Research & Evaluation Methods | CYFS | Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools

Watch second Methodology Application presentation

In the second presentation of the Methodology Applications Series, research assistant professor Michelle Howell Smith discusses “Developing Better Questionnaires and Measures: Initial Considerations and Construct Operationalization.”

This presentation is the first of a three-part series integrating practical strategies and best practices in questionnaire and measurement development from the fields of psychometrics, survey research and educational psychology. Howell Smith shares strategies for developing internal consistency among concepts, constructs, indicators and items, to obtain meaningful results. Full Article

MAP Academy hosts Kline methodology workshop

Rex Kline methodology — Methodologist Rex Kline presents “New Developments in Structural Equation Modeling” at the Nov. 10 workshop. The presentation was the first in the Nebraska Methodology Workshop series, hosted by the MAP Academy.

The Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics and Psychometrics continues its mission to promote inter-disciplinary research with the Nebraska Methodology Workshop series. Students, faculty and community members gathered Nov. 10 at the Nebraska Innovation Campus for the first workshop by methodologist Rex Kline. Full Article

Postdoc Hawley recognized for research on teacher assessment

Leslie Hawley, a postdoctoral trainee with the CYFS Statistics and Research Methodology Unit, will receive a University of Nebraska-Lincoln research award that recognizes her dissertation’s potential to improve the evaluation of K-12 teachers.

UNL’s Phi Delta Kappa Chapter recently announced Hawley as the recipient of its Dr. Ron Joekel Research Award, which honors outstanding education-focused research conducted by a UNL graduate student. Hawley, who completed her doctorate from UNL’s Qualitative, Quantitative and Psychometric Methods program in December 2012, will receive the $1,500 award at a fall meeting of the PDK Chapter. Full Article

CYFS statisticians Bovaird, Koziol write handbook chapter

Two members of the CYFS Statistics and Research Methodology Unit have contributed a chapter to the recently published “Handbook of Structural Equation Modeling.”

James Bovaird, director of the SRM Unit, and Natalie Koziol, doctoral student affiliate in educational psychology and statistics, addressed advanced applications of the increasingly prevalent structural equation modeling technique. Their chapter outlines the modeling of ordinal data associated with latent variables, which are not directly observable but can be estimated from the values of other related variables. Full Article

CYFS postdoc Ryoo receives university award

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln recently presented the 2011 Outstanding Postdoc Award to Ji Hoon Ryoo, a postdoctoral research associate with the CYFS-housed National Center for Research on Rural Education (R²Ed).

The award recognizes exceptional postdoctoral scholars for their comprehensive efforts in research, teaching, mentoring, innovation and service to UNL or the community. Ryoo received the honor during the Nov. 2 UNL Research Fair. He was nominated by mentor James Bovaird, director of the CYFS Statistics and Research Methodology Unit and associate professor with UNL’s Department of Educational Psychology. Full Article