M-fluctuation tests are a recently proposed method for detecting differential item functioning in Rasch models. This article discusses a generalization of this method to two additional item response theory models: the two-parametric logistic model and the three-parametric logistic model with a common guessing parameter. The Type I error rate and…

This article reviews PROC IRT, which was added to Statistical Analysis Software in 2014. We provide an introductory overview of a free version of SAS, describe what PROC IRT offers for item response theory (IRT) analysis and how one can use PROC IRT, and discuss how other SAS macros and procedures may compensate the IRT functionalities of PROC IRT.

The semi-generalized partial credit model (Semi-GPCM) has been proposed as a unidimensional modeling method for handling not applicable scale responses and neutral scale responses, and it has been suggested that the model may be of use in handling missing data in scale items. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the ability of the…

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…

A priori power analyses allow researchers to estimate the number of participants needed to detect the effects of an intervention. However, power analyses are only as valid as the parameter estimates used. One such parameter, the expected effect size, can vary greatly depending on several study characteristics, including the nature of the…

The social relations model (SRM) is a mathematical model that can be used to analyze interpersonal judgment and behavior data. Typically, the SRM is applied to one (i.e., univariate SRM) or two variables (i.e., bivariate SRM), and parameter estimates are obtained by employing an analysis of variance method. Here, we present an extension of the SRM…

There have been increasing calls for applied researchers to see and utilize effect sizes as the primary outcomes of their research. However, this sometimes places a methodological burden on researchers whose primary interests are substantive. Motivated by a desire to help applied researchers better report effect sizes and their confidence…

Single-case designs are a class of repeated measures experiments used to evaluate the effects of interventions for small or specialized populations, such as individuals with low-incidence disabilities. There has been growing interest in systematic reviews and syntheses of evidence from single-case designs, but there remains a need to further…

Education is a complex system, which has conceptual and methodological implications for education research and policy. In this article, an overview is first provided of the Complex Systems Conceptual Framework for Learning (CSCFL), which consists of a set of conceptual perspectives that are generally shared by educational complex systems,…

Summary Employing a Wald confidence interval to test hypotheses about population proportions could lead to an increase in Type I or Type II errors unless the hypothesized value, p0, is used in computing its standard error rather than the sample proportion. Whereas the Wald confidence interval to estimate a population proportion uses the sample…

This Monte Carlo simulation study compares methods to estimate the effects of programs with multiple versions when assignment of individuals to program version is not random. These methods use generalized propensity scores, which are predicted probabilities of receiving a particular level of the treatment conditional on covariates, to remove…

This publication describes the methods and procedures used for the 2008/18 Baccalaureate and Beyond Longitudinal Study (B&B:08/18). The B&B graduates, who completed the requirements for a bachelor's degree during the 2007-08 academic year, were first surveyed as part of the 2008 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:08), and then…

At least sixteen US states have taken steps toward holding teacher preparation programs (TPPs) accountable for teacher value-added to student test scores. Yet it is unclear whether teacher quality differences between TPPs are large enough to make an accountability system worthwhile. Several statistical practices can make differences between TPPs…

Education experiments frequently assign students to treatment or control conditions within schools. Longitudinal components added in these studies (e.g., students followed over time) allow researchers to assess treatment effects in average rates of change (e.g., linear or quadratic). We provide methods for a priori power analysis in three-level…

Building on prior research on the relationships between key concepts in item response theory and classical test theory, this note contributes to highlighting their important and useful links. A readily and widely applicable latent variable modeling procedure is discussed that can be used for point and interval estimation of the individual person…