Given that theory is a crucial component of path analysis and that major theories in the social sciences either directly or by inference assume interaction, it appears that interaction has to be considered in path analytic models that reflect those theories. The use of interaction within the framework of path analytic methodology is investigated…

Continuing motivation has been defined as an individual's willingness to return to a task or task area at a subsequent time, in similar or varying circumstances, without visible external pressure to do so, and when other behavior alternatives are available. In the current study, path models from Weiner's theory of motivation were developed to…

An extension of the methods of path analysis to include studies of categorical data was described and exemplified in a causal study of college dropouts. The usual models and methods of causal (path) analysis were designed for the study of quantitative variables and are not appropriate when the variables under investigation are categorical.…

The Werts-Linn procedure for dealing with categorical errors of measurement in "Comments on Boyle's 'Path Analysis and Ordinal Data'" in The American Journal of Sociology, volume 76, number 6, May 1971, is shown to be inappropriate to the problem of ordered categories. (For related document, see TM 002 301.) (DB)

A set of High School and Beyond data was used to study the effect of three variables on academic achievement. Homework had a positive effect, TV a negative, and parental involvement no direct effect on seniors' achievement scores, but influenced the amount of time students spent on homework. (Author/JAZ)

A conceptual model of the factors affecting dropout syndrome was develop emphasizing academic, social, and personal outcomes of the selection or socialization of students at a university. The model was estimated using path analysis, and the intervening variables were found to be important predictors of dropout syndrome. (Author/DWH)

This study compared and evaluated three alternative theoretical models of the reading-writing relationship. Reading dimensions included word analysis, vocabulary, and sentence comprehension components; writing dimensions included spelling, vocabulary, sentence structure, and story organization components. Models differed in sequential orderings of…

A path analytic model is hypothesized and tested to explain the effect of a series of intellective and nonintellective student attributes on high school achievement and college achievement. Patterns of predictability for male and female students are compared. (Author/GK)

Compares attributional models presented in depression and marital literatures by examining simultaneously their prediction of depressive symptoms and marital distress with 150 married couples. Findings show that a model including paths from depressogenic and distress-maintaining marital attributions to both depressive symptoms and marital distress…

The use of path analysis to study the manipulable influences on school learning is illustrated. The path model that was developed tests the importance of various influences on the achievement of high school students using data from a large longitudinal set, the High School and Beyond Study. (SLD)

Finds that lower attention to news about AIDS was predicted by negative attitudes toward homosexuality, conservative AIDS policy attitudes, lower perceived risk of getting AIDS, in addition to being male, older, white, and better educated. Finds that the model predicted media attention better for men than for women. (SR)

Examines seven articles that employed path analysis to test causal models of the acquisition of literacy or the reading-writing relationship. Reveals that, although such analysis holds promise for a better understanding of the components of literacy, several potential difficulties remain for those attempting to synthesize this body of literature.…

This study tested associations in path models among positive and negative parenting and children's rule-breaking behavior, aggressive and oppositional behavior, and attention problems for families with a drug-dependent parent. A structural model tested relations between parenting and children's externalizing problems for 251 families with 399…

Relatively few studies have examined psychological maltreatment as a risk factor for adolescent psychopathology. This cross-sectional study evaluated mother-adolescent conflict frequency, maternal support, and avoidant coping as mediators of relations between mother's degrading parenting and adolescent conduct problems and internalizing. Analyses…

The influence of financial aid on college student persistence was studied using causal modeling. The study population was 227 full-time freshmen, who enrolled in fall 1982 at a liberal arts college at a large commuter institution. All the students received financial aid. The model, which included background and academic variables, accounted for…