Research in education and behavioral sciences often involves the use of latent variable models that are related to indicators, as well as related to covariates or outcomes. Such models are subject to interpretational confounding, which occurs when fitting the model with covariates or outcomes alters the results for the measurement model. This has…

Factor Score Regression (FSR) is increasingly employed as an alternative to structural equation modeling (SEM) in small samples. Despite its popularity in psychology, the performance of FSR in multigroup models with small samples remains relatively unknown. The goal of this study was to examine the performance of FSR, namely Croon's correction and…

Latent growth modeling (LGM) is a popular and flexible technique that may be used when data are collected across several different measurement occasions. Modeling the appropriate growth trajectory has important implications with respect to the accurate interpretation of parameter estimates of interest in a latent growth model that may impact…

A first-order latent growth model assesses change in an unobserved construct from a single score and is commonly used across different domains of educational research. However, examining change using a set of multiple response scores (e.g., scale items) affords researchers several methodological benefits not possible when using a single score. A…

Structured means analysis is a very useful approach for testing hypotheses about population means on latent constructs. In such models, a z test is most commonly used for testing the statistical significance of the relevant parameter estimates or of the differences between parameter estimates, where a z value is computed based on the asymptotic…

This study examined a psychosocial mechanism of how general self-efficacy interacts with other key factors and influences degree aspiration for students enrolled in an urban diverse community college. Using general self-efficacy scales, the authors hypothesized the General Self-efficacy model for Community College students (the GSE-CC model). A…

Psychologists are interested in whether friends and couples share similar personalities or not. However, no statistical models are readily available to test the association between personalities and social relations in the literature. In this study, we develop a statistical model for analyzing social network data with the latent personality traits…

Meta-analytic structural equation modeling (MASEM) combines the techniques of meta-analysis and structural equation modeling for the purpose of synthesizing correlation or covariance matrices and fitting structural equation models on the pooled correlation or covariance matrix. Both fixed-effects and random-effects models can be defined in MASEM.…

Path models with observed composites based on multiple items (e.g., mean or sum score of the items) are commonly used to test interaction effects. Under this practice, researchers generally assume that the observed composites are measured without errors. In this study, we reviewed and evaluated two alternative methods within the structural…

This study aims to examine the Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) model in the context of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Unlike previous studies, this study tested two organism variables, namely emotion and experience, as mediators in the relationship between seven dimensions of stimulus and response. Self-administered questionnaires were…

Abundant research in social psychology shows human behaviour is guided by beliefs through two pathways, a deliberate and automatic pathway. Research on student motivation has thus far focused mostly on the deliberate pathway and consequently almost exclusively relied on explicit measures (i.e. self-reports of motivation) to assess student…

Using the technology acceptance model (TAM) as its theoretical foundation, this study intends to explore the use of Travelling Beam devices in road engineerings in Taiwan and offer suggestions based on its findings to encourage industry willingness for device deployment resulting in improving road pavement smoothness in Taiwan. The study subjects…

This study was undertaken to determine the extent to which leadership capabilities and managerial competencies explain leadership performance in Malaysian Higher Education context. Data were collected from academic leaders in 25 public and private universities and colleges using a few previously developed scales in Malaysian context. Next, the…

Little empirical evidence is available on what drives young people to engage in higher education. Such knowledge is crucial in order to motivate students to make the most of their potential. This study surveyed a total of 294 Swedish high school students. The result shows that intentions play a mediating role between students' attitudes and the…

Education is considered a fundamental element in society's development, and higher education institutions (HEIs) must direct a part of their activity towards supporting countries' social, economic and cultural progress. It is crucial that HEIs develop diverse marketing and management strategies, above all image management, since this will make…