Researchers strategically assess youth mental health by soliciting reports from multiple informants. Typically, these informants (e.g., parents, teachers, youth themselves) vary in the social contexts where they observe youth. Decades of research reveal that the most common data conditions produced with this approach consist of discrepancies…

We offer a new conceptualization and measurement models for constructs at the group-level of analysis in small group research. The conceptualization starts with classical notions of group behavior proposed by Tönnies, Simmel, and Weber and then draws upon plural subject theory by philosophers Gilbert and Tuomela to frame a new perspective…

Multisite trials, in which individuals are randomly assigned to alternative treatment arms within sites, offer an excellent opportunity to estimate the cross-site average effect of treatment assignment (intent to treat or ITT) "and" the amount by which this impact varies across sites. Although both of these statistics are substantively…

A simulation study compared the performance of robust normal theory maximum likelihood (ML) and robust categorical least squares (cat-LS) methodology for estimating confirmatory factor analysis models with ordinal variables. Data were generated from 2 models with 2-7 categories, 4 sample sizes, 2 latent distributions, and 5 patterns of category…

Recent Monte Carlo research has illustrated that the traditional method for assessing the construct-related validity of assessment center (AC) post-exercise dimension ratings (PEDRs), an application of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to a multitrait-multimethod matrix, produces inconsistent results [Lance, C. E., Woehr, D. J., & Meade, A. W.…

This article examines the psychometric structure of the Anxiety Control Questionnaire (ACQ) in Chinese adolescents. With the data collected from 212 senior high school students (94 females, 110 males, 8 unknown), seven models are tested using confirmatory factor analyses in the framework of the multitrait-multimethod strategy. Results indicate…

Combining diverse methods in a single study raises a problem: What should be done when the findings of one method of investigation conflict with those of another? We illustrate this problem using an example in which three study phases--quantitative, qualitative, and intervention--were applied. The findings coming from the quantitative phase did…

This article explores the statistical methodologies used in demonstration and effectiveness studies when the treatments are applied across multiple settings. The importance of evaluating and how to evaluate these types of studies are discussed. As an alternative to standard methodology, the authors of this article offer an empirical binomial…

This article argues that a mixed methods approach is useful in understanding the complexity that underlies teachers' commitment to environmental education. Using sequential and concurrent procedures, the authors demonstrate how different methodological approaches highlighted different aspects of teacher commitment. The quantitative survey examined…

Presents maximum-likelihood confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) as a means for interpreting complete and incomplete multitrait-multimethod designs. CFA was applied to four data sets representing four designs and to an artificial data set to demonstrate its use in test validation designs to assess discriminant, convergent, and construct validity.…

The evaluation of an intervention delivered across multiple treatment sites presents a unique opportunity for evaluators to gauge the manner and degree to which the "impact" of treatment varies across implementation conditions and different target populations. However, the availability of implementation data for each treatment site, while…

The Life-Patterns project is a panel-cohort longitudinal study following the life trajectories of 1,908 young people who left school in Victoria in 1991. The project attempts to obtain nuanced pictures of young people's lives in three ways: using a reflexive longitudinal study design, with opportunities for participant feedback and influence on…

During the last 15 years, there has been a steady increase in the popularity and sophistication of the confirmatory factor analysis approach to multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) data. However, important problems exist, the most serious being the ill-defined solutions that plague MTMM studies and the assumption that so-called method factors primarily…

Multiple evaluation methods (MEMs) can cause an inferential challenge, although there are strategies to strengthen inferences. Practical and theoretical issues involved in the use by social scientists of MEMs, three potential problems in drawing inferences from MEMs, and short- and long-term strategies for alleviating these problems are outlined.…

Goal orientation research has developed two branches. One branch uses a two-factor dispositional model. The other branch uses a three-factor domain-specific model. The present multiwave study examines dispositional goal orientation constructs through both two and three-factor models using repeated-measure confirmatory factor analysis. Results…