We propose new ways of robustifying goodness-of-fit tests for structural equation modeling under non-normality. These test statistics have limit distributions characterized by eigenvalues whose estimates are highly unstable and biased in known directions. To take this into account, we design model-based trend predictions to approximate the…

Model evaluation is a crucial step in SEM, consisting of two broad areas: global and local fit, where local fit indices are use to modify the original model. In the modification process, the modification index (MI) and the standardized expected parameter change (SEPC) are used to select the parameters that can be added to improve the fit. The…

We test children's distributive and collective sentence interpretations and the variables that predict them. In our first experiment, we establish that adult English collective sentences with "the" or "some" in the subject are categorically collective in their interpretations. We further demonstrate that children's collective…

Despite its importance to structural equation modeling, model evaluation remains underdeveloped in the Bayesian SEM framework. Posterior predictive p-values (PPP) and deviance information criteria (DIC) are now available in popular software for Bayesian model evaluation, but they remain under-utilized. This is largely due to the lack of…

Interactions across campus have long been documented as an important component of understanding the college student experience. This is especially salient in relation to interactions with faculty and peers during a student's first year, when susceptibility for departure is high. However, it is likewise critical to understand how distinctive types…

This study examines the factors influencing friendship quality during emergent adulthood. Data were collected on a sample of 393 college students (age range 18-22, M = 20.01). Nine multi-item measures were used as indicators in this study. Seven scales were drawn from the Battery of Adolescent Measures (Benson & Faas, 2014). The other two were…

Posterior Predictive Model Checking (PPMC) is a Bayesian model checking method that compares the observed data to (plausible) future observations from the posterior predictive distribution. We propose an alternative to PPMC in the context of structural equation modeling, which we term the Poor Persons PPMC (PP-PPMC), for the situation wherein one…

Background: India's National AIDS Control Programme calls for, among other things, targeted behavioral interventions that address determinants contributing to new infections among men who have sex with men (MSM) and hijras (transgender women). Aim: To determine if the information-motivation-behavioral skills model was transferable to an Indian…

Introduction: The focus of our research converges on the analysis of attitudes and the prediction of the behavior of university students towards the inclusion of students with disabilities in university. The evaluation of attitudes and the prediction of behavior are complex, but it is fundamental because of the decisive impact they have on the…

This study explored the relationships between enabling school structure (ESS), transformational leadership (TSL), organizational citizenship (OCB), and professional teacher behavior (PTB). Confirmatory factor analysis tested whether the theoretical dimensions of setting directions (SD), developing people (DP), redesigning the organization (RO),…

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the determinants of sugary drink consumption among overweight and obese adults attempting to lose weight using the Integrative Model of Behavioural Prediction (IMB). Design: Cross-sectional design. Method: Determinants of behavioural intentions (attitudes, perceived norms and perceived…

The purpose of this study is to test a theoretical model concerning the role of self-esteem as a mediator between university students' automatic thoughts and their levels of hopelessness. The participants consisted of 338 students (197 females (58.3%) and 141 males (41.7%) from various departments at the Celal Bayar University. The research data…

The purpose of this study was to examine whether students' perceptions in a first-year university engineering course affected their engineering identification, motivational beliefs, and engineering major and career goals. Based on current motivation models and theories, we hypothesized that students' perceptions of the components of the MUSIC…

Researchers have assumed that social cognitive factors play significant roles in the career development of transition youth and young adults with disabilities and those without disabilities. However, research on the influence of the career decision-making process as a primary causal agent in one's psychosocial outcomes such as perceived level of…

The formation of self-efficacy, according to Bandura's (1997) social-cognitive theory, is an important area of inquiry. This theoretical tenet posits the importance of enactive learning experience, followed by lesser influences of vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and emotional and physiological states. Quantitative research, predominantly,…