed on the Casablanca Stock Exchange in Morocco. We then analyzed the collected data using the structural equation method. Next, to explain the results, we conducted a qualitative analysis through interviews with semi-structured questions. The findings show that in an emerging economy context such as Morocco, placing the customer at the core of the DT strategy, aligning the organization with the DT strategy, adopting a value system imbued with DT values, and establishing an operational roadmap to drive the change can enhance the company’s digital transformation. These drivers contribute to 59.5% of the implementation of the DT strategy. Driving a DT strategy has a significant impact on companies' economic performance, contributing to 21.5% of their commercial and financial outcomes. This study highlights that the maintenance of a "phygital" business model, which mixes digital and physical business models, and the lack of human resources involvement in the DT process are specific to the emerging market context studied.

Background: Physical education (PE) plays a crucial role in fostering an enjoyment of physical activity (PA) and developing physical literacy in students. This, in turn, contributes to lifelong health and well-being. Aim: The study explored the association between teachers’ perceived physical literacy, students' enjoyment of PA, and physical literacy. This was done by investigating the mediating role of teachers' self-efficacy in teaching PE. Materials and Methods: The sample included 40 physical education teachers and 100 students in 7 to 9 grades of secondary education, totaling 140 participants. The teachers completed the Physical Education Teachers' Perceived Physical Literacy Instrument (PPLI) and Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES). In contrast, the students completed the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES) and Adolescent Physical Literacy Questionnaire (APLQ). Results The results from the structural equation modeling confirmed the model's fit and showed that teachers’ perceived physical literacy and self-efficacy have a direct and positive relationship with students' enjoyment of PA and physical literacy. Additionally, teachers' self-efficacy indirectly mediated the relationship between teachers’ perceived physical literacy and students' enjoyment of PA and physical literacy. Conclusion: The results underscore the importance of teachers' perceived physical literacy in fostering positive student outcomes concerning PA by mediating the role of teaching self-efficacy.