Most existing studies on the relationship between factor analysis (FA) and principal component analysis (PCA) focus on approximating the common factors by the first few components via the closeness between their loadings. Based on a setup in Bentler and de Leeuw (Psychometrika 76:461-470, 2011), this study examines the relationship between FA…

Evaluators must attend to the destructive forces of racialization and racism to contribute to social transformation. Thus, evaluators are called to center culture, context, equity, and social justice during each step of the evaluation process. Here, we focus on the step(s) in which evaluators define program quality and specify evaluative lines of…

This paper reports on how the concept and technologies of GIS are included in the telecommunications engineering curriculum at the undergraduate level. The course of Fundamentals of GIS is described in detail. The usage of GIS software is necessary part of GIS technology education. In order to evaluate available GIS software, several criteria are…

This paper investigates research quality criteria in the Creative Arts (CA). The CA has been introduced into the higher education and research sector over the last three decades. It is thus a relatively new research field and there is little empirical knowledge on how outputs in this field should be evaluated. Our study applies a mixed-method…

Background: Adult ADHD has increasingly become a focus in adult psychiatry. Despite well-established diagnostic criteria and specific therapeutic approaches, contemporary discussions often dismiss ADHD as a "fad." This study examines Carl Gustav Jung's 1904 concept of "manic mood" and its potential alignment with the modern…

Higher education leaders face growing pressure to demonstrate the return on investment (ROI) of not only their institution but also each academic program offering. With increasing accountability and limited time for meaningful reflection on student learning and development, now is the time to rethink how a quasi-annual academic program review…

There is wide variability in the special education eligibility criteria for deafblindness across the United States. This study was a novel examination of variations in state factors, including eligibility criteria for deafblindness, to identify potential relationships between state factors and the number of students who are deafblind during the…

News aggregator databases offer different content and features, but there is little guidance on how these databases compare. This article compares the coverage scope, availability of 35 U.S. newspaper titles, and features of six news aggregators available to U.S. academic libraries: "Newspaper Source Plus" (EBSCO), "Factiva,"…

Finding all the "gifted" students who would benefit from a gifted and talented service is a perpetual concern. In this article, we focus on how to effectively implement multiple criteria in identification. First, we provide some broad background before introducing three different ways to combine multiple data points (AND, OR, and MEAN)…

Background: Bradford Hill (BH) viewpoints are widely used to assess causality in systematic reviews, but their application has often lacked reproducibility. We describe an approach for assessing causality within systematic reviews ('causal' reviews), illustrating its application to the topic of income inequality and health. Our approach draws on…

Purpose: This study aims to offer an original criterion of assessment for examiners of practice-based doctorates in contemporary arts practices, based upon the degree of intrigue, perceptual and conceptual, afforded by the research outputs. It is argued that intrigue is the necessary stimulus for the states of attention required for the…

First-generation students (FGS) are a population that has received increasing attention, but the term "first-generation student" has been inconsistently defined. Such inconsistency creates challenges not only for research, but for students themselves, many of whom may find they meet the FGS definition in one institutional context, but…

Using Kane's interpretive argument model and Messick's validity argument approach, this study rigorously examined faculty and PhD candidate's perspectives on PhD admission interviews in Iranian universities. We interviewed 10 professors and PhD interviewees which provided comprehensive insight into nuanced perspectives. We conducted rigorous…

The allocation of scientific funding through grant programs is crucial for research advancement. While independent peer panels typically handle evaluations, their decisions can lean on personal preferences that go beyond the stated criteria, leading to inconsistencies and potential biases. Given these concerns, our study employs a novel method,…

In 2020, Euphrates Institute piloted the Peace Practice Alliance (PPA), a virtual six-month program that brings together an international cohort of peacebuilders to learn peace leadership theories and develop related skills and practices. The program framework is based on integral peace leadership, which focuses on four interrelated areas of…