The Cyber Intimate Partner Violence: Prevalence, Context, and Relationship With In-Person Intimate Violence Victimization Jalal Kayed. Damra, Sanaa Abujilban, Mutasem Mohammad Akour Journal of Family Issues, 2024 This study aimed to examine the extent and characteristics of cyber intimate partner violence (IPV) and in-person IPV (IP-IPV) in a sample of 214 women aged 18–60 years in Jordan. A cross-sectional, correlational design was implemented, using the Cyber Aggression in Relationships and Revised Conflict Tactics Scales to evaluate both in-person and cyber IPV. The findings revealed that 65.4% of participants reported experiencing some form of cyber IPV, while 98.7% reported experiencing IP-IPV within the previous six months. Some demographic factors were linked to the prevalence of two cyber IPV types (cyber-stalking and cyber psychological aggression). Psychological and physical abuse were the most prevalent forms of IP-IPV. Exposure to cyber IPV was a predictor of psychological, physical, and injury types of IP-IPV. Overall, this study highlights the alarming prevalence of both IP-IPV and cyber IPV against women in Jordan and their interrelatedness
Intimate Partner Violence Victimization Among Refugee Men: Prevalence and Correlates With Associated Factors Jalal. Kayed Damra, Mutasem Mohammad Akour, Mohammad Al Qatawneh Journal of Men S Studies, 2024 This study examined the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization and associated factors among male refugees within a refugee community. A sample of 441 Syrian refugee men from Al- Za'atari refugee camp and other cities was conveniently recruited, and data was collected in 2022 using the revised conflict tactics scale. The findings revealed that psychological IPV was the most prevalent form of abuse, while negotiation, injury, and physical IPV were rare. The age and education level of the men were related to the prevalence of negotiation, psychological victimization, and physical victimization committed by women. Certain demographic variables were found to predict the prevalence of psychological and physical victimization, injury, and the absence of negotiation. The study highlights the importance of recognizing that male refugees can be victims of IPV and emphasizes the need for supportive resources and assistance. Improving living conditions in refugee camps and providing employment opportunities are strongly recommended to address this issue.
Stress and loneliness: exploring adolescents' use of social media as a coping strategy during COVID-19 Jalal Kayed Damra, Mutasem Mohammad Akour, Omar Al Omari Nursing Children and Young People, 2024 BACKGROUND During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, adolescents used various coping strategies to manage stress and loneliness. One such strategy was to engage in active coping, social relations coping and humour coping via social media. Such coping strategies can be helpful but can also reinforce stress and loneliness. AIM To explore adolescents' use of social media to manage stress and loneliness at a time of restricted social contacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, including potential differences between adolescents according to gender, age, area of residence and extent of social media use. METHOD A cross-sectional design and an online questionnaire were used to survey a convenience sample of adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years in Jordan. Three data collection tools were used - the modified Brief Coping Scale, the six-item Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale. RESULTS A total of 770 adolescents participated, half of whom were using social media more than before the pandemic. Increased use of active coping, social relations coping and humour coping was associated with decreases in stress and loneliness. Active coping contributed the most to reducing levels of stress while social relations coping contributed the most to reducing levels of loneliness. Younger participants made more use of active coping and humour coping than older participants. CONCLUSION Social media use can be a positive coping strategy for adolescents to manage stress and loneliness during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Breaking the Silence: Understanding the Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence on Refugee Men, with Depression as a Key Outcome Jalal Kayed Damra, Mutasem Mohammad Akour Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 2024 ABSTRACTThe primary objective of the present study was to investigate the association between exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and symptoms of depression among a sample of married refugee men. The study recruited a convenient sample of 539 married Syrian refugee men residing in refugee camps and other locations in Jordan between 2021-2022. A cross-sectional, correlational design was employed. IPV and symptoms of depression among the participants were assessed by the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS2) and the Patient Health Questionnaire, respectively. The findings of the study revealed a moderate prevalence of depression among the refugee men, with the most experienced types of IPV being the absence of negotiation with partners, psychological violence, physical violence, and injury. Significant positive correlations were observed between all types of IPV and symptoms of depression. It was determined that approximately 80% of the variation in symptoms of depression could be explained by the combination of the four types of IPV. Psychological violence was the strongest predictor for symptoms of depression followed by the absence of negotiation between partners and the occurrence of injury. Offering recommendations for interventions would aid in the development of effective strategies and support systems aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of IPV on the mental well-being of married refugee men.KEYWORDS: MenrefugeeIPVdepression Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingNo funding was received to conduct this study.
