Explains confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis using a small heuristic data set that allows readers to grasp the conceptual underpinnings of each method. Discusses analytic tradition in both forms of analysis by examining recently published examples of each. (SLD)

Ant colony optimization is a recently proposed heuristic procedure inspired by the behavior of real ants. This article applies the procedure to model specification searches in structural equation modeling and reports the results. The results demonstrate the capabilities of ant colony optimization algorithms for conducting automated searches.

In "Speaking of Faith," radio journalist Krista Tippett recalls the time when she began to recognize the hypocrisy and contradictions in the behavior of the people around her. Tippett's experience is not only far from unusual, it is formative. It led her to make some important decisions in her life, including the desire never to live a life of…

A curriculum is a knowledge structure outlining what is to be learned in what order. The Australian curriculum for English emphasises creation of a "coherent" and "cumulative" "body of knowledge about how the English language works", with learning that is "portable and applicable to new settings across the school…

Researchers are gaining an interest in the concept of wisdom, a more holistic yet often ineffable educational outcome. Models of wisdom abound, but few have rigorously tested measures. This study looks at Brown's (2004a, 2004b) Model of Wisdom Development and its associated measure, the Wisdom Development Scale (WDS; Brown & Greene, 2006). The…

This heuristic narratological inquiry used video-taped interviews and observations to explore the experiences of 145 urban students in grades one through six who also represented diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The goal of the study was to identify curricular and pedagogical strategies that enhance what students love about school,…

This article is a report on a study of the use of heuristics, shortcuts, and rules of thumb by middle-line managers in institutions of higher education in the United States and the United Kingdom. Using a nonprobability convenience sample, the coinvestigators interviewed 13 middle-line managers over 5 months from eight institutions. The results…

Current scholarship tells us that skills in teaming are essential for students and practitioners of professional communication. Writers must be able to cooperate with subject-matter experts and team members to make effective decisions and complete projects. Scholarship also suggests that rapid changes in technology and changes in teaming processes…

Purpose: This paper aims to contribute to the literature on beginning the principalship by identifying and illustrating key challenges that novice principals encounter in their first year for which they would benefit from improved preparation. Design/methodology/approach: The paper is a synthesis of a decade of research focusing on the principal…

Advertising may be the most pervasive form of modern rhetoric, yet the discipline is virtually absent in rhetorical studies. This article advocates a mutually beneficial rapprochement between the disciplines--both in academe and the workplace. Rhetoric, for example, could help address an enduring lacuna in advertising theory. Persuasive…

Perhaps the most common criterion for partitioning a data set is the minimization of the within-cluster sums of squared deviation from cluster centroids. Although optimal solution procedures for within-cluster sums of squares (WCSS) partitioning are computationally feasible for small data sets, heuristic procedures are required for most practical…

Heuristic literacy--an individual's capacity to use heuristic vocabulary in discourse and to apply the selected heuristics to solution of routine and non-routine mathematical tasks--was indirectly promoted in a controlled five-month classroom experiment with Israeli 8th grade students (N = 92). The experiment achieved a moderate mean effect size,…

According to some researchers canonical correlation results should be interpreted in part by consulting redundancy coefficients (Rd). This paper, however, makes the case that Rd coefficients generally should not be interpreted. Rd coefficients are not multivariate. Furthermore, it makes little sense to interpret coefficients not optimized as part…

This paper presents the methodology for performing and interpreting second-order factor analysis. Procedures for extracting and rotating solutions are presented. Critical issues of interpretation, such as interpreting second-order factors are discussed. Two methods for accomplishing this are explained, including multiplying the first- and…

Attempts to explain how trainer of consultative group in supervision might distinguish among relational contexts to assist supervisor in understanding source of supervisory dilemmas and devise strategies directed to appropriate context. Presents larger context for discussing elements of supervision and their interrelationship. Offers heuristic…