Cheating detection in large-scale assessment received considerable attention in the extant literature. However, none of the previous studies in this line of research investigated the stacking ensemble machine learning algorithm for cheating detection. Furthermore, no study addressed the issue of class imbalance using resampling. This study…

Convenience sampling dominates social science research. But there is a paucity of studies comparing the impact of sample source type based on composite-based theoretical model relationships. This study empirically tests four different sample sources (e.g. student, crowdsourced, professional panel, and respondent driven social network) to assess…

Longitudinal research in autism has contributed a wealth of knowledge about etiological factors, development from childhood through adulthood, life course changes and needs, as well as longer-term adult outcomes for individuals on the spectrum and their family members. This research is essential to better understand the needs of individuals as…

Accelerated longitudinal designs (ALDs) provide an opportunity to capture long developmental periods in a shorter time framework using a relatively small number of assessments. Prior literature has investigated whether univariate developmental processes can be characterized with data obtained from ALDs. However, many important questions in…

Data harmonization is an emerging approach to strategically combining data from multiple independent studies, enabling addressing new research questions that are not answerable by a single contributing study. A fundamental psychometric challenge for data harmonization is to create commensurate measures for the constructs of interest across…

The simple average of student growth scores is often used in accountability systems, but it can be problematic for decision making. When computed using a small/moderate number of students, it can be sensitive to the sample, resulting in inaccurate representations of growth of the students, low year-to-year stability, and inequities for…

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) introduced creative thinking as an innovative domain in 2022. This paper examines the unique methodological issues in international assessments and the implications of measuring creative thinking within PISA's framework, including stratified sampling, rotated form designs, and a distinct…

Sample representativeness is an important piece to consider when evaluating the quality of a screening assessment. If you are trying to determine whether or not the screening tool accurately measures children's skills, you want to ensure that the sample that is used to validate the tool is representative of your population of interest.

This dissertation is composed of projects on three aspects of gathering and learning from data in the social sciences: drawing representative samples, taking valid measurement, and making warranted inductive inferences. Chapter one studies the challenge of drawing representative human samples. It is well documented that most samples used by…

In this article, I comment on the potential benefits and limitations of open science reforms for improving the transparency and accountability of research, and enhancing the credibility of research findings within communities of policy and practice. Specifically, I discuss the role of replication and reproducibility of research in promoting better…

The aim of this study was to compare, by simulation, the accuracy of mapping a cut-score from one test to another by expert judgement (using the Angoff method) versus the accuracy with a small-sample equating method (chained linear equating). As expected, the standard-setting method resulted in more accurate equating when we assumed a higher level…

Meta-analyses are often used to synthesize the findings of studies examining the correlational relationship between two continuous variables. When only dichotomous measurements are available for one of the two variables, the biserial correlation coefficient can be used to estimate the product-moment correlation between the two underlying…

In large-scale assessments such as the ones encountered in MOOCs, a lot of usage data is available because of the number of learners involved. Newcomers, that just arrive on a MOOC, have various backgrounds in terms of knowledge, but the platform hardly knows anything about them. Therefore, it is crucial to elicit their knowledge fast, in order to…

The article outlines a methodology for systematically observing collective violence (and public order policing in relation to it). Specific attention is given to matters of sampling and measurement and to the way in which observational challenges have been met in comparison with participant observational studies of demonstrations and football…

The main purpose of this study was prediction of elite male trampolines performance based on the selected physical capabilities in different age categories. To this aim, 45 male athletes (age 14.17 ± 2.86 yrs, athletic experience 7.22 ± 3.64 yrs and competitive experience 3.31 ± 2.44 yrs), who participated in the national trampoline team's…