Validation of the revised scale of students’ attitudes towards research Mutasem Mohammad Akour, Jalal K. Damra, Tagreed M. Al Ali, Souad M. Ghaith, Thaer A. Ghbari, Nezar A. Shammout Studies in Higher Education, 2024 In higher education, research courses are an integral part of all academic majors that intend to help students in becoming better readers and/or authors of research. However, there is a paucity in instruments that measure various constructs that are related to research education. The 13-item revised scale of attitudes toward research is one of the few internationally available instruments that is intended to measure higher education students’ attitudes toward research. In two studies using different samples of undergraduate students, we collected evidence of validity and examined the reliability of this three-factor scale. In the first study, confirmatory factor analysis showed a good fit of the three-factor model to the data, as compared to the one- and two-factor models, when one item from the anxiety subscale was deleted. The resulting 12-item modified scale was cross validated in the second study, where convergent and discriminant validity evidence supported the validity of the interpretations based on the scale scores. Moreover, reliability was estimated via internal consistency and test-retest methods. Cronbach’s alpha, composite reliability, stability coefficient, and intraclass correlations were all acceptable. The findings of the current study supported the use of the modified scale in measuring university students’ attitudes toward research methods courses.
Implementing next generation science practices in classrooms: findings from TIMSS 2019 Saed Sabah, Mutasem Mohammad Akour, Hind Hammouri Journal of Turkish Science Education, 2023 This study developed and validated the Science Practice Scale (SPS) and investigated the implementation of scientific teaching practices by Grade 8 science teachers in Jordan. The responses of 235 8th grade science teachers who participated in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study [TIMSS] of 2019 were analysed using the Rasch measurement. We found significant evidence supporting the construct validity of the SPS scale. The results showed that the estimated difficulty level of implementing the practices varies from -1.26 logit (observing natural phenomena) to 2.27 logit (conducting fieldwork), indicating that the level of conducting field experiments was very low. The results of the t-test (t = 0.267, df = 222, p<0.05) indicated that no statistically significant differences existed between male and female science teachers in implementing scientific practices. The Ministry of Education of Jordan is encouraged to organise specific professional development programmes to promote science teachers’ implementation of these practices, especially with regards to organising fieldwork and giving their pupils opportunities to design and conduct experiments and present data. The current study provides recommendations for improving the TIMSS teacher questionnaire and introduces suggestions for further research.
The effect of Sample Size on Differential Item Functioning and Differential Distractor Functioning in multiple choice items Alomari, Hassan, Akour, Mutasem Mohammad, Al Ajlouni, Jehad Psychology Hub, 2023 The current study investigated the effect of sample size on the number of items that show differential functioning (DIF) and the number of distractors that also show differential functioning (DDF) using the Mantel-Haenszel procedure. Data came from a national 8th grade mathematics exam that is composed of 40 multiple-choice items that was administered to 40,000 examinees. Eight samples with 250, 500 1250, 2500, 5000, 10000, 15000, and 20000 examinees were randomly selected. The findings of the current study indicated that increasing sample size increased the number of items detected with DIF and DDF. In addition, larger sample sizes are needed to detect items with nonuniform DIF and with negligible magnitude of DIF. Moreover, detecting DDF requires larger sample sizes as compared to the detection of DIF. Finally, sample size of 2,500 provided adequate number of items flagged with DIF (both types, and different magnitudes) and with DDF.
