Factor analysis is widely utilized to identify latent factors underlying the observed variables. This paper presents a comprehensive comparative study of two widely used methods for determining the optimal number of factors in factor analysis, the K1 rule, and parallel analysis, along with a more recently developed method, the bass-ackward method.…

Comparative interrupted time series (CITS) designs evaluate impact by modeling the relative deviation from trends among a treatment and comparison group after an intervention. The broad applicability of the design means it is widely used in education research. Like all non-experimental evaluation methods however, the internal validity of a given…

Qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) is a hybrid method designed to bridge the gap between qualitative and quantitative research in a case-sensitive approach that considers each case holistically as a complex configuration of conditions and outcomes. QCA allows for multiple conjunctural causation, implying that it is often a combination of…

Researchers often have hypotheses concerning the state of affairs in the population from which they sampled their data to compare group means. The classical frequentist approach provides one way of carrying out hypothesis testing using ANOVA to state the null hypothesis that there is no difference in the means and proceed with multiple comparisons…

Factor Score Regression (FSR) is increasingly employed as an alternative to structural equation modeling (SEM) in small samples. Despite its popularity in psychology, the performance of FSR in multigroup models with small samples remains relatively unknown. The goal of this study was to examine the performance of FSR, namely Croon's correction and…

In mixed methods approaches, statistical models are used to identify "nested" cases for intensive, small-n investigation for a range of purposes, including notably the examination of causal mechanisms. This article shows that under a commonsense interpretation of causal effects, large-n models allow no reliable conclusions about effect…

In carrying out surveys involving sensitive characteristics, randomized response models have been considered among the best techniques since they provide the maximum privacy protection to the respondents and procure honest responses. Over the years, researchers have carried out studies on the estimation of proportions of the population possessing…

This paper's objective was to teach the Equivalence Testing applied to Educational Research to emphasize recommendations and to increase quality of research. Equivalence Testing is a technique used to compare effect sizes or means of two different studies to ascertain if they would be statistically equivalent. For making accessible Equivalence…

The four-parameter logistic (4PL) Item Response Theory (IRT) model has recently been reconsidered in the literature due to the advances in the statistical modeling software and the recent developments in the estimation of the 4PL IRT model parameters. The current simulation study evaluated the performance of expectation-maximization (EM),…

We investigated whether the implementation of a scaffolded case study assignment could increase student perceptions of their scientific literacy (SL) skills in a third year Nutritional Science course. The change in students' SL perceptions were assessed by the completion of two surveys (administered at the start and end of the semester) consisting…

Given the inadequacy of assessed outcomes (e.g., final exam) and the importance of evaluating the learning process in STEM education, we use deep learning to develop the STEM learning behavior analysis system (SLBAS) to assess the behavior of learners in STEM education. We map learner behavior to the ICAP (interactive, constructive, active,…

Network meta-analysis is a popular method to synthesize the information obtained in a systematic review of studies (e.g., randomized clinical trials) involving subsets of multiple treatments of interest. The dominant method of analysis employs within-study information on treatment contrasts and integrates this over a network of studies. One…

The piecewise latent growth models (PWLGMs) can be used to study changes in the growth trajectory of an outcome due to an event or condition, such as exposure to an intervention. When there are multiple outcomes of interest, a researcher may choose to fit a series of PWLGMs or a single parallel-process PWLGM. A comparison of these models is…

In the present study, two types of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) tools in science, Vocabulary Matching (VM) and Statement Verification for Science (SV-S), a modified Sentence Verification Technique, were compared. Specifically, this study aimed to determine whether the format of information presented (i.e., SV-S vs. VM) produces differences…

Researchers are often interested in establishing equivalence of population variances. Traditional difference-based procedures are appropriate to answer questions about differences in some statistic (e.g., variances, etc.). However, if a researcher is interested in evaluating the equivalence of population variances, it is more appropriate to use a…