Despite the increasing demand for diagnostic information, observed subscores have been often reported to lack adequate psychometric qualities such as reliability, distinctiveness, and validity. Therefore, several statistical techniques based on CTT and IRT frameworks have been proposed to improve the quality of subscores. More recently, DCM has…

Due to the growing trend of healthy eating, concerns of disordered eating patterns have increased. In particular, orthorexia has gained interest due to taking the healthy eating trend too far. As college student populations tend to have a high prevalence of disordered eating, it becomes logical to examine factors contributing to development and…

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Precalculus Concept Assessment (PCA), a 25-item multiple-choice instrument designed to assess student reasoning abilities and understanding of foundational calculus concepts (Carlson et al., 2010). When this study was conducted, the extant research on the PCA and the PCA…

The purpose of this study was to determine any relationship between three factors of the TPACK model and the impact of age and gender of foreign language teachers who teach in post-secondary education. The goal was to help instructional designers to develop need-based training for in-service language teaching faculty in higher education.…

In general, newer educational assessments are deemed more demanding challenges than students are currently prepared to face. Two types of factors may contribute to the test scores: (1) factors or dimensions that are of primary interest to the construct or test domain; and, (2) factors or dimensions that are irrelevant to the construct, causing…

The aim of this study was to validate an instrument that can be used by instructors or social scientist who are interested in evaluating statistics anxiety. The psychometric properties of the English version of the Statistical Anxiety Scale (SAS) was examined through a confirmatory factor analysis of scores from a sample of 323 undergraduate…

This study evaluated a model of parent involvement in secondary special education and transition planning and identified motivators affecting a parent's decision to become involved. Survey data were collected from a national sample of 300 parents of transition-age youth with disabilities. Results of a confirmatory factor analysis indicated the…

Intelligence tests and adaptive behavior scales measure vital aspects of the multidimensional nature of human functioning. Assessment of each is a required component in the diagnosis or identification of intellectual disability, and both are frequently used conjointly in the assessment and identification of other developmental disabilities. The…

The Next Generation Science Standards propose a multidimensional model of science learning, comprised of Core Disciplinary Ideas, Science and Engineering Practices, and Crosscutting Concepts (NGSS Lead States, 2013). Accordingly, there is a need for student assessment aligned with the new standards. Creating assessments that validly and reliably…

Now more than ever, colleges and universities are relying on funds raised from alumni to support their operations. At the same time, the percentage of alumni donors is in decline and new research suggests that higher education fundraising strategies are overly reliant on alumni behaviors and demographics as predictors of giving. A 2011 study by…

How parents interact with their children impacts many crucial facets of children's lives. Over the last 4 decades, researchers have identified four different parenting styles: authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and disengaged. Hundreds of studies conducted all over the world, have identified correlations between parenting style and many…

Social support has been shown to be a significant protective factor in the lives of adolescents and has been linked to numerous health and psychological outcomes. Spirituality and religion have also been demonstrated to have similar effects on a host of outcomes. The current study further analyzed the link between these two constructs from a…

There is a pervasive need for school systems to empirically and reliably assess the data literacy and data use skills of their educators (Ingram et al., 2004). With the federal government holding states and school districts accountable for student achievement and the increased emphasis of high stakes testing in schools, it is also critical to be…

The present study aimed to represent the innovative assessments that support students' learning in STEM education through using the integrative framework for Cognitive Diagnostic Modeling (CDM). This framework is based on three components, cognition, observation, and interpretation (National Research Council, 2001). Specifically, this dissertation…

The role of teacher assistants has paralleled the changes in education over the years. The teacher assistants, who numbered 1.3 million in 2008 and are projected to increase by 10 percent by 2018 (Office of Labor Statistics, 2012) are valuable members of our educational communities providing support to students with special needs. These teacher…