Prospective studies of intergenerational continuity in parenting quality remain scarce, with little attention given to the potential role of social competence as a mediator of continuity. This study examined social competence as a mediator in the pathway from 1st generation (G1) to 2nd generation (G2) parenting quality. A normative sample of…

This causal and correlational study was designed to extend the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and to test its applicability to Valencia Community College (VCC) Engineering and Technology students as the target user group when investigating the factors influencing their decision to adopt and to utilize VMware as the target technology. In…

Objectification theory has emphasized objectification in terms of body shape and size. African American women may expect to be evaluated on additional physical attributes such as skin tone. Therefore, we extended previous research on objectification theory by adding separate measures of skin-tone concerns in a survey of 117 African American women.…

Over the past 25 years, numerous researchers have studied the effects of mentoring on work outcomes. However, several reviewers have noted that many of the observed relationships between mentoring and its outcomes are potentially spurious. To summarize this widely dispersed literature, a quantitative research synthesis was conducted focused on…

Many studies using Self-Determination Theory (SDT) as a theoretical platform have emphasized the importance of knowing students' motivational orientations in education, and stated that autonomy-supportive or controlling learning climates are significant to determine students' motivational resources, academic achievement, and classroom engagement.…

This comment is intended to complement points made by Freedman in his critique of the path analysis method. The role of statistical analysis in social sciences is also discussed. (RB)

Despite widespread efforts to prevent reading problems and an abundance of research about best practices in remediating reading skills deficits, reading continues to be exceptionally difficult for many students. Researchers have become interested in investigating the degree to which affective factors such as reading attitude relates to reading…

A short description of cross-lagged correlation technique (CLC) in its most common form, a sketch of recent major criticisms of CLC as a test for causality, and a moderate appraisal of CLC as an exploratory technique are offered. (Author/PN)

This paper reports on attempts by the author to construct a theoretical framework of adult education participation using a theory development process and the corresponding multivariate statistical techniques. Two problems are identified: the lack of theoretical framework in studying problems, and the limiting of statistical analysis to univariate…

Argues that path analysis can clarify aspects of social processes but only if skilled practitioners use the models. The practitioners need to have better methodological training and statisticians need to contribute more to the training process. (RB)

Explains two methods of systems analysis: the Fix-Point (FP) and the Partial Least Squares (PLS). Argues against Freedman's rejection of the structural assumptions of path analysis models. (RB)

Freedman responds to a series of articles commenting on his critique of the path analysis model. The focus of this rejoinder is the assumptions made by researchers who use the path analysis method, particularly the assumption that the equations in path analysis are structural. (RB)

Using LISREL, the only types of constraints allowed are fixing parameters at a constant value and constraining parameters to be equal. In this paper, two new concepts ("phantom" and "imaginary" latent variables) are introduced which allow fairly general equality and inequality constraints on factor loadings and structural model…

Paper proposes a set of techniques for measuring the importance" of each independent variable in a multivariate causal law (i.e., a law showing the combined effect of several independent variables on a single dependent variable). (Authors)

Previous studies in education have inspected the relations between students' autonomous versus controlled motivation and relevant outcomes. In most of those studies a global index of self-determined motivation was created. The purpose of this article was to examine (a) how the different types of motivation proposed by Self-Determination Theory…