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.…

Most methods for structural equation modeling (SEM) focused on the analysis of covariance matrices. However, "Historically, interesting psychological theories have been phrased in terms of correlation coefficients." This might be because data in social and behavioral sciences typically do not have predefined metrics. While proper methods…

Parallel analysis has been considered one of the most accurate methods for determining the number of factors in factor analysis. One major advantage of parallel analysis over traditional factor retention methods (e.g., Kaiser's rule) is that it addresses the sampling variability of eigenvalues obtained from the identity matrix, representing the…

Despite the increasing use of the statistical programming language R in statistics and data analysis (SDA), its implementation in communication science education is limited. Experiences, recommendations, and a critical exchange are therefore scarce. The following contribution addresses this very gap. At the Department of Journalism and…

This systematic review examines the empirical research conducted in the past decade to investigate the application of immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) in geography higher education. Our analysis includes 29 empirical studies published across 25 peer-reviewed articles and delves into IVR applications from four key perspectives: the temporal and…

Educational reform priorities such as emphasis on quantitative modelling (QM) have positioned undergraduate biology instructors as designers of QM experiences to engage students in authentic science practices that support the development of data-driven and evidence-based reasoning. Yet, little is known about how biology instructors adapt to the…

Introduction: The replication crisis in the behavioral and social sciences spawned a credibility revolution, calling for new open science research practices that ensure greater transparency, including preregistrations, open data and code, and open access. Statement of the Problem: Replications of published research are an important element in this…