For randomized trials that use text as an outcome, traditional approaches for assessing treatment impact require that each document first be manually coded for constructs of interest by trained human raters. This process, the current standard, is both time-consuming and limiting: even the largest human coding efforts are typically constrained to…

It is not always clear how to adjust for control data in causal inference, balancing the goals of reducing bias and variance. We show how, in a setting with repeated experiments, Bayesian hierarchical modeling yields an adaptive procedure that uses the data to determine how much adjustment to perform. The result is a novel analysis with increased…

The log-odds ratio (ln[OR]) is commonly used to quantify treatments' effects on dichotomous outcomes and then pooled across studies using inverse-variance (1/v) weights. Calculation of the ln[OR]'s variance requires four cell frequencies for two groups crossed with values for dichotomous outcomes. While primary studies report the total sample size…

The "2nd Annual WPI-UMASS-UPENN EDM Data Mining Challenge" required contestants to predict efficient testtaking based on log data. In this paper, we describe our theory-driven and psychometric modeling approach. For feature engineering, we employed the Log-Normal Response Time Model for estimating latent person speed, and the Generalized…

Decades of research has shown that spacing practice trials over time can improve later memory, but there are few concrete recommendations concerning how to optimally space practice. We show that existing recommendations are inherently suboptimal due to their insensitivity to time costs and individual- and item-level differences. We introduce an…

Decades of research has shown that spacing practice trials over time can improve later memory, but there are few concrete recommendations concerning how to optimally space practice. We show that existing recommendations are inherently suboptimal due to their insensitivity to time costs and individual- and item-level differences. We introduce an…

This direct replication study compared the use of dichotomized likelihood ratios and interval likelihood ratios, derived using a prior sample of students, for predicting math risk in middle school. Data from the prior year state test and the Measures of Academic Progress were analyzed to evaluate differences in the efficiency and diagnostic…

Utilizing panel data and taking heterogeneity and persistent inefficiency into account, we show the limitations of standard efficiency analysis for higher education institutions. It is the first time that the concept of long-term inefficiency is considered in the analysis of traditional universities. This inclusion allows for more accurate…

The purpose of the present study is to compare performances of mixture modeling approaches (i.e., one-step approach, three-step maximum-likelihood approach, three-step BCH approach, and LTB approach) based on diverse sample size conditions. To carry out this research, two simulation studies were conducted with two different models, a latent class…

Scholars increasingly rely on indirect questioning techniques to reduce social desirability bias and item nonresponse for sensitive survey questions. The major drawback of these approaches, however, is their inefficiency relative to direct questioning. We show how to improve the statistical analysis of the list experiment, randomized response…

This simulation study was conducted to compare the performances of Frequentist and Bayesian approaches in the context of power to detect model misspecification in terms of omitted cross-loading in CFA models with respect to the several variables (number of omitted cross-loading, magnitude of main loading, number of factors, number of indicators…

This article describes (1) the survey methodological and statistical characteristics of the nonrandomized method for surveying sensitive questions for both cross-sectional and panel survey data and (2) the way to use the incompletely observed variable obtained from this survey method in logistic regression and in loglinear and log-multiplicative…

Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that allot substantial amount of government resources for education. Thus, it is important to measure how these resources are used to generate favorable academic outcomes for its nationals. In this study, data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to measure the relative efficiency of 25 public universities in…

The aim of this study is to assess the efficiency of using the multiple-group categorical confirmatory factor analysis (MCCFA) and the robust chi-square difference test in differential item functioning (DIF) detection for polytomous items under the minimum free baseline strategy. While testing for DIF items, despite the strong assumption that all…

In many modeling contexts, the variables in the model are linear composites of the raw items measured for each participant; for instance, regression and path analysis models rely on scale scores, and structural equation models often use parcels as indicators of latent constructs. Currently, no analytic estimation method exists to appropriately…