Given the relevance of graphs of functions, we consider their inclusion in primary education from the functional approach to early algebra. The purpose of this article is to shed some light on the students' production and reading of graphs when they solved generalization problems from a functional thinking approach. We aim to explore how 3rd and…

A modified and improved inductive inferential approach to evaluate item discriminations in a conditional maximum likelihood and Rasch modeling framework is suggested. The new approach involves the derivation of four hypothesis tests. It implies a linear restriction of the assumed set of probability distributions in the classical approach that…

Thinking about knowledge and knowing ("i.e.", epistemic cognition) is an important part of student learning and has implications for how they apply their knowledge in future courses, careers, and other aspects of their lives. Three classes of models have emerged from research on epistemic cognition: developmental models, dimensional…

This Family and Practitioner Brief discusses how deaf children who have not had access to a complete language from birth often encounter unique challenges in developing academic language skills, particularly in the realm of inference-making.

This article pushes forward a critical dialogue about the value of visualization as a method of sociological theorizing. Building on a nascent literature, I argue theory diagrams may operate not only conjunctively but also disjunctively, independent from empirics; that their theoretical value lies not only in capturing sociological problems but…

We evaluated the efficacy of Early Language Comprehension Individualized Instruction (ELCII), a supplemental computer-based early language comprehension intervention, in improving kindergarten students' inference making performance. In Study 1, students completed ELCII modules over nine weeks, whereas a business-as-usual control group engaged in…

Recently, there has been an increased interest in the associations between theory of mind (ToM), the ability to infer others' mental states, and academic functioning in middle childhood including scientific reasoning. This study follows this trend and addresses two gaps in the literature. First, it examines whether individual differences in ToM…

One of the most important factors affecting the use of evidence for policy or practice is the uncertainty of study results. Furthermore, this uncertainty is compounded by our increasing awareness of heterogeneous treatment effects. Here we inform debate about the strength of study evidence by quantifying the conditions necessary to nullify an…

How do people learn about things that they have never perceived or inferred--like molecules, miracles or Marie-Antoinette? For many thinkers, trust is the answer. Humans rely on communicated information, sometimes even when it contradicts blatantly their firsthand experience. We investigate the early ontogeny of this trust using a non-verbal…

This study examined social-pragmatic inferencing, visual social attention and physiological reactivity to complex social scenes. Participants were autistic young adults (n = 14) and a control group of young adults (n = 14) without intellectual disability. Results indicate between-group differences in social-pragmatic inferencing, moment-level…

Data preparation (also called "wrangling" or "cleaning") -- the evaluation and manipulation of data prior to formal analysis -- is often dismissed as a precursor to meaningful engagement with a dataset. Here, we re-envision data preparation in light of calls to prepare students for a data-rich world. Traditionally, curricular…

This dissertation project explores the potential for using an inferential statistics test (t-tests) within an existing writing program assessment design. The purpose of using inferential statistics is to provide several perspectives on a data set collected using the existing assessment design thereby improving what a writing program administrator…

Recent advancements in testing differential item functioning (DIF) have greatly relaxed restrictions made by the conventional multiple group item response theory (IRT) model with respect to the number of grouping variables and the assumption of predefined DIF-free anchor items. The application of the L[subscript 1] penalty in DIF detection has…

Research Context: In educational research, "context effects" are often of inferential interest to researchers as well as of evaluative interest to policymakers. While student education outcomes likely depend on individual-level influences like individual academic achievement, school contexts may also make a difference. Such questions are…

This article provides an overview of different computational options for inference following normal theory maximum likelihood (ML) estimation in structural equation modeling (SEM) with incomplete normal and nonnormal data. Complete data are covered as a special case. These computational options include whether the information matrix is observed or…