Well-chosen covariates boost the design sensitivity of individually and cluster-randomized trials. We provide guidance on covariate selection generating an extensive compilation of single- and multilevel design parameters on student achievement. Embedded in psychometric heuristics, we analyzed (a) covariate "types" of varying…

Mortality disparities among persons with intellectual disability are important to guide health-care practices. The objective was to evaluate mortality patterns of persons with intellectual disability in a nationwide study from 1976 to 2020. This study establishes a Danish nationwide cohort of persons with intellectual disability and age- and…

Causal asymmetry is a situation where the causal factors under study are more suitable for explaining the outcome than its absence (or vice versa); they do not explain both equally well. In such a situation, presence of a cause leads to presence of the effect, but absence of the cause may not lead to absence of the effect. A conceptual discussion…

Economic efficiency demands accurate assessment of individual ability for selection purposes. This study investigates Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT) for estimating true ability and ranking individuals. Two Monte Carlo simulations and real data analyses were conducted. Results suggest a slight advantage for IRT, but…

The definition of what constitutes a conflict, in terms of both time and events, has been consistently debated in the historical study of social phenomena. What has become increasingly clear, however, is that the methods used to define it are generally biased as they are highly dependent on the perceptions of the researchers who establish them.…

This article examines how rigour is achieved in the Abductive Research Strategy (ARS). It begins with a review of some of the arguments about objectivity and rigour in social sciences, which shows that quantitative and qualitative researchers hold different meanings of objectivity and therefore different ways of achieving rigour in their research.…

Careless responding is a bias in survey responses that disregards the actual item content, constituting a threat to the factor structure, reliability, and validity of psychological measurements. Different approaches have been proposed to detect aberrant responses such as probing questions that directly assess test-taking behavior (e.g., bogus…

This article reviews the methodologies used in 76 empirical studies conducted on creative thinking in primary school education and published between 2011 and 2021. The studies were analysed for their context, foci of investigation and the methodologies used. Each study was coded and analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings are…

In this study, technology-enhanced statistical problem-solving tasks designed by pre-service teachers (PTs) were examined. The PTs designed 28 tasks. The designed tasks were analyzed within the context of the Considerations for Design and Implementation of Statistics Tasks (C-DIST) components. It was revealed that the tasks were mostly designed…

Universitas Terbuka is a public university in Indonesia that implements an open-distance education system. The quality and success of higher education in Indonesia are indicated by the gross enrolment rate (GER). Modelling student retention is one indicator of the value of the GER. The chances of distance learners' retention in a certain period…

Background: In Malaysia, the mortality from melioidosis infection was reported to be higher than in other infectious diseases. The research on melioidosis is still limited in Malaysia but slightly increasing. Objectives: The objective of the study was to give an overview of the study designs, statistical methods, and comparison of research in…

This study elaborates on the pivotal roles of mathematical and statistical models in data-driven predictions in an integrated STEM context using the case of Year 4 students: (?) "a descriptive means" to describe the features of trends and variability of data and (?) "an explanatory means" to explain causal relationships behind…

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, an abrupt wave of digitisation and online migration swept the higher education institutions around the globe. In the aftermath of this digital transformation which endures as the legacy of the pandemic, what lacks in knowledge is how effective the anti-COVID measures were in maintaining quality education.…

Barry Kissane describes a statistical modelling activity using a graphics calculator. Senior secondary students can explore Bureau of Meteorology data to determine whether the number of years with record breaking temperatures are more than expected--a sort of global warming null hypothesis.

Brazil's education system lags behind international standards, with two-fifths of students scoring below the minimum level of proficiency in mathematics, science, and reading. Thus, this study combined machine learning with traditional statistics to identify the most important predictors and to interpret their effects on proficiency in the PISA…