In this study we examined cognitive features that have been posited to contribute to depressive vulnerability in adolescents. Using a longitudinal sample of 331 young adolescents followed from 6th to 7th grade, cross-lagged structural equation analyses were conducted. Controlling for baseline levels of depressive, conduct, and anxiety symptoms,…

This study investigated the impact of students' conceptions of constructivist learning activities on academic achievement and drop-out. Although constructivism represents an influential view of learning, studies investigating how students conceptualize this perspective have not been conducted before. A structural equation modelling approach was…

This study introduces three growth modeling techniques: latent growth modeling (LGM), hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), and longitudinal profile analysis via multidimensional scaling (LPAMS). It compares the multilevel growth parameter estimates and potential predictor effects obtained using LGM, HLM, and LPAMS. The purpose of this multilevel…

This study tested the hypothesis that positive career orientation can prevent adolescents from engaging in or escalating problem behaviour. A 1-year, longitudinal study was conducted on a sample of 234 junior-high and high-school students, who were 14.8 years old on the average in the beginning of the study. Using structural equation modeling, a…

The authors examined the longitudinal effects of the Family Check-Up (FCU) on parents' positive behavior support and children's school readiness competencies in early childhood. It was hypothesized that the FCU would promote language skills and inhibitory control in children at risk for behavior problems as an indirect outcome associated with…

Objective: The present project examined the relationships among early maternal maltreatment risk, children's self-regulation, and later development. It was expected that early maltreatment risk would impact children's emerging self-regulation which in turn, would foster pre-academic delays and behavioral problems. Method: The project used…

This paper describes structural equation modeling (SEM) in comparison with another overarching analysis within the general linear model (GLM) analytic family: canonical correlation analysis. The uninitiated reader can gain an understanding of SEM's basic tenets and applications. Latent constructs discovered via a measurement model are explored and…

This simulation study focused on the power of detecting group differences in linear growth trajectory parameters within the framework of structural equation modeling (SEM) and compared this approach with the more traditional repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) approach. Three broad conditions of group differences in linear growth…

A didactic example is presented of the application of new developments in structural equation modeling that allow for the modeling of multilevel data. The method, a synthesis of methods developed by B. Muthen, is applied to the problem of validating indicators of science education quality in the United States. (SLD)

The SEPATH structural equation modeling (SEM) software is a new module in the latest release of STATISTICA (version 5.0) for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95. SEPATH is a program that provides a comprehensive set of functions for the SEM modeling. The interface and the Monte Carlo capability are strong features. (SLD)

Relative fit indices using the null model as the reference point in computation may differ across estimation methods, as this article illustrates by comparing maximum likelihood, ordinary least squares, and generalized least squares estimation in structural equation modeling. The illustration uses a covariance matrix for six observed variables…

Multiple-group structural equation modeling was used to analyze structural relationships between latent factors underlying measures of handwriting, spelling, and composing for students in grades one through six. Results with 300 children show that the mechanical skills of writing may constrain the amount and quality of composing. (SLD)

Examined several hypotheses about the suitability of the noncentral chi square in applied research using Monte Carlo simulation experiments with seven sample sizes and three distinct model types, each with five specifications. Results show that, in general, for models with small to moderate misspecification, the noncentral chi-square is well…

Structural equation modeling of data from 4,034 Canadian adolescents yielded a factor composed of academic achievement, extracurricular reading, attitudes toward school and homework, and parental educational expectations that predicted 76% of variance in educational aspirations. Positive family climate and parental involvement fostered a positive…

Using two-level structural equation modeling, examined the dimensionality of socioeconomic status (SES) and its relationship with mathematics and science performance at student and school levels. Data from 13-year-olds from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study show that SES dimensions have different effects on mathematics and…