Gender disparities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) faculty composition remain a major issue in U.S. higher education. Specifically, the underrepresentation of women of color has been described as a crisis. We developed the Workplace Climate and Persistence Scale (WCPS) for STEM faculty to assess departmental-level…

Instructors and researchers often use research-based assessments to identify the impact of instructional activities. These investigations often focus on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusions by comparing outcomes across social identity groups (e.g., gender, race, and class). Comparisons across groups assume the assessments measure the same…

The BASC-3 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System Student Form (BESS SF) is the latest iteration of a widely used instrument for identifying students at behavioral and emotional risk. Measurement invariance across race/ethnicity and gender for the latest BESS SF has not yet been established. Using a sample of 737 U.S. urban fourth- to…

Responses to the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale displayed high score reliability ([alpha] = 0.91) and adequate convergent and divergent validity for college undergraduates. The data provided an adequate to excellent fit to the unidimensional model. Measurement invariance was demonstrated for gender and race.

Objective: This study examines the psychometrics of the 15-item version of the Five-Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ-15). Participants: An ethnically diverse sample of 538 college students participated in this study. Methods: The factor structure was evaluated through confirmatory factor analyses fitting 64 alternative models with and…

A fundamental premise in assessment is that the underlying construct is equivalent across different groups of students and that this structure does not vary over years. The pandemic has potentially impacted opportunity to learn and disrupted the internal structure of assessments in various ways. Past research has suggested that students tended to…

As technology continues to permeate all aspects of modern society, it is critical for PK-12 students to participate in computer science (CS) learning opportunities that prepare them to navigate and leverage technology in their future careers. However, research consistently shows that Black, Hispanic/Latino/a/x, and Native American students,…

The "Messaging Motivations Questionnaire" ("MMQ") is a concise 8-item measure, which consists of two subscales capturing people's typical motivations to text. The MMQ was developed through focus groups and item analysis based on a pilot study, followed by a larger validation study involving a sample of 982 young adults. Factor…

Bullying involvement among youth has consistently been linked to potentially serious consequences for both perpetrators and victims. To help clarify the nature and scope of youth bullying involvement, empirically validated assessment instruments measuring victimization and perpetration behaviors are needed for use in research and practice. The…

School climate is increasingly recognized by scholars and policymakers as a crucial factor associated with students' educational experiences. Hence, practitioners endeavor to equitably measure and improve school climate to promote favorable student academic and behavior outcomes. Unfortunately, school climate research is fragmented, and a…

The present study explores how Black and White youth respond to measures of subjective well-being within the context of critical race theory (CRT). Three levels of measurement invariance (i.e., configural, metric and scalar) were examined for indicators of subjective well-being. We hypothesized that there would be limited measurement invariance…

Previous research suggests that non-cognitive factors play an important role in promoting success at school and beyond, aligning with the multifaceted goals of education. Enhancing students' attitudes to learning in school is expected to have positive impacts on various schooling outcomes. To date, very few studies have focused on measuring and…

There are two important premises at the core of the American democracy: inclusion and dissent. Focusing on the premise of democratic dissent, the overarching goal of this study is understanding how colleges may encourage desirable civic outcomes. This dissertation is proceeds in an alternative format, containing three distinct manuscripts. Chapter…

Three mode comparability studies were conducted on the following Saturday national ACT test dates: October 26, 2019, December 14, 2019, and February 8, 2020. The primary goal of these studies was to evaluate whether ACT scores exhibited mode effects between paper and online testing that would necessitate statistical adjustments to the online…

Truant youths are likely to engage in a number of problem behaviors, including sexual risky behaviors. Previous research involving non-truant youths has found sexual risk behaviors to be related to marijuana use and depression, with differential effects for male and female youths. Using data collected in a National Institute on Drug Abuse…