Structural equation modeling is an ideal data analytical tool for testing complex relationships among many analytical variables. It can simultaneously test multiple mediating and moderating relationships, estimate latent variables on the basis of related measures, and address practical issues such as nonnormality and missing data. To test the…

This study provides empirical support that extracurricular participation correlates positively and significantly to future education, both directly and indirectly. However, which type of extracurriculars are best for students in their pursuit of higher education, sport or non-sport activities? Rooted in Social Capital Theory, the present study…

A quantitative approach to social network analysis involves the application of mathematical and statistical techniques and graphical presentation of results. Nonetheless--as with all sciences--subjectivity is an integral aspect of network analysis, manifested in the selection of measures to describe connection patterns and actors' positions (e.g.,…

Regression Tree Method is not yet a mainstream method in Education, despite of being a traditional approach in Machine Learning. We advocate that this method should become mainstream in Education, since, in our point of view, it is the most suitable method to analyse complex datasets, very common in Education. This is, for example, the case of…

This study investigates preservice middle school mathematics teachers' understanding of statistics and probability and provides a cognitive diagnostic assessment of their strengths and weaknesses on these subjects. A statistical reasoning test that included 15 multiple-choice and 5 open-ended items was developed from the perspective of the…

Brewe, Bruun, and Bearden first applied network analysis to understand patterns of incorrect conceptual physics reasoning in multiple-choice instruments introducing the module analysis for multiple-choice responses (MAMCR) algorithm. Wells et al. proposed an extension to the algorithm which allowed the analysis of large datasets called modified…

The individuals living in the 21st century have become the consumers of digital innovations and have to adapt, adopt and adapt to the new norm of surviving and thriving in the digital society. Familiarity with the latest technologies is not the only requirement for survival. One also needs to have relevant digital competencies to complete tasks…

This case study focuses on issues and dilemmas I faced when collecting data on a social networking site that enabled sociability, communication, and collaboration among teachers. To understand teacher online participation, I used an eclectic mixed-methods design with three phases to collect qualitative and quantitative data. This design allowed me…

Studies measuring teachers' beliefs quantitatively by using self-report Likert scale instruments often face methodological difficulties. Such difficulties might be due to the fact that those instruments often provide less or no contexts. Whereas, several studies have shown that contexts at school, particularly contexts related to students'…

Low test-taking effort as a validity threat is common when examinees perceive an assessment context to have minimal personal value. Prior research has shown that in such contexts, subgroups may differ in their effort, which raises two concerns when making subgroup mean comparisons. First, it is unclear how differential effort could influence…

Scholars of civil society organizations (CSOs) have long been concerned with face-to-face interactions among participants at meetings, events, and activities--what we collectively call "convenings." Small-N ethnographies have uncovered substantial differences in the dynamics of convenings within and across CSOs. Large-N quantitative…

This reflective commentary on the character and role of methodology in educational and social inquiry recounts my 45-year journey as an applied researcher and evaluator, primarily in the domain of education. The journey starts in graduate school in the early 1970s, where the methodological challenge was to master "the proper methods, properly…

This study investigated the extent to which class-specific parameter estimates are biased by the within-class normality assumption in nonnormal growth mixture modeling (GMM). Monte Carlo simulations for nonnormal GMM were conducted to analyze and compare two strategies for obtaining unbiased parameter estimates: relaxing the within-class normality…

To fully appreciate genetics, one must understand the link between genotype (DNA sequence) and phenotype (observable characteristics). Advances in high-throughput genomic sequencing technologies and applications, so-called "-omics," have made genetic sequencing readily available across fields in biology from applications in…

Undergraduate English majors should have opportunities to conduct meaningful, authentic research. This essay outlines a research methods course that introduces students to empirical research with qualitative and quantitative tools. Over the course of the term, students complete a whole-class project that models the process and then also complete…