Data is critical, but data has not always lead to success. If data is not communicated clearly, the results can be disastrous. Design lets us communicate data so it can be understood. Dr. Rankin believes that "when we're fluent in visualizing our ideas, we can communicate them across global boundaries, across spoken language barriers, and…

Exploratory Factor analysis is a research tool that can be used to make sense of multiple variables which are thought to be related. This can be particularly useful when a qualitative methodology may be the more appropriate method for collecting data or measures, but quantitative analysis enables better reporting. This case first gives a brief…

Data in the social sciences often do not conform to what a researcher would like in order to have an unproblematic analysis using some form of linear regression. Especially, when data reflect counts, a number of potential problems arise. This case study discusses challenges that occurred when applying the models and examines the results. Finally,…

This case study presents an example of using a generalized linear model with a log-linear link to calculate an adjusted risk ratio to be able to assess the association between educational attainment and obesity in a cohort study of American adults. Both risk ratios and odds ratios can be calculated based on cohort study data, and risk ratios are…

This case study describes a program of research that developed a new measure--the Adaptability Scale--and then tested this new measure through a set of substantive research questions and publications. Three phases of this research program are detailed: a measurement phase, a modeling phase, and a mediation phase. The aim of this case study is to…

This case study shares the research process of one upper level undergraduate research methods course for Communication Studies and Public Relations students at a mid-sized public college in the Northeastern United States. As a way to demonstrate both quantitative and qualitative research, students worked on survey design for three different…

This research project case study describes the research practicalities and design of a mixed methods dissertation study about the language-learning motivation of students who had attended a language immersion school. Mixed methods research, an approach to research in which elements of both quantitative (numbers-focused) and qualitative…

This presentation summarizes a pilot study conducted after the May 2011 administration of the AP Environmental Science Exam. The study used analytical methods based on scaled anchoring as input to a Performance Level Descriptor validation process that solicited systematic input from subject matter experts.

This is a keynote presentation given at AERA on developing a validity agenda for growth models in a large scale (e.g., state) setting. The emphasis of this presentation was to indicate that growth models and the validity agenda designed to provide evidence in supporting the claims to be made need to be personalized to meet the local or…

Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) in April 2009. Compares results of different approaches to propensity-score matching with hierarchical data.

There is substantial variability in the degree to which the SAT and high school grade point average (HSGPA) predict first-year college performance at different institutions. This paper demonstrates the usefulness of multilevel modeling as a tool to uncover institutional characteristics that are associated with this variability. In a model that…

Presented at the 23rd Annual Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) Conference in Atlanta, GA, in September 2011. Admitted Class Evaluation Service (ACES) is the College Board's free online service that predicts how admitted students will perform at a college or university generally, and how successful students will be in specific…

Presented at the College Board National Forum in Washington, D.C., October 2010. This presentation examines the recent national validity evidence that supports the use of SAT Writing in college admissions and English placement. Additionally it includes information on the College Board's free online Admitted Class Evaluation Service (ACES) system,…

[Slides] presented at AERA in Denver, CO in April 2010. In today's education climate, an enormous amount of pressure has been placed on states, school districts, and programs to produce graduates who are prepared to successfully enter, persist through, and graduate from the nation's universities and colleges. However, much of this research has…

Presented at the national conference for AERA (American Educational Research Association) in April 2009. The large variability of SAT taker population across states makes state-by-state comparisons of the SAT scores challenging. Using a mixture modeling approach, therefore, the current study presents a method of identifying subpopulations in terms…