Background: Power analyses for a cluster-randomized trial (CRT) require estimates of additional design parameters beyond those needed for an individually randomized trial. In a 2-level CRT, there are two sample sizes, the number of clusters and the number of individuals per cluster. The intraclass correlation (ICC), or the proportion of variance…

This article provides a process to carefully evaluate the suitability of a content domain for which diagnostic classification models (DCMs) could be applicable and then optimized steps for constructing a test blueprint for applying DCMs and a real-life example illustrating this process. The content domains were carefully evaluated using a set of…

The development of a Computerized Adaptive Test (CAT) for operational use begins with several important steps, such as creating a large-size item bank, piloting the items on a sizable and representative sample of examinees, dimensionality assessment of the item bank, and estimation of item parameters. Among these steps, testing the dimensionality…

Over the past decade, statisticians have developed methods to improve generalizations from nonrandom samples using propensity score methods. While these methods contribute to generalization research, their effectiveness is limited by small sample sizes. Small area estimation is a class of model-based methods that address the imprecision due to…

Equating error is usually small relative to the magnitude of measurement error, but it could be one of the major sources of error contributing to mean scores of large groups in educational measurement, such as the year-to-year state mean score fluctuations. Though testing programs may routinely calculate the standard error of equating (SEE), the…

A simulation study was conducted to investigate the heuristics of the SIBTEST procedure and how it compares with ETS classification guidelines used with the Mantel-Haenszel procedure. Prior heuristics have been used for nearly 25 years, but they are based on a simulation study that was restricted due to computer limitations and that modeled item…

To present time-varying evidence, cumulative meta-analysis (CMA) updates results of previous meta-analyses to incorporate new study results. We investigate the properties of CMA, suggest possible improvements and provide the first in-depth simulation study of the use of CMA and CUSUM methods for detection of temporal trends in random-effects…

The development of human-computer interactive items in educational assessments provides opportunities to extract useful process information for problem-solving. However, the complex, intensive, and noisy nature of process data makes it challenging to model with the traditional psychometric methods. Social network methods have been applied to…

Random encouragement designs evaluate treatments that aim to increase participation in a program or activity. These randomized controlled trials (RCTs) can also assess the mediated effects of participation itself on longer term outcomes using a complier average causal effect (CACE) estimation framework. This article considers power analysis…

Factor analysis is widely utilized to identify latent factors underlying the observed variables. This paper presents a comprehensive comparative study of two widely used methods for determining the optimal number of factors in factor analysis, the K1 rule, and parallel analysis, along with a more recently developed method, the bass-ackward method.…

Processes that unfold over individuals' life courses are often associated with inequalities later in life. The literature lacks methodological approaches to analyze inequalities in outcomes between groups, for example, between women and men, in a life-course-sensitive manner. We propose a combination of methods--of sequence analysis, which enables…

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…

What is this report about? This report presents the largest empirical evaluation of test equating methods ever conducted. Equating is the process of identifying scores on different test forms that can be treated as equivalent. Whilst various equating methods are available, there remains no consensus on which are most effective under which…

This paper introduces AIRSim (AI Responses Simulator), an innovative AI tool designed to support students in practicing their questionnaire analysis skills within the café and restaurant discipline. Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), AIRSim generates hypothetical feedback data to facilitate student learning. Through a series of 16…

Ensuring a credible literature base is essential for all research fields. One element of this relates to the replicability of published work, which is the probability that the results of an original study would replicate in an independent investigation. A critical feature of replicable research is that the sample size of a study is sufficient to…