Multilevel structural equation models (MSEMs) are well suited for educational research because they accommodate complex systems involving latent variables in multilevel settings. Estimation using Croon's bias-corrected factor score (BCFS) path estimation has recently been extended to MSEMs and demonstrated promise with limited sample sizes. This…

Optimal sampling frameworks attempt to identify the most efficient sampling plans to achieve an adequate statistical power. Although such calculations are theoretical in nature, they are critical to the judicious and wise use of funding because they serve as important starting points that guide practical discussions around sampling tradeoffs and…

Conventional optimal design frameworks consider a narrow range of sampling cost structures that thereby constrict their capacity to identify the most powerful and efficient designs. We relax several constraints of previous optimal design frameworks by allowing for variable sampling costs in cluster-randomized trials. The proposed framework…

Designs that facilitate inferences concerning both the total and indirect effects of a treatment potentially offer a more holistic description of interventions because they can complement "what works" questions with the comprehensive study of the causal connections implied by substantive theories. Mapping the sensitivity of designs to…