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1.
Abstract

Randomized controlled trials are not always feasible in educational research, so researchers must use alternative methods to study treatment effects. Propensity score matching is one such method for observational studies that has shown considerable growth in popularity since it was first introduced in the early 1980s. This paper outlines the concept of propensity scores by explaining their theoretical principles and providing two examples of their usefulness within the realm of educational research. Through worked examples, we highlight the effectiveness of propensity scores as a method for reducing bias and increasing the balance between treatment and comparison groups. To aid in the understanding and future use of propensity scores, we provide R syntax for all our analyses.  相似文献   

2.
ABSTRACT

The influence of living in a disadvantaged neighbourhood on young people’s transitions from education to the labour market has not received much attention in past research. This study examines the extent to which social disorganisation, understood as the level of crime experienced in the neighbourhood, can influence young people’s educational and employment outcomes. It draws on data collected from Next Steps, a longitudinal nationally representative cohort of English young people. Using logistic regression and propensity score matching techniques and controlling for family background, prior educational attainment, ethnicity and gender, victimisation and risk behaviour of the young person, the results suggest that living in a disadvantaged neighbourhood increases the probability of young people experiencing Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) status at ages 16–19. Sensitivity analysis shows that these results are robust to selection bias.  相似文献   

3.
ABSTRACT

This paper examines the association between participating in developmental education and degree attainment within 6 years for adults (age 24 and older) who entered one of 10 Ohio public community or technical colleges for the first time in 2002–2013. Degree attainment is modeled using annual data on course enrollment and completion measures. Results from both a logistic regression (with fixed effects) and propensity score matching provide different estimates of the impact of developmental education on degree attainment. The study identifies a range of intermediate educational characteristics such as credit completion and persistence that are associated with final degree completion. Based on the results of this study, educational institutions that provide adult developmental education need to design specific educational interventions that will address the barriers adult undergraduates face.  相似文献   

4.
ABSTRACT

This paper estimates the relative effectiveness of private and public primary schools in Kenya using data from 4,433 Grade 6 schoolchildren. Using ordinary least squares as a baseline model, we use the proportion of private schools in a district as an instrument in a Heckman two-stage correction framework, as well as propensity score matching models to correct for selection bias. There is a positive private school effect across all models. In the corrected models, we find that private school pupils outperform their public school counterparts by between .24 and .52 standard deviations.  相似文献   

5.
To examine the impact of a hybrid-flipped model utilising active learning techniques, the researchers inverted one section of an undergraduate fluid mechanics course, reduced seat time, and engaged in active learning sessions in the classroom. We compared this model to the traditional section on four performance measures. We employed a propensity score method entailing a two-stage regression analysis that considered eight covariates to address the potential bias of treatment selection. First, we estimated the probability score based on the eight covariates, and second, we used the inverse of the probability score as a regression weight on the performance of learners who did not select into the hybrid course. Results suggest that enrolment in the hybrid-flipped section had a marginally significant negative impact on the total course score and a significant negative impact on homework performance, possibly because of poor video usage by the hybrid-flipped learners. Suggested considerations are also discussed.  相似文献   

6.
Abstract

Educators and policymakers are paying increased attention to the academic outcomes of students in the middle grades (i.e., Grades 6–8). One reform proposed to improve outcomes for these students is to replace middle schools (with Grade 6–8, 7–8, or 7–9 configurations) with K-8 schools. This longitudinal study evaluated the effects of continuously attending a K-8 school, rather than transitioning from an elementary school to a middle school, on Grade 8 reading and mathematics achievement. Drawing on nationally representative data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Kindergarten 1998 cohort (N = 8,237), the study used propensity score stratification to control for observable selection bias. Findings indicated that K-8 schools produce small, significant effects for reading (effect size = 0.15 or approximately 6–8 months of schooling), but nonsignificant effects for mathematics. Results were robust to several alternative specifications, including accounting for nesting of children within schools and using different approaches for propensity score matching. Findings provide conditional support for K-8 schools, highlight the need for cost-effectiveness research on this topic, and raise questions about the specific mechanisms for K-8 schools’ advantages.  相似文献   

7.
The purpose of this study was to illustrate the use of propensity scores for creating comparison groups, partially controlling for pretreatment course selection bias, and estimating the treatment effects of selected courses on the development of moral reasoning in undergraduate students. Specifically, we used a sample of convenience for comparing differences in moral reasoning development scores among students enrolled in intergroup dialogue, service learning, psychology and philosophy courses with those of an introductory sociology course. Adopting a propensity score approach included reviewing the empirical literature for its guidance in substantiating the reasons for including pretreatment variables (i.e., pretreatment course-taking behaviors, race, sex, political identification, need for cognition, major, age, pretreatment moral reasoning scores) in our analysis, measuring these variables, and reducing them into a single composite propensity score for each student in our analytic sample. This score then served as the basis for creating a new comparison group and for allowing us to estimate unbiased (or less biased) course-related treatment effects on moral reasoning development. Implications for higher education researchers are discussed.
Matthew J. Mayhew (Corresponding author)Email:
  相似文献   