The Relationship Between Peer Bullying and PTSS in Refugee Schoolchildren Jalal K. Damra, Mutasem Mohammad Akour, Thaer A. Ghbari Psychological Trauma Theory Research Practice and Policy, 2022 OBJECTIVE This study explored the relationship between Peer bullying (PB) and Posttraumatic Stress Symptomatology (PTSS) in a sample of refugee Syrian schoolchildren in Jordanian schools. METHOD The study sample was composed of 116 Syrian refugees (female = 62, 53.4% male = 54, 46.6%) ages 9-18 years with a mean age of 14.5 years (SD 1.18) who had been in Jordan for at least 3 years and were studying in five public schools (three for females and two for males) located in Irbid and Mafraq governorates in the northern area of Jordan between the June 14, 2018 and the March 20, 2019. RESULTS The results indicated that 116 children out of 180 (64.4%) suffer from high levels of PB (physical M = 1.47, verbal M = 1.41, and relational M = 1.35). The most prevailing type of bullying was the physical type, followed by the verbal and the relational types. Moreover, the three types of PB were positively and significantly correlated with PTSS (physical, r = .20, p < .05, verbal, r = .26, p < .01, relational, r = .22, p < .05), and (total PB, r = .43, p < .05). PB accounted for 14% of the variability in PTSS. Finally, the results did not indicate any significant differences in PB by gender, age, length of exposure to PB, living conditions, or disability. CONCLUSIONS This study may provide a deeper understanding of the need to develop more thorough, institutionalized as well individualized, interventions to reduce PB against schoolchildren from a refugee background in schools. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
Rasch rating scale analysis of the survey of attitudes toward statistics Mutasem Mohammad Akour Eurasia Journal of Mathematics Science and Technology Education, 2022 Students in every discipline in higher education take at least one course in statistics. Therefore, it is necessary to enhance students’ understanding of statistics and their achievement in such courses by considering several factors that might contribute to this enhancement. Students’ attitudes toward statistics are a critical factor that influences their performance in statistics courses, and thus an accurate measurement of attitudes is needed. The survey of attitudes toward statistics (SATS-36) is widely used in measuring attitudes toward statistics; thus, it is important to ensure that its items accurately assess this construct. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to validate this survey when administered to a convenience sample of 423 university students. Using the Rasch rating scale model, the current study examined the dimensionality, item fit to the Rasch model, item and person reliabilities, functionality of response categories, and distribution of the SATS-36 items along the attitudes toward statistics continuum.<br /> The findings revealed excellent item and person reliabilities (greater than 0.90) and the uni-dimensionality of the survey. Additionally, all items were closely aligned with the respondents, and the response categories were well-functioning as each category had more than 10 observations and outfit statistics were all low. However, some improvements were suggested. All items on the effect subscale and some others from different subscales need to be altered in content, deleting three items (two from the value subscale and one from the difficulty subscale) and adding more items to have a better distribution of items along the continuum. Finally, the number of response categories is recommended to be reduced to five instead of seven to have a more efficient rating scale. The findings of the current study imply that even though great care has been taken in the development of this survey, examining the quality of its items and the utility of its rating scale in new settings, and using different validation approaches is necessary.
The Elephant in the Room: The Role of Songs in Developing Social Prejudice Attitudes Among University Students Rana T. Al-Smadi, Thaer Ahmad Ghbari, Jalal K. Damra, Mutasem M. Akour Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 2022 Adolescents and the youth experience major psychological changes related to the issues they face. In some countries, local songs broadcasted on YouTube and by local radio stations have been significantly correlated with adolescents’ prejudiced behaviors as songs occupy a central role in their life. This study investigates the effects of exposure to different kinds of songs (national and local) on developing prejudiced attitudes in university students. A Prejudice Attitudes Scale (PAS) was developed and used to evaluate the students’ prejudice levels. A total of 111 undergraduate students who participated in the current study were randomly assigned to one of the two groups: the national song group and the local song group. In both groups, participants were requested to listen to certain songs for one month. The findings of the current study indicate that listening to local songs increased students’ prejudicial attitudes. Further, males tended to produce higher levels of social prejudicial attitudes compared to females.
