A large national data set was used to assess the causal influence of college selectivity on earnings after controlling for a variety of background variables. Using a recursive structural equation model, it was found that for both genders selectivity had a significant direct and indirect effect on earnings. (Author/MLW)

This article describes a series of qualitative and quantitative methods used to test a community-based needs assessment model that is bias free and socioculturally relevant for indigenous populations. Results of a field test involving 100 Hawaiian children are presented, and implications for policy formation are discussed. (SLD)

Academic writing in the fields of counseling psychology, biology, and history was examined from a linguistic perspective. Differences were found in cohesive density and in comparisons of the use of lexical ties and also in the numbers of marked and unmarked clauses and the types of marking used. (35 references) (Author/LB)

A Rasch model was used to detect and correct bias in Likert rating scales used to assess student perceptions of college teaching, using a database of ratings. Statistical corrections were significant, supporting the model's potential utility. Recommendations are made for a theoretical rationale and further research on the model. (Author/MSE)

This review employs a conceptual framework that distinguishes methods of detecting measurement bias based on either observed or unobserved conditional invariance models. The primary interest is in group-level measurement bias. Methods for bias detection in both continuous and ordered-categorical measures are reviewed, as are methods for testlets…

Describes a random effects discrete time survival model that addresses problems of measurement error and sample design complexities. Demonstrates the effectiveness of the model in an analysis of retrospective report data on the age of onset of smoking from two cross-sectional school-based studies. (JPB)

Describes the development and testing of a socioeconomic model that allows any institution to study student persistence in pursuing an education using existing data sources. Indicates how financial aid, student affairs, academic, and financial administrators can use the model for carrying out sophisticated price response research to plan…

The randomized response (RR) technique is often used to obtain answers on sensitive questions. A new method is developed to measure latent variables using the RR technique because direct questioning leads to biased results. Within the RR technique is the probability of the true response modeled by an item response theory (IRT) model. The RR…

The numerous ways that postsecondary students benefit from experiential education across the academic disciplines have been well documented in the scholarly literature. One exception, however, is in the field of dance, where these effects have not been researched as extensively. Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods,…

This chapter discusses the "person approach" to studying developmental processes by focusing on the distinction and complementarity between this holistic-interactionistic framework and what has become designated as the variable approach. Particular attention is given to measurement models for use in the person approach. The discussion on the…

Value-added models of student achievement have received widespread attention in light of the current test-based accountability movement. These models use longitudinal growth modeling techniques to identify effective schools or teachers based upon the results of changes in student achievement test scores. Given their increasing popularity, this…

Behavioral difficulties of school-aged students are typically dealt with in a reactive, rather than preventative manner. This article examines a proactive approach, consistent with the Response-to-Intervention model, using a screening measure designed to identify students at risk for behavior difficulties and targeting these students for early…

This paper focuses on the relationship between institutional factors and the intention of undergraduate students to withdraw from or complete their distance education courses in the Arab Open University (AOU). The model was examine on a pilot sample of 127 students and then re-examined on the field study of 587 students. Mixed paradigms were…

Although the field of statistics is receiving increasing recognition in the media and everyday life, concern continues about the quality of statistical education and statistical analysis and the application of statistical methods. This paper focuses on three areas of concern: (1) the quality of data, especially missing data; (2) the interpretation…

A population data set was randomly generated from which a random sample was drawn. This sample was randomly divided into two data sets, one of which was used to generate parameter estimates, which were then used in the second data set for cross-validation purposes. The best variable subset models were compared between the two data sets on the…