One of the aims of the current study is to specify the model providing the best fit to the data among the exploratory, the bifactor exploratory and the confirmatory structural equation models. The study compares the three models based on the model data fit statistics and item parameter estimations (factor loadings, cross-loadings, factor…

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…

A plethora of work has been done to examine the dynamics of learning in higher education contexts to foster positive learning outcomes. The 3P model (Biggs in Teaching for quality learning at university, Open University Press, Birkshire, 2003) is one theoretical model that has been well researched. However, much of the work to date has focused on…

Decades of research have shown that technological change in schools depends on multiple interrelated factors. Structural equation models explaining the interplay of factors often suffer from high complexity and low coherence. To reduce complexity, a more robust structural equation model was built with data from a survey of 349 Swiss primary school…

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…

Studying the factors that affect the e-learning adoption is not a new research topic. Nevertheless, exploring the effect of knowledge acquisition and knowledge sharing on e-learning adoption is a relatively new research trend that has not been featured in the existing literature. Thus, this study was conducted to build a new model by extending the…

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…

Aim/Purpose: This study investigates the factors that influence university students' intentions to adopt mobile learning for their learning activities. A theoretical model is developed based on prior research incorporating constructs from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and…

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…

In Bayesian structural equation modeling (BSEM), prior settings may affect model fit, parameter estimation, and model comparison. This simulation study was to investigate how the priors impact evaluation of relative fit across competing models. The design factors for data generation included sample sizes, factor structures, data distributions, and…

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 explores the perception of exclusion in online social networks by synthesizing the Corresponding Fields Model (Helsper in "Commun Theory" 22(4):403-426, 2012). The predictors in the model, including access barriers, insecurity, usage competencies, and cultural mismatch, was empirically tested based on data from 480…

Although the adoption of digital technology has gained considerable attention in higher education, currently research mainly focuses on implementation in formal learning contexts. Investigating what factors influence students' digital informal learning is still unclear and limited. To understand better university students' digital informal…

Although extroversion and proactive personality are related to career success, the mechanisms through which the relationships occur are unclear. Based on the contest- and sponsored-mobility processes, we examine a model linking extroversion and proactive personality to career success through the mediating effects of mentoring received and…