To evaluate multidimensional factor structure, a popular method that combines features of confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis is Bayesian structural equation modeling with small-variance normal priors (BSEM-N). This simulation study evaluated BSEM-N as a variable selection and parameter estimation tool in factor analysis with sparse…

Although generalizability theory (GT) designs have traditionally been analyzed within an ANOVA framework, identical results can be obtained with structural equation models (SEMs) but extended to represent multiple sources of both systematic and measurement error variance, include estimation methods less likely to produce negative variance…

We present factor extension procedures for confirmatory factor analysis that provide estimates of the relations of common and unique factors with external variables that do not undergo factor analysis. We present identification strategies that build upon restrictions of the pattern of correlations between unique factors and external variables. The…

We examined two aspects of college students' (N = 385) sense of belonging and its relations with three indicators of self-regulated learning. We also tested the mediating role of achievement goals in these relations. One aspect, sense of belonging to school, functioned as a significant predictor of self-reported metacognitive and academic time…

Using Monte Carlo simulations, this research examined the performance of four missing data methods in SEM under different multivariate distributional conditions. The effects of four independent variables (sample size, missing proportion, distribution shape, and factor loading magnitude) were investigated on six outcome variables: convergence rate,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations among perceived instructional support (provision of relevance and involvement), subjective task value beliefs (utility, attainment, and intrinsic value), and engagement (behavioral and emotional) over the course of a semester for graduate students enrolled in an introductory research…

In this research, the authors examined the construct validity of scores of the Academic Motivation Scale using exploratory structural equation modeling. Study 1 and Study 2 involved 1,416 college students and 4,498 high school students, respectively. First, results of both studies indicated that the factor structure tested with exploratory…

Academic entitlement has been theoretically linked with uncivil student behavior; however, this relationship has not been tested. To address this gap in the literature, the authors used latent means modeling to estimate the relationship between the Academic Entitlement Questionnaire and uncivil student behavior. The authors gathered scores on the…

This study is a substantive-methodological synergy in which exploratory structural equation modeling is applied to investigate the factor structure of multidimensional self-concept instruments. On the basis of a sample of German students (N = 1958) who completed the Self-Description Questionnaire I and the Self-Perception Profile for Children, the…

Many classroom climate studies suffer from 2 critical problems: They (a) treat climate as a student-level (L1) variable in single-level analyses instead of a classroom-level (L2) construct in multilevel analyses; and (b) rely on manifest-variable models rather than on latent-variable models that control measurement error at L1 and L2, and sampling…

The authors tested whether multiple components of a performance goal were differentiated by a group of Korean middle school students ("N" = 239). Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the normative and outcome components as well as the approach and avoidance components correlated too highly to be considered independent. A 2-factor…

This study explored the validity of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale in a sample of 853 practicing teachers from Australia, Canada, China (Hong Kong), Indonesia, and Oman. The authors used multigroup confirmatory factor analysis to test the factor structure and measurement invariance across settings, after which they examined the relationships…