Oblique bifactor models, where group factors are allowed to correlate with one another, are commonly used. However, the lack of research on the statistical properties of oblique bifactor models renders the statistical validity of empirical findings questionable. Therefore, the present study took the first step to examine the statistical properties…

Measurement invariance (MI) is an essential part of validity evidence concerned with ensuring that tests function similarly across groups, contexts, and time. Most evaluations of MI involve multigroup confirmatory factor analyses (MGCFA) that assume simple structure. However, recent research has shown that constraining non-target indicators to…

In this study, we investigated the relationship between perceived learner control and student engagement in a blended course. Data were collected from 110 s-year bachelor students through weekly questionnaires to gather information about how they perceived their learner control and engagement in various study activities, including reading…

An interaction in a fixed effects (FE) regression is usually specified by demeaning the product term. However, algebraic transformations reveal that this strategy does not yield a within-unit estimator. Instead, the standard FE interaction estimator reflects unit-level differences of the interacted variables. This property allows interactions of a…

Background: Academic boredom is ubiquitous, and it leads to a range of adverse learning outcomes. Given that students often make estimates of how boring lectures are, does anticipating a lecture to be boring shape their actual experience of boredom? Aims: The current research investigated whether anticipated boredom intensifies subsequent boredom…

A Monte Carlo simulation study was conducted to examine the performance of [alpha], [lambda]2, [lambda][subscript 4], [lambda][subscript 2], [omega][subscript T], GLB[subscript MRFA], and GLB[subscript Algebraic] coefficients. Population reliability, distribution shape, sample size, test length, and number of response categories were varied…

Measurement invariance holds when a latent construct is measured in the same way across different levels of background variables (continuous or categorical) while controlling for the true value of that construct. Using Monte Carlo simulation, this paper compares the multiple indicators, multiple causes (MIMIC) model and MIMIC-interaction to a…

Most methods for structural equation modeling (SEM) focused on the analysis of covariance matrices. However, "Historically, interesting psychological theories have been phrased in terms of correlation coefficients." This might be because data in social and behavioral sciences typically do not have predefined metrics. While proper methods…

The persistence of learning styles as a concept in educational discourse and research is paradoxical, given the overwhelming evidence discrediting the matching hypothesis, the notion that aligning teaching methods with students' preferred learning styles enhances achievement. This paper examines the resurgence of learning styles across…

In Savalei's (2011) simulation that evaluated the performance of polychoric correlation estimates in small samples, two methods for treating zero-frequency cells, adding 0.5 (ADD) and doing nothing (NONE), were compared. Savalei tentatively suggested using ADD for binary data and NONE for data with three or more categories. Yet, Savalei's…

Parallel analysis has been considered one of the most accurate methods for determining the number of factors in factor analysis. One major advantage of parallel analysis over traditional factor retention methods (e.g., Kaiser's rule) is that it addresses the sampling variability of eigenvalues obtained from the identity matrix, representing the…

Pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) refers to the content-specific knowledge that teachers use to promote students' learning of specific subject matter. PCK comprises multiple knowledge components that interact with each other when enacted in teachers' instructional practices. For many years, researchers lacked a robust methodological approach to…

This study describes the rationale, design, development, and technical properties of SELweb MS, a direct assessment of social and emotional competencies in middle school students. Assessment and item design were iteratively developed with input from youth and experts to measure five domains: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness,…

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between principal learning-centred leadership and teacher instructional practices, with the mediating role of teacher self-efficacy and collective teacher efficacy. Drawing data from a sample of 1219 teachers in secondary and high schools in Turkey, this study employed a…

Developing models and using mathematics are two key practices in internationally recognized science education standards such as the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, 2013). In this paper, we used a virtual performance-based formative assessment to capture students' competencies at both "developing" and "evaluating"…