8.
Two-year colleges are an important part of the higher education system in the United States but there are concerns as to how attendance at these institutions affects educational attainment and labor market outcomes. This paper uses data from a nationally representative survey to examine the impact of students beginning their college career at a two-year college instead of a four-year college. Treatment effects are estimated using both standard regression techniques as well as propensity score matching. As these estimates may be contaminated because of selection on unobservable characteristics this paper will also employ a number of sensitivity analyses to consider the potential bias. The results show large negative impacts on both educational attainment and labor market outcomes for men and women who begin at a two-year college, even for those students who expect to complete a bachelor's degree. The evidence from the sensitivity analyses suggest that to eliminate these large effects there would need to be substantial, and arguably implausible, selection on unobservable characteristics.  相似文献   

9.
Abstract

Framed by autoethnographic methods, I use Milner’s framework for researching around race and culture to critically analyze my work as a researcher with a group of diverse educational administrators. I identify seen, unseen, and unforeseen dangers that I experienced in my research as a white doctoral student and university professor, and consider how they impact my development as an educational researcher. I conclude with implications for doctoral students as emerging scholars interested in researching race as well as implications for researchers working with elites.  相似文献   

10.
Abstract

Bayesian alternatives to frequentist propensity score approaches have recently been proposed. However, few studies have investigated their covariate balancing properties. This article compares a recently developed two-step Bayesian propensity score approach to the frequentist approach with respect to covariate balance. The effects of different priors on covariate balance are evaluated and the differences between frequentist and Bayesian covariate balance are discussed. Results of the case study reveal that both the Bayesian and frequentist propensity score approaches achieve good covariate balance. The frequentist propensity score approach performs slightly better on covariate balance for stratification and weighting methods, whereas the two-step Bayesian approach offers slightly better covariate balance in the optimal full matching method. Results of a comprehensive simulation study reveal that accuracy and precision of prior information on propensity score model parameters do not greatly influence balance performance. Results of the simulation study also show that overall, the optimal full matching method provides the best covariate balance and treatment effect estimates compared to the stratification and weighting methods. A unique feature of covariate balance within Bayesian propensity score analysis is that we can obtain a distribution of balance indices in addition to the point estimates so that the variation in balance indices can be naturally captured to assist in covariate balance checking.  相似文献   

11.
ABSTRACT

The Advanced Placement (AP) program is an educational program that permits high school students to take introductory college-level courses and receive college credit by passing a standardized end-of-course exam. Data were obtained from a statewide database of 2 high school graduating cohorts (N = 90,044). We used a series of propensity score analyses and marginal mean weighting through stratification to examine the impact of the AP program on students' academic achievement as measured by ACT scores. Results indicate that merely enrolling in an AP course produces very little benefit for students. Students who take and pass the AP exam, however, obtain higher ACT scores, even after controlling for a wide variety of academic, socioeconomic, and demographic variables. The authors conclude the article by discussing aspects of the AP program that remain unanswered.  相似文献   

12.
《牛津教育评论》2013,39(3-4):437-449

In his empirical study of educational research, James Tooley claims to have uncovered 'partisanship' in the 'focus content and argument of educational research'. The purpose of this paper is to suggest that Tooley's study is simply one more manifestation of the failure of many educational researchers to take account of the extensive theoretical and methodological developments that have occurred over the last four decades in the political and social sciences. It is suggested that a debate about partisanship and educational research which took these developments seriously would not be a narrow debate in which researchers with right wing affinities try to score political points against researchers of the left. Instead, it would be a more intellectually rigorous and theoretically informed debate about the complex relationship between educational values and political beliefs on the one hand and research methodologies and practices on the other.  相似文献   

13.
Propensity score matching (PSM) has become a popular approach for research studies when randomization is infeasible. However, there are significant differences in the effectiveness of selection bias reduction among the existing PSM methods and, therefore, it is challenging for researchers to select an appropriate matching method. This current study compares four commonly used PSM methods for reducing selection bias on observational data from which the treatment effects are intended to be assessed. The selection bias, standardized bias and percent bias reduction are evaluated for each of the PSM methods using empirical data drawn from the national Education Longitudinal Study of 2002. The results of the current study provide empirical evidence and helpful information for researchers to select effective PSM methods for their research studies.  相似文献   

