My dissertation research explored responder behaviors (e.g., demonstrating response styles, carelessness, and possessing misconceptions) that compromise psychometric quality and impact the interpretation and use of assessment results. Identifying these behaviors can help researchers understand and minimize their potentially construct-irrelevant…

Closing equity gaps in student outcomes has been a key part of the national agenda in postsecondary education the last two decades as goals to increase the number of college graduates coincides with an increasing number, and future majority, of students from historically marginalized communities. Impactful support programs for students from…

The purpose of this study was to further investigate the relationship between the instruments identified by Kose and developed by Maras et al. (2013), Astramovich (2016), and Dimmitt et al. (2007) to provide validation to the proposed taxonomy of program evaluation competencies for school counselors. Theoretically, these instruments should be…

In 2012, New Jersey implemented a broad change to the teacher evaluation system with the Teacher Effectiveness and Accountability for the Children of New Jersey (TEACHNJ) Act which identified the Marzano Causal Teacher evaluation system as one of the prescribe models for districts to adopt. This system provides a more differentiated teacher…

The present study was motivated by the theory-method mismatch between heterotypic continuity (aspects of development that manifest differently across the lifespan thus cannot be measured the same way over time) and longitudinal measurement equivalence (the statistical assumption that the developmental phenomenon studied is measured on the same…

In light of the ever-increasing capability of computer technology and advancement in speech and natural language processing techniques, automated speech scoring of constructed responses is gaining popularity in many high-stakes assessment and low-stakes educational settings. Automated scoring is a highly interdisciplinary and complex subject, and…

A predictive model of undergraduate graduation rate at the institutional level is important and useful to researchers, administrators, and policy makers in higher education. Graduation rate is a key indicator for higher education institutional performance. This study aimed to replicate, revise, and validate the model of Institutional Performance…

The study adapted Astin's I-E-O model and utilized multiple regression analyses to predict faculty attitudes toward developmental education. The study utilized a cross-sectional survey design to survey faculty members at 27 different higher education institutions in the state of Alabama. The survey instrument was a self-designed questionnaire that…

The purpose of this study is to further enhance the existing reliability and validity evidence related to the School Implementation Scale (SIS) and its use for evaluating the implementation of different integrated academic and behavior tiered Response-To-Intervention (RTI) models. Previous methodology conducted for validation of the instrument has…

The present study sought to fit a cognitive diagnostic model (CDM) across multiple forms of a passage-based reading comprehension assessment using the attribute hierarchy method. Previous research on CDMs for reading comprehension assessments served as a basis for the attributes in the hierarchy. The two attribute hierarchies were fit to data from…

Recognition that adverse events are a significant cause for morbidity and mortality has led to a rise in global efforts to improve patient safety. Adaptations are needed in healthcare institutions and at the educational preparatory level for all healthcare providers. One change surrounds the significance of patient-centered care, an important…

The purpose of this study is to identify protective factors in college student development as they relate to psychological well-being (PWB). Using archival data from National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) dataset, this research was guided by a blend of models and constructs to capture the association between college student…

Analyzing examinees' responses using cognitive diagnostic models (CDMs) have the advantages of providing richer diagnostic information. To ensure the validity of the results from these models, differential item functioning (DIF) in CDMs needs to be investigated. In this dissertation, the model-based DIF detection method, Wald-CDM procedure is…

What happens when students go to college? An important outcome of college attendance is student cognitive development. Part of that developmental process is learning how to address contrasting values, beliefs, knowledge structures, and worldviews critically. This study addressed the relationship between cognitive and Christian-faith development in…

The purpose of this manuscript is, first and foremost, to present new research in the Information Systems realm that will support future research into perceptions of Visual Appeal in an online environment. In furtherance of these goals, the research draws on Composition Theory to articulate a two-essay research agenda. Composition Theory states…