Is it Suitable to Use the Same Categorization in Rating Scales When Applied to Students with Distinctive Levels of Achievement? Practical Assessment Research and Evaluation, 2021
Validation of a scale of attitudes toward science across countries using rasch model: Findings from timss Journal of Baltic Science Education, 2013
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Factor structure of an Arabi c version of the Five-Face t Mindfulness Questionnaire H Alomari, MM Akour Frontiers in Education 11, 1796574 , 2026 2026
Breaking the silence: understanding the consequences of intimate partner violence on refugee men, with depression as a key outcome JK Damra, MM Akour Journal of human behavior in the social environment 34 (7), 1123-1135 , 2024 2024 Citations: 1
Empirical Investigation of the Stability of IRT Item-Parameters Estimation (Pages: 291-301) M Akour, H ALOmari International Online Journal of Educational Sciences 5 (2) , 2024 2024
The cyber intimate partner violence: Prevalence, context, and relationship with in-person intimate violence victimization JK Damra, S Abujilban, MM Akour Journal of Family Issues 45 (7), 1683-1705 , 2024 2024 Citations: 9
Intimate Partner Violence Victimization Among Refugee Men: Prevalence and Correlates With Associated Factors JK Damra, MM Akour, MA Qatawneh The Journal of Men’s Studies 32 (2), 219-239 , 2024 2024
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Validation of the revised scale of students’ attitudes towards research MM Akour, JK Damra, TM Al Ali, SM Ghaith, TA Ghbari, NA Shammout Studies in Higher Education 49 (1), 33-46 , 2024 2024 Citations: 9
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The effect of Sample Size on Differential Item Functioning and Differential Distractor Functioning in multiple choice items H Alomari, MM Akour Psychology Hub 40 (2), 17-24 , 2023 2023 Citations: 2
Implementing next generation science practices in classrooms: findings from TIMSS 2019 S Sabah, MM Akour, H Hammouri Journal of Turkish Science Education 20 (2), 309-319 , 2023 2023 Citations: 5
Rasch rating scale analysis of the survey of attitudes toward statistics MM Akour EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 18 (12), em2190 , 2022 2022 Citations: 14
Empirical investigation of the stability of IRT item-parameters estimation H ALOMARI 2022 Citations: 41
The Elephant in the Room RT Al-Smadi, TA Ghbari, JK Damra, MM Akour Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies 9 (3), 121-133 , 2022 2022 Citations: 5
Psychometric evaluation of an Arabic Red Flag Screening Checklist of autism spectrum disorders in infants and toddlers AM Al-Thani, MM Akour, SM Al-Kohji Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 82, 101727 , 2021 2021 Citations: 1
Is it suitable to use the same categorization in rating scales when applied to students with distinctive levels of achievement? H ALOMARI 2021 Citations: 2
Perceived social support among widowed women in Jordan: An exploratory study GS AL-Baddareen, TM Al Ali, MM Akour Women's Studies International Forum 80, 102364 , 2020 2020 Citations: 12
Psychometric Properties of an Instrument Developed to Assess Students’ Evaluation of Teaching in Higher Education MM Akour, BK Hammad Journal of Educational and Psychological Studies 14 (4), 656-667 , 2020 2020 Citations: 1
Evaluation of students’ noncognitive large scale assessments measures: Problem solving experiences scale as a case study H Hammouri, MM Akour, S Sabah Opcion 36 (26), 3115-3141 , 2020 2020 Citations: 1
Competencies that teachers need for teaching children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) in Jordan KA Al-Dababneh, EK Al-Zboon, MM Akour Deafness & Education International 18 (4), 172-188 , 2016 2016 Citations: 32
Self-efficacy, achievement goals, and metacognition as predicators of academic motivation ALB Ghaleb, S Ghaith, M Akour Procedia-social and behavioral sciences 191, 2068-2073 , 2015 2015 Citations: 183
