In multilevel modeling, group-level variables (L2) for assessing contextual effects are frequently generated by aggregating variables from a lower level (L1). A major problem of contextual analyses in the social sciences is that there is no error-free measurement of constructs. In the present article, 2 types of error occurring in multilevel data…

As emphasized in the call for papers by Jonna Kulikowich and Gregory Hancock, the primary goal of this special issue of "Contemporary Educational Psychology" is to assemble a collection of illustrative empirical studies in educational psychology that utilize one or more state-of-the-art latent variable modeling procedures. Distinguishing these…

Peer review is valued in higher education, but also widely criticized in terms of potential biases, particularly gender. We evaluate gender differences in peer reviews of grant applications, extending Bornmann, Mutz, and Daniel's meta-analyses that reported small gender differences in favor of men (d = 0.04), but a substantial heterogeneity in…

Items from two North American instruments, designed to measure students' evaluation of teaching effectiveness, were administered to university students in different countries. Most of the items were judged by the students to be appropriate and important. Statistical analysis showed strong support for both the convergent and divergent validity of…

Self-concept scales from the Australian Self Description Questionnaire II (SDQII) were included in the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88). Mean differences based on 17,544 U.S. responses and the Australian normative sample were small. Results support construct validity of SDQII responses in NELS:88 data. (SLD)

This investigation examines empirical support for the internal/external (I/E) frame of reference model which describes the relationships between verbal and math self-concepts, and between these academic self-concepts and verbal and math achievement. The empirical tests are based on all studies (n=6,010; ages 7 to 35 years) that have employed any…

Using a fifth-grade sample, the revised Self Description Questionnaire was investigated. Confirmatory factor analysis showed the factor structure invariant across the respondants' gender. Sex difference in self-concept areas and academic achievement were explored. A new internal/external frame of reference model was proposed. (Author/BS)

The purpose of the present investigation is to study the hierarchical structure of academic self-concept. The original Shavelson model posited specific facets of academic self-concept to define a single higher-order facet, but Marsh and Shavelson (1985) found the hierarchical structure to be more complicated. In a revised model they proposed that…