14.
Wei Tao  Yi Cao 《教育实用测度》2013,26(2):108-121
ABSTRACT

Current procedures for equating number-correct scores using traditional item response theory (IRT) methods assume local independence. However, when tests are constructed using testlets, one concern is the violation of the local item independence assumption. The testlet response theory (TRT) model is one way to accommodate local item dependence. This study proposes methods to extend IRT true score and observed score equating methods to the dichotomous TRT model. We also examine the impact of local item dependence on equating number-correct scores when a traditional IRT model is applied. Results of the study indicate that when local item dependence is at a low level, using the three-parameter logistic model does not substantially affect number-correct equating. However, when local item dependence is at a moderate or high level, using the three-parameter logistic model generates larger equating bias and standard errors of equating compared to the TRT model. However, observed score equating is more robust to the violation of the local item independence assumption than is true score equating.  相似文献   

15.
Rouse [Rouse, C. E. (1995). Democratization or diversion—the effect of community-colleges on educational-attainment. Journal of Business and Economic Statistics, 13(2), 217–224] finds that enrollment in a community college may divert students from attaining a bachelor's degree. However, this result may be due to selection bias, as the population of community college students should be quite different from those who attend 4-year institutions in terms of both observable and unobservable characteristics. This study uses propensity score matching to non-parametrically balance a data set from the 1996 Beginning Postsecondary Students survey in order to overcome issues associated with selection bias. Results from a Cox proportional hazards model indicate that attendance at a community college lowers the hazard rate for completing a bachelor's degree. The results are consistent with previous studies.  相似文献   

16.
ABSTRACT

Increased access to algebra was a focal point of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel's 2008 report on improving mathematics learning in the United States. Past research found positive effects for early access to algebra, but the focus on average effects may mask important variation across student subgroups. The author addresses whether these positive effects hold up when the analysis is expanded to examine effect heterogeneity. Using a nationally representative sample of eighth-grade students in 1988, the author examined sensitivity of findings to methods for selection bias adjustment, heterogeneity across the propensity to take algebra in Grade 8, and across schools. The findings support past research regarding positive benefits to Grade 8 algebra and are consistent with policies that increase access to algebra in middle school.  相似文献   

17.
Many researchers assessing the efficacy of educational programs face challenges due to issues with non-randomization and the likelihood of dependence between nested subjects. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate a rigorous research methodology using a hierarchical propensity score matching method that can be utilized in contexts where randomization is not feasible and dependence between subjects is a concern. Although propensity score matching is not new in helping to create quasi-experimental models, many studies limit propensity score matching to student-level variables. To address this limitation in educational research, this study extends propensity score matching to the next level so that hierarchical modeling techniques can be used to help minimize error due to the likelihood of dependence between nested students. A large-scale educational program that targets first-semester freshmen was used to illustrate the utility and value of the methodology. This type of program is typical in higher education where student self-selection creates difficulty in assessing its true effects on student achievement; however, by using a rigorous methodology, administrators can have higher confidence when making programmatic and budgetary decisions.  相似文献   

18.
This Monte Carlo simulation study compares methods to estimate the effects of programs with multiple versions when assignment of individuals to program version is not random. These methods use generalized propensity scores, which are predicted probabilities of receiving a particular level of the treatment conditional on covariates, to remove selection bias. The results indicate that inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) removes the most bias, followed by optimal full matching (OFM), and marginal mean weighting through stratification (MMWTS). The study also compared standard error estimation with Taylor series linearization, bootstrapping and the jackknife across propensity score methods. With IPTW, these standard error estimation methods performed adequately, but standard errors estimates were biased in most conditions with OFM and MMWTS.  相似文献   

19.
Abstract

Grade retention, the practice of requiring a student to remain in the same grade the following year, disproportionately affects students with sociodemographic risk and facing academic challenges. Each year, the United States spends $20 billion on retention and two million children are retained. Extant studies examining early elementary grade retention generally focus on short-term effects and academic outcomes; little is known about long-term effects on academic and psychosocial outcomes in the middle grades. The current study uses propensity score methods and a national data set to estimate the effect of first- or second-grade retention on academic achievement and psychosocial outcomes six or seven years later. By comparing students who were retained to students who were similar on observed characteristics but otherwise promoted, we generate causal estimates that show a statistically significant negative effect of retention on reading achievement. Significant and robust effects were not consistently detected for other academic or psychosocial outcomes. As grade retention is a widely used educational intervention, implications for its effectiveness from a policy and practice perspective are discussed.  相似文献   

20.
Abstract

Despite the overwhelming focus on the overall average treatment effect in the methodological and statistical literature, in many cases the efficacy of an educational program or intervention might vary based on unit background characteristics. The identification of subgroups for which an educational intervention is particularly effective or, on the other hand, has no effect or is possibly harmful, may have important practical implications, especially in terms of allocation of resources. We propose a five-step approach using propensity score matching and regression trees to identify subgroups with heterogeneous treatment effects in observational studies. Results of two Monte Carlo simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed approach can accurately identify heterogeneous subgroups while maintaining Type I error rate. In a case study with Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten cohort data, we find that the effect of exposure to special education services on fifth-grade mathematics achievement varies based on kindergarten mathematics achievement and student gender.  相似文献   

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