This three-article dissertation aims to address three methodological challenges to ensure comparability in educational research, including scale linking, test equating, and propensity score (PS) weighting. The first study intends to improve test scale comparability by evaluating the effect of six missing data handling approaches, including…

Students who have graduated from nursing school and licensed nurses have a formidable responsibility to provide quality and compassionate nursing care to their patients. However, after graduation, nursing students must study very hard in the hope to pass the National Council License Examination (NCLEX). In recent years, Atlantic Technical College…

This quantitative study investigated the relationship between institutional control and NCLEX first-time pass rates during 2017-2021 for BSN, ADN, and LVN programs in the United States while controlling for school and program level characteristics. The study included five years of data gathered from nursing regulatory agencies and the Integrated…

In many psychological and educational applications, it is imperative to obtain valid and reliable score estimates of multilevel processes. For example, in order to assess the quality and characteristics of high impact learning processes, one must compute accurate scores representative of student- and classroom-level constructs. Currently, there…

The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare the pre- and post-pandemic ultimate and first-time pass rates for physical therapist assistant (PTA) candidates taking the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) during the COVID-19 era in the U.S. This study builds a framework for future qualitative studies to understand factors leading to any…

The Critical Thinking Assessment Test (CAT) is a tool for evaluating students' critical thinking skills in various educational institutions within and outside the United States. While institutions regard the CAT as a high-stakes assessment, students may perceive it as a low-stakes test due to its lack of personal or academic repercussions. This…

This study examined the association between principal leadership styles and academic achievement in gifted education schools. There is scarce literature specific to academic achievement in gifted education schools. The primary research question addressed in the study was, "does an association exist between leadership style and academic…

Georgia adopted science standards encouraging teachers to use inquiry-based instruction in science instruction in 2016 to improve science exam scores. The problem was a lack of improvement in science exam scores in middle school and high school students in a small rural school district in South Georgia since inquiry-based standards have been put…

Over the past 23 years, the national average for reading achievement among learners has ranked below grade level (Learned et al., 2019). The research focus was to understand why struggling readers' reading skills improved. Two research questions, two hypotheses, and two null hypotheses were developed for this study. No participants participated in…

This study was conducted to see if the engagement variables from the "TummySafe 2022" online course as well as the participants' demographic variables were positively correlated with the "TummySafe" certification exam score. The study examined factors that explained participants' exam performance. The results indicated that…

Institutions of higher education have relied heavily on quality assurance mechanisms such as accreditation to ensure programs adhere to the most current standards. Simultaneously, conversations alluding to the impact of organizational culture have also increased, leaving many to question if relationships exist between educational environments,…

This study investigated the impact that co-curricular programming delivered by the University Honors Program (UHP) at North Carolina State University through the Honors Forum course had on first-year students' self-reported knowledge of civil discourse, their assessment of its importance and impact, and their evaluation of their commitment to the…

The Annual Professional Performance Review (APPR) system in New York State (NYS) has been called into question by educators since its adoption nearly 10 years ago, yet it remains the mandated evaluation system in NYS schools today. Much of the concern has been over changes such as assigning teachers final evaluation scores, as well as for the…

This study was conducted to further research into the impact of student-group item parameter drift (SIPD) --referred to as subpopulation item parameter drift in previous research-- on ability estimates and proficiency classification accuracy when occurring in the discrimination parameter of a 2-PL item response theory (IRT) model. Using Monte…

Academia and education advocates have reported a concern about the elimination of art and music education classes from high school curriculums in the United States. Studies using mean SAT test scores from 1984 and 1994 versions of the SAT test indicated participants who had art and music education classes had higher verbal and mathematical SAT…