Large-scale education data are collected via complex sampling designs that incorporate clustering and unequal probability of selection. Multilevel models are often utilized to account for clustering effects. The probability weighted approach (PWA) has been frequently used to deal with the unequal probability of selection. In this study, we examine…

When selecting a multilevel model to fit to a dataset, it is important to choose both a model that best matches characteristics of the data's structure, but also to include the appropriate fixed and random effects parameters. For example, when researchers analyze clustered data (e.g., students nested within schools), the multilevel model can be…

Causal search algorithms have been effectively applied in different fields including biology, genetics, climate science, medicine, and neuroscience. However, there have been scant applications of these methods in social and behavioral sciences. This article provides an illustrative example of how causal search algorithms can shed light on…

Growth curve models are widely used in social and behavioral sciences. However, typical growth curve models often assume that the errors are normally distributed although non-normal data may be even more common than normal data. In order to avoid possible statistical inference problems in blindly assuming normality, a general Bayesian framework is…

Conventional multilevel modeling works well with purely hierarchical data; however, pure hierarchies rarely exist in real datasets. Applied researchers employ ad hoc procedures to create purely hierarchical data. For example, applied educational researchers either delete mobile participants' data from the analysis or identify the student only with…

The purpose of this study is to explore Bayesian model averaging in the propensity score context. Previous research on Bayesian propensity score analysis does not take into account model uncertainty. In this regard, an internally consistent Bayesian framework for model building and estimation must also account for model uncertainty. The…