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Self-efficacy, achievement goals, and metacognition as predicators of academic motivation ALB Ghaleb, S Ghaith, M Akour Procedia-social and behavioral sciences 191, 2068-2073 , 2015 2015 Citations: 183
Empirical investigation of the stability of IRT item-parameters estimation H ALOMARI 2022 Citations: 41
Validation of a scale of attitudes toward Science across countries using Rasch model: Findings from TIMSS S Sabah, H Hammouri, M Akour Journal of Baltic Science Education 12 (5), 692 , 2013 2013 Citations: 35
Competencies that teachers need for teaching children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) in Jordan KA Al-Dababneh, EK Al-Zboon, MM Akour Deafness & Education International 18 (4), 172-188 , 2016 2016 Citations: 32
Net and Global Differential Item Functioning in PISA Polytomously Scored Science Items Application of the Differential Step Functioning Framework M Akour, S Sabah, H Hammouri Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment 33 (2), 166-167 , 2015 2015 Citations: 17
The relationship between peer bullying and PTSS in refugee schoolchildren. JK Damra, MM Akour, TA Ghbari Psychological trauma: theory, research, practice, and policy 15 (7), 1128 , 2023 2023 Citations: 16
Rasch rating scale analysis of the survey of attitudes toward statistics MM Akour EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 18 (12), em2190 , 2022 2022 Citations: 14
Stress and loneliness: exploring adolescents’ use of social media as a coping strategy during COVID-19 JK Damra, MM Akour, O Al Omari Nursing children and young people 36 (2) , 2024 2024 Citations: 13
Perceived social support among widowed women in Jordan: An exploratory study GS AL-Baddareen, TM Al Ali, MM Akour Women's Studies International Forum 80, 102364 , 2020 2020 Citations: 12
The cyber intimate partner violence: Prevalence, context, and relationship with in-person intimate violence victimization JK Damra, S Abujilban, MM Akour Journal of Family Issues 45 (7), 1683-1705 , 2024 2024 Citations: 9
Validation of the revised scale of students’ attitudes towards research MM Akour, JK Damra, TM Al Ali, SM Ghaith, TA Ghbari, NA Shammout Studies in Higher Education 49 (1), 33-46 , 2024 2024 Citations: 9
Exploring the Jordanian Gender Gap in a Large-Scale Assessment in Mathematics Mutasem Akour, Ghaleb Al-Baddareen, Hassan Alomari, and Ahmed Al Duwairi Jordan Journal of Educational Sciences 11 (1), 101-111 , 2015 2015 Citations: 8
Implementing next generation science practices in classrooms: findings from TIMSS 2019 S Sabah, MM Akour, H Hammouri Journal of Turkish Science Education 20 (2), 309-319 , 2023 2023 Citations: 5
The Elephant in the Room RT Al-Smadi, TA Ghbari, JK Damra, MM Akour Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies 9 (3), 121-133 , 2022 2022 Citations: 5
A comparison of various equipercentile and kernel equating methods under the random groups design MMM Akour University of Iowa , 2006 2006 Citations: 5
The effect of Sample Size on Differential Item Functioning and Differential Distractor Functioning in multiple choice items H Alomari, MM Akour Psychology Hub 40 (2), 17-24 , 2023 2023 Citations: 2
Is it suitable to use the same categorization in rating scales when applied to students with distinctive levels of achievement? H ALOMARI 2021 Citations: 2
The effect of calss size on reliability estimates of college-students course grades HAOM Akour Journal of Educational & Psychological Sciences 15 (3), 541-558 , 2014 2014 Citations: 2
Breaking the silence: understanding the consequences of intimate partner violence on refugee men, with depression as a key outcome JK Damra, MM Akour Journal of human behavior in the social environment 34 (7), 1123-1135 , 2024 2024 Citations: 1
Psychometric evaluation of an Arabic Red Flag Screening Checklist of autism spectrum disorders in infants and toddlers AM Al-Thani, MM Akour, SM Al-Kohji Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders 82, 101727 , 2021 2021 Citations: 1
