Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis: Locating the Invariant Referent Sets

Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MCFA) is a popular method for the examination of measurement invariance and specifically, factor invariance. Recent research has begun to focus on using MCFA to detect invariance for test items. MCFA requires certain parameters (e.g., factor loadings) to be constrained for model identification, which are assumed to be invariant across groups, and act as referent variables. When this invariance assumption is violated, location of the parameters that actually differ across groups becomes difficult. The factor ratio test and the stepwise partitioning procedure in combination have been suggested as methods to locate invariant referents, and appear to perform favorably with real data examples. However, the procedures have not been evaluated through simulations where the extent and magnitude of a lack of invariance is known. This simulation study examines these methods in terms of accuracy (i.e., true positive and false positive rates) of identifying invariant referent variables.     

Effects of sample size and nonnormality on the estimation of mediated effects in latent variable models

A Monte Carlo approach was used to examine bias in the estimation of indirect effects and their associated standard errors. In the simulation design, (a) sample size, (b) the level of nonnormality characterizing the data, (c) the population values of the model parameters, and (d) the type of estimator were systematically varied. Estimates of model parameters were generally unaffected by either nonnormality or small sample size. Under severely nonnormal conditions, normal theory maximum likelihood estimates of the standard error of the mediated effect exhibited less bias (approximately 10% to 20% too small) compared to the standard errors of the structural regression coefficients (20% to 45% too small). Asymptotically distribution free standard errors of both the mediated effect and the structural parameters were substantially affected by sample size, but not nonnormality. Robust standard errors consistently yielded the most accurate estimates of sampling variability.     

Avoiding and Correcting Bias in Score-Based Latent Variable Regression With Discrete Manifest Items

This article considers models involving a single structural equation with latent explanatory and/or latent dependent variables where discrete items are used to measure the latent variables. Our primary focus is the use of scores as proxies for the latent variables and carrying out ordinary least squares (OLS) regression on such scores to estimate parameters in the structural equation. We are concerned with the bias in these OLS estimates; we present two approaches to deal with this bias. Extending the work of Skrondal and Laake (2001) Skrondal, A. and Laake, P. 2001. Regression among factor scores. Psychometrika, 66: 563–576. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar] on continuous items, we derive sufficient conditions under which the use of scores based on item response theory leads to unbiased OLS estimates at the population level; we deem this approach “bias avoiding.” We also consider Croon's (2002) Croon, M. 2002. “Using predicted latent scores in general latent structure models”. In Latent variable and latent structure models, Edited by: Marcoulides, G. A. and Moustaki, I. 195–223. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.  [Google Scholar] bias correction methodology for continuous items and explore its efficacy on discrete items; we deem this approach “bias correcting.” We illustrate the performance of the 2 approaches through numerical examples of large simulated data sets.     

Integrating direct and inquiry-based instruction in the teaching of critical thinking: an intervention study

Critical thinking is a unifying goal of modern education. While past research has mostly examined the efficacy of a single instructional approach to teaching critical thinking, recent literature has begun discussing mixed teaching approaches. The present study examines three modes of instruction, featuring the direct instruction approach and the inquiry-based approach in different sequences and proportions, in enhancing Chinese secondary student’s critical thinking performance. A total of 651 Grade 12 students participated in an 18-hour intervention with pre- and post-intervention measures on critical thinking performance and critical thinking dispositions. Specifically, critical thinking assessments utilizing different response format were used. Those who received training showed greater improvement on at least one of the critical thinking assessments compared to those who received no training. Participants’ performances with regards to different critical thinking assessments are discussed. Benefits of adopting more than one instructional approach to teaching critical thinking are highlighted.     

