Douglas, Roussos, and Stout introduced the concept of differential bundle functioning (DBF) for identifying the underlying causes of differential item functioning (DIF). In this study, reference group was simulated to have higher mean ability than the focal group on a nuisance dimension, resulting in DIF for each of the multidimensional items that, when examined together, produced DBF. The empirical power and the Type I error of the Simultaneous Item Bias Test for DBF analysis were examined under various sample sizes, ratios of reference to focal group sizes, correlations between target and nuisance dimensions, magnitudes of DIF/ DBF, test lengths, percentages of test items in the bundle, and item discriminations. Power was generally high in cells with larger DIF magnitudes, higher percentages of items in the bundle, larger sample sizes, and with the nuisance dimension having a higher discrimination than the target dimension. Type I error rates approximated the nominal alpha rate for all conditions.
Previous studies have shown the impact of parental involvement on a number of student achievement, motivation, and engagement outcomes, but the extent to which parental involvement influences high school completion and postsecondary attendance has received less attention in the literature. Filling that gap, this study replicates and extends previous research (Fan & Williams, 2010) by examining the influence of various dimensions of parental involvement on high school completion and postsecondary attendance (with particular interest in dropouts who later earned GEDs and went on to college). Results show that parents’ educational expectations for their children play a significant role in whether students from all backgrounds persist toward completion of high school and whether they attend a postsecondary institution. This study also finds parent participation in school functions to be a significant positive predictor of both high school completion and postsecondary enrollment, while communication between parent and school about children’s school problems is negatively associated with both outcomes. The implications for expanding developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive policies for family and school engagement are discussed.
In item response theory (IRT) simulation research, it is often necessary to use one software package for data generation and a second software package to conduct the IRT analysis. Because this can substantially slow down the simulation process, it is sometimes offered as a justification for using very few replications. This article provides researchers with simple Disk Operating System code that can be used through SAS to automate the process of data generation, analysis, and organization. By using these techniques, IRT simulation researchers can use a robust enough number of replications to be better able to generalize their findings.
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