The purpose of this study is to use Indigenous data collection to present construct validity of an instrument designed to test the American Indian/Alaska Native Millennium Falcon Postsecondary Persistence Model (Lopez, 2018). In the following, I describe an alternative sampling technique based on an Indigenous quantitative methodology to examine…

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is one of the most popular multivariate statistical techniques in Turkish educational research. This study elaborates the SEM procedures employed by 75 educational research articles which were published from 2010 to 2015 in Turkey. After documenting and coding 75 academic papers, categorical frequencies and…

Critically examining common statistical approaches and their strengths and weaknesses is an important step in advancing recreation and leisure sciences. To continue this critical examination and to inform methodological decision making, this study compared three approaches to determine how alternative approaches may result in contradictory…

This study explored motivation and engagement among North American (the United States and Canada; n = 1,540), U.K. (n = 1,558), Australian (n = 2,283), and Chinese (n = 3,753) secondary school students. Motivation and engagement were assessed via students' responses to the Motivation and Engagement Scale-High School (MES-HS). Confirmatory factor…

The coefficient of precision type of reliability originally defined for scalar variables is generalized to vector variables and named vector reliability. The new coefficient ranges from zero to one. Additional basic properties of vector reliability are derived. Vector information is defined as a simple function of vector reliability. A number of…

A major problem in the research concerning distributional and other properties of reliability coefficients has been the non-existence or inaccessibility of adequate test data for use in empirical verification of hypothetical conclusions. The purpose of this paper is to develop a technique for the simulation of test item scores through the use of…

Lists six problems related to descriptive data and to factor analysis performed in a previous research study reported in this journal. Includes the authors' response to the suggested weaknesses of their study. (JN)

Reports an approach to the development of more effective diffusion strategies, using as a basis the personality variable "change orientation" of educators. An attempt is made to demonstrate that change orientation is a measurable characteristic of teachers. Suggests that the concept holds considerable promise for state-level leaders who…

Data required for evaluating a Criterion Referenced Measurement (CRM) is described with a matrix. The information within the matrix consists of the "pass-fail" decisions of two CRMs. By differentially defining these two CRMs, different concepts of reliability and validity can be examined. Indices suggested for analyzing the matrix are listed with…

This study examined efficacy of different story collection procedures with normally developing (N=10) and language disordered (N=6) preschool children. Factor analyses probed such possible interfering factors as home vs. school environments, familiarity of the story requester, coaxing cues, stimulus structure, and presence of such props as dolls…

The purposes of the present investigation were to examine the dimensionality of the Rotter Internal-External (I-E) scale, to test the invariance of its factor structure before and after an intervention designed to alter I-E, and to demonstrate the use of confirmatory factor analysis. An a priori model based on the content of the Rotter items…

Several methods for estimating item response theory scores for multiple subtests were compared. These methods included two multidimensional item response theory models: a bi-factor model where each subtest was a composite score based on the primary trait measured by the set of tests and a secondary trait measured by the individual subtest, and a…

This study examined whether item overlap, or measurement confounding, accounts for the correlation between temperament and behavior problem symptoms in children. Experts rated items on Children's Behavior Questionnaire and Preschool Behavior Questionnaire for their fit to both constructs, and then these items were factor analyzed with longitudinal…

H. W. Marsh's monograph (1987) on students' evaluations of teaching effectiveness in higher education is summarized. The research, which emphasized the construct validity approach, led to the development of the Students' Evaluations of Educational Quality (SEEQ) instrument. Factor analysis resulted in identification of nine SEEQ factors--learning…

An age-normed test battery was developed for use as a research instrument to assess strengths and weaknesses in the sensory-motor development of elementary school age children. The importance of sensory-motor functions for the child's total development and learning is noted. The experimental sensory-motor test battery consists of 12 subtests, and…