Regression discontinuity (RD) designs are increasingly used for causal evaluations. For example, if a student's need for a literacy intervention is determined by a low score on a past performance indicator and that intervention is provided to all students who fall below a cutoff on that indicator, an RD study can determine the intervention's main…

Regression discontinuity (RD) designs are increasingly used for causal evaluations. However, the literature contains little guidance for conducting a moderation analysis within an RDD context. The current article focuses on moderation with a single binary variable. A simulation study compares: (1) different bandwidth selectors and (2) local…

The (Random Intercept) Cross-Lagged Panel Model ((RI-)CLPM) is increasingly used in psychology and related fields to assess the longitudinal relationship of two or more variables on each other. Researchers are interested in the question which of the lagged effects is causally dominant receives considerable attention. However, currently used…

The random intercept cross-lagged panel model (RICLPM) decomposes longitudinal associations between two processes X and Y into stable between-person associations and temporal within-person changes. In a recent study, Bailey et al. demonstrated through a simulation study that the between-person variance components in the RICLPM can occur only due…

Three quantitative methods are compared for their ability to understand different COVID-19 fatality ratios in 33 OECD countries. Linear regression provides a limited overview without sensitivity to the diversity of cases. Cluster Analysis and Dynamic Patterns Synthesis (DPS) gives scrutiny to the granularity of case similarities and differences,…

The clustered observational study (COS) design is the observational study counterpart to the clustered randomized trial. In a COS, a treatment is assigned to intact groups, and all units within the group are exposed to the treatment. However, the treatment is non-randomly assigned. COSs are common in both education and health services research. In…

Cluster memberships associated with the mediation effect are often changed due to the temporal distance between the cause-and-effect variables in longitudinal data. Nevertheless, current practices in multilevel mediation analysis mostly assume a purely hierarchical data structure. A Monte Carlo simulation study is conducted to examine the…

In order to evaluate the effect of a policy or treatment with pre- and post-treatment outcomes, we propose an approach based on a transition model, which may be applied with multivariate outcomes and accounts for unobserved heterogeneity. This model is based on potential versions of discrete latent variables representing the individual…

Although research suggests an interplay between identity development and self-esteem, most studies focused on the role of identity commitment and measured only level of self-esteem. This study examined longitudinal associations between Berzonsky's (2011) styles of identity exploration and two distinct features of self-esteem: level of self-esteem…

Parent involvement has an influence on children's educational engagement for all school levels. The objective of this study was to examine public school principals' and teachers' practices for improving parent involvement in schooling. This study used a mixed method to identify the school administrators' and teachers' perceptions about parent…