We provide tools for identification and exploration of data with very large variability having power law tails. Such data describe extreme features of processes such as fire losses, flood, drought, financial gain/loss, hurricanes, population of cities, among others. Prediction and quantification of extreme events are at the forefront of the…

Using national data from the US Department of Education, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) and the US Census Bureau, trends in graduate school enrollment percentages for Hispanic and White students from 2002 to 2018 were analyzed and compared. Major findings from three regression analyses included: (1) a strong, statistically…

Q methodology is a unique, yet underutilized methodology designed specifically to scientifically study subjectivity. Q, as it is most often referred to, is an appropriate methodology whenever a researcher is interested in uncovering and describing the multiple divergent viewpoints on any topic. Such discovery of viewpoints provides insight into…

Library and information science (LIS) research is becoming more quantitative. However, statistics is not extensively taught within LIS research methods courses, and statistics courses are uncommon within LIS programs. Previous research on statistics in LIS revealed that researchers have mainly relied on descriptive statistics in publications. This…

The problem studied was an inefficient hiring process at Special School District (SSD). This study examined the impact of utilizing three new screening criteria to improve the hiring process. The research was valuable for SSD and other school districts because teacher attrition negatively impacts student's achievement and increases district…

The Council on Social Work Education has designated field education as social work's signature pedagogy, putting field supervisors in a key role of preparing students as competent social workers. This study examined field supervisors' Evidence Based Practice (EBP) behaviors using a modified version of the Evidence-Based Practice Process Assessment…

Do online students take notes when reading lecture content or watching video lectures? Can they benefit from note-taking supports, such as graphic organizers, to improve their study skills? These are among the questions explored in a pilot study with student participants enrolled in a 100% online graduate program. Students were provided academic…

We analyzed a pool of items from an admissions test for differential item functioning (DIF) for groups based on age, socioeconomic status, citizenship, or English language status using Mantel-Haenszel and item response theory. DIF items were systematically examined to identify its possible sources by item type, content, and wording. DIF was…

Australian higher education institutions have struggled to develop clear strategies for developing and assessing graduate attributes within their specific disciplinary contexts. Using the example of the graduate attribute of social responsibility, this paper explores the outcomes of using assessment tasks to raise the awareness of development of…

In the summer of 2013, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) issued public, highly-visible ratings of teacher education programs as part of their ambitious and controversial Teacher Prep Review. We provide the first empirical examination of NCTQ ratings, beginning with a descriptive overview of the ratings and documentation of how they…

The importance of data analysis software in graduate programs in education and post-graduate educational research is self-evident. However the role of this software in facilitating supererogated statistical practice versus "cookbookery" is unclear. The need to rigorously document the role of data analysis software in students' graduate…

This survey study investigated how graduate school admissions committees perceive and use the "GRE"® General Test and "GRE"® Subject Tests after the launch of the "GRE"® revised General Test in August 2011. These perceptions and uses impact the validity of the tests. Prior research about the perceptions and uses of…

Purpose: Graduate admission has become a critical process for quality assurance in tertiary education. Hitherto, most research has investigated the validity of admissions instruments. However, surprisingly little work has been conducted on the overall organization of admission, which often remains "informal, ad hoc, and lacking in…

School counselors frequently face ethical dilemmas. The American School Counselor Association recommends following an ethical decision-making model when dealing with complex ethical issues; however, little research to date addresses if these models are being used, how familiar school counselors are with these models, and whether they knowingly or…

A quantitative research study collects numerical data that must be analyzed to help draw the study's conclusions. Teaching quantitative data analysis is not teaching number crunching, but teaching a way of critical thinking for how to analyze the data. The goal of data analysis is to reveal the underlying patterns, trends, and relationships of a…