UTILITY OF THE STANFORD–BINET INTELLIGENCE SCALES,FIFTH EDITION,WITH ETHNICALLY DIVERSE PRESCHOOLERS

Current research on the use of revisions of intelligence measures with ethnically diverse populations and younger children is limited. The present study investigated the utility of the Stanford–Binet Intelligence Scales, Fifth Edition (SB5), with an ethnically diverse preschool sample. African American and Caucasian preschoolers, matched on age, gender, and parental education, were found to have similar patterns of high and low scores on both the composites and all subtests of the SB5. The present study also found that African American and Caucasian preschool children did not differ on overall cognitive ability as measured by the SB5 Full Scale IQ. Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed.     

Negotiating knowledges abroad: non-Western students and the global mobility of knowledge

Taking the Institute for Housing Studies in Rotterdam as a case study, this paper aims to theorise the ways non-Western, international students construct and negotiate knowledges in Western institutions of higher education. It describes the types of knowledges these students identify as characteristic of their learning abroad, distinguishing between the curriculum, knowledge of cultural Others and ‘critical thinking’, and the strategies of incorporation, avoidance and resistance with which students negotiate these knowledges. These knowledges, if contested, are then theorised to facilitate these students’ entry into, and mobility within, globally dispersed epistemic communities.     

A Teaching–Learning Sequence for the Special Relativity Theory at High School Level Historically and Epistemologically Contextualized

This paper discusses some topics that stem from recent contributions made by the History, the Philosophy, and the Didactics of Science. We consider these topics relevant to the introduction of the Special Relativity Theory (SRT) in high school within a contextualized approach. We offer an outline of a teaching?Clearning sequence dealing with the SRT within this frame of reference. Such a sequence was tried out on a group of high school students in Argentina. The results obtained seem to indicate that the proposal has been effective as regards the motivational aspects and the understanding students gained of some of its concepts.     

Performance of the Grade of Membership Model Under a Variety of Sample Sizes,Group Size Ratios,and Differential Group Response Probabilities for Dichotomous Indicators

Social scientists are frequently interested in identifying latent subgroups within the population, based on a set of observed variables. One of the more common tools for this purpose is latent class analysis (LCA), which models a scenario involving k finite and mutually exclusive classes within the population. An alternative approach to this problem is presented by the grade of membership (GoM) model, in which individuals are assumed to have partial membership in multiple population subgroups. In this respect, it differs from the hard groupings associated with LCA. The current Monte Carlo simulation study extended on prior work on the GoM by investigating its ability to recover underlying subgroups in the population for a variety of sample sizes, latent group size ratios, and differing group response profiles. In addition, this study compared the performance of GoM with that of LCA. Results demonstrated that when the underlying process conforms to the GoM model form, the GoM approach yielded more accurate classification results than did LCA. In addition, it was found that the GoM modeling paradigm yielded accurate results for samples as small as 200, even when latent subgroups were very unequal in size. Implications for practice were discussed.     

Addressing institutional potential loss of records and knowledge in Africa: The case of the ECA institutional repository – A knowledge base on African socio-economic development

In its 50 years of existence, the United Nations Economic Commission of Africa (UNECA) has created and holds a vast quantity of information and knowledge in a variety of formats, including printed and electronic. These represent the corporate memory, providing historical evidence of its actions and decisions. The information resources include published materials such as flagship publications, journal articles, conference proceedings, technical reports, mission reports, annual reports, working papers, policy briefs, speeches and other grey literature, all which outline important research or decisions that have been made on the economic and social development in Africa. In 2009 the Library was awarded seed funding to implement the ECA Institutional Repository (IR). This paper discusses the various activities that have been undertaken to realize the project including; highly customized Dspace installation to support the MARC21 metadata, digitization, migration of metadata from the Library Integrated Management System (HORIZON) and, customization of the Dspace workflow to enable review of imported records. The paper also highlights lessons learnt, challenges and some of the best practices developed throughout the implementation and roll out of the ECA IR project. The Institutional Repository at http://repository.uneca.org/ is the first of its kind within the United Nations Secretariat and offers unique knowledge and information not available elsewhere pertaining to regional programmes, decisions and resolutions promoting social and economic development of Africa.