While correlated data methods (like random effect models and generalized estimating equations) are commonly applied in practice, students may struggle with understanding the reasons that standard regression techniques fail if applied to correlated outcomes. To this end, this article presents an in-class activity using results from Monte Carlo…

Effect sizes are important because they are an accessible way to indicate the practical importance of observed associations or differences. Standardized mean difference (SMD) effect sizes, such as Cohen's d, are widely used in education and the social sciences -- in part because they are relatively easy to calculate. However, SMD effect sizes…

The standard methodology for many large-scale assessments in education involves regressing latent variables on numerous contextual variables to estimate proficiency distributions. To reduce the number of contextual variables used in the regression and improve estimation, we propose and evaluate principal component analysis on the covariance matrix…

In several sporting events, the winner is chosen on the basis of a subjective score. These sports include gymnastics, ice skating, and diving. Unlike for other subjectively judged sports, diving competitions consist of multiple rounds in quick succession on the same apparatus. These multiple rounds lead to an extra layer of complexity in the data,…

Missing data are ubiquitous in studies examining preventive interventions. This missing data need to be handled appropriately for data analyses to yield unbiased results. After a brief discussion of missing data mechanisms, inappropriate missing data treatments and appropriate missing data treatments, we review the current state of missing data…

Background: Data literacy (DL) is vital for teachers, as it enables them to build on data and improve teaching and learning. Therefore, developing DL among pre-service teachers is critical. Objectives: The purpose of this study is threefold: to evaluate whether a feedback visualisation of peer assessment-based teaching approach (FVPA-based…

Studies analyzing clustered data sets using both multilevel models (MLMs) and ordinary least squares (OLS) regression have generally concluded that resulting point estimates, but not the standard errors, are comparable with each other. However, the accuracy of the estimates of OLS models is important to consider, as several alternative techniques…

This study aims to create learning path navigation for target learners by discovering the correlation among micro-learning units. In this study, the learning path is defined as a sequence of learning units used to realize a learning goal, and a period used for realizing the learning goal is regarded as a learning cycle. Furthermore, the learning…

Educational Data Mining is an emerging discipline which seeks to develop methods to explore large amounts of data from educational settings, in order to understand students' behavior, interests and results in a better way. In recent years there have been various works related to this specialty and multiple data mining techniques derived from this…

Descriptive analyses of socially important or theoretically interesting phenomena and trends are a vital component of research in the behavioral, social, economic, and health sciences. Such analyses yield reliable results when using representative individual participant data (IPD) from studies with complex survey designs, including educational…

Lord's Wald test for differential item functioning (DIF) has not been studied extensively in the context of the multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) framework. In this article, Lord's Wald test was implemented using two estimation approaches, marginal maximum likelihood estimation and Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo estimation, to detect…

This article presents findings on the consequences of matrix sampling of context questionnaires for the generation of plausible values in large-scale assessments. Three studies are conducted. Study 1 uses data from PISA 2012 to examine several different forms of missing data imputation within the chained equations framework: predictive mean…

Between 1983 and 1993, grade 7/8 to grade 12 apparent retention rates more than doubled and secondary schools developed vocational education and training (VET) programmes as alternative pathways through secondary school. Previous research indicates that participation in VET programmes is associated with having low-educated parents and/or attending…

Purpose: The paper aims to present a new two stage local causal learning algorithm -- HEISA. In the first stage, the algorithm discoveries the subset of features that better explains a target variable. During the second stage, computes the causal effect, using partial correlation, of each feature of the selected subset. Using this new algorithm,…

A common motivation for adding control variables to statistical models is to reduce the potential for spurious findings when analyzing non-experimental data and to thereby allow for more reliable causal inferences. However, as I show here, unless "all" potential confounding factors are included in an analysis (which is unlikely to be…