Browsing by Subject "HLM"
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Item Engagement in Reading and Access to Print: The Relationship of Home and School to Overall Reading Achievement Among Fourth Grade English Speakers(2013-04-05) Allaith, Zainab A.The present study puts forward two models which examine the relationship between at home at school variables of (1) engagement in shared and independent reading and (2) access to print with reading achievement. Participants were fourth grade English speakers from Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia), New Zealand, England, and USA. Data from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) questionnaires and reading achievement test were used to design the two models, and Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to analyze the data where students (Level-1) were nested within classrooms (Level-2). The results of the Engagement in Reading Model demonstrate that activities of shared reading at home and at school did not statistically significantly relate or related negatively with reading achievement. Parents helping their children with school readings emerged as the strongest negative predictor of reading achievement in the entire model. However, the relationship between how often participants talked with their families about what they read on their own and reading achievement was positive. Additionally, independent reading at school, reading for fun at home, and reading printed material (books and magazines) at home predicated reading achievement positively; reading for homework did not predict reading achievement; and reading for information and reading on the internet at home predicted reading achievement negatively. The results of the Access to Print Model demonstrate that while access to books and other reading material at home related positively with reading achievement, access to books and other reading material at school did not overall relate to students? reading achievement. Additionally, access to the library, generally, did not relate to reading achievement; and when statistical significance was found it was not replicated in all or even most of the countries. Based on the results of the present study, it is recommended that fourth graders be given ample opportunities to read books of their own choosing independently at school, and to develop students? habits and motivation to read for leisure during their free after school time. Additionally, children should be provided with ample access to reading material at home which is geared towards their interests.Item Fertility patterns among the minority populations of China: A multilevel analysis(Texas A&M University, 2004-11-15) Chang, Chiung-FangSociological and demographic analyses of minority fertility in the United States have suggested that the processes of socioeconomic, cultural, marital, and structural assimilation will lead to convergence in fertility. So far, little research has used the assimilation approach to study the fertility of the minority populations of China, and also, no research has taken both individual-level and group-level characteristics as predictors. Using micro-data from the One Percent 1990 Census of China, this dissertation performs multilevel analyses, hierarchical generalized linear modeling, to examine the effects of assimilation and the one-child policy at both the individual level and the group level on minority women's fertility. Several patterns are found in the multilevel analyses. First, the contextual characteristics of minority groups have strong correlations with fertility across thirty major minority groups in China. It suggests that community power and subculture have strong influences on women's decisions regarding their number of children. Second, the effect of the one-child policy is positive and highly significant on minority women's fertility. However, the strong policy effect does not cover the effect of assimilation. After controlling for policy, the impact of all the assimilation predictors, at both the individual and group level, still remains statistically significant. At the individual level, minority women's educational level, occupational status, status of intermarriage, and migration status have significant and positive impacts on their fertility. At the group level, the levels of minority groups' residential segregation, educational segregation, illiteracy, intermarriage rate, and their Moslem group culture have significant and negative impacts on individual women's fertility. Third, several cross-level interactions in the rural models are not consistent with the complete models, which suggests that some indirect effects of assimilation on minority fertility may come from the urban minorities. Finally, in addition to the direct impacts of socioeconomic, marital, and cultural assimilation on minority fertility, several cross-level interactions are significant and indirectly affect women's fertility. Findings reported in this dissertation indicate a successful integration of individual and contextual variables in analyses of minority fertility. The results contribute to the understanding of the assimilation impacts on minority fertility in China.Item The impact of weights’ specifications with the multiple membership random effects model(2015-05) Galindo, Jennifer Lynn; Beretvas, Susan Natasha; Whittaker, Tiffany; Pituch, Keenan; Dodd, Barbara; Hersh, MatthewThe purpose of the simulation was to assess the impact of weight pattern assignment when using the multiple membership random effects model (MMREM). In contrast with most previous methodological research using the MMREM, mobility was not randomly assigned; rather the likelihood of student mobility was generated as a function of the student predictor. Two true weights patterns were used to generate the data (random equal and random unequal). For each set of generated data, the true correct weights and two incorrect fixed weight patterns (fixed equal and fixed unequal) that are similar to those used in practice by applied researchers were used to estimate the model. Several design factors were manipulated including the percent mobility, the ICC, and the true generating values of the level one and level two mobility predictors. To assess parameter recovery, relative parameter bias was calculated for the fixed effects and random effects variance components. Standard error (SE) bias was also calculated for the standard errors estimated for each fixed effect. Substantial relative parameter bias differences between weight patterns used were observed for the level two school mobility predictor across conditions as well as the level two random effects variance component, in some conditions. Substantial SE bias differences between weight patterns used were also found for the school mobility predictor in some conditions. Substantial SE and parameter bias was found for some parameters for which it was not anticipated. The results, discussion, future directions for research, and implications for applied researchers are discussed.Item Resource portfolio management: bundling process(2009-05-15) Worthington, William JohnManagers within firms seek to align their portfolio of capabilities to best respond to their competitive environment. Processes used by firms to acquire resources, bundle those resources into capabilities, and then leverage those capabilities to obtain competitive advantage are of interest to scholars and practitioners alike. In this study I explore the bundling process and how firms create advantage from its use in different environmental conditions. Using policy capturing survey techniques analyzed with hierarchial linear modeling while manipulating environmental contexts of dynamism, munificence, and punctuated threats, I observe how firms vary their resource bundling processes to create advantage and improve performance. For each combination of environmental condition, hypotheses are presented and tested with respect to firm response. Due to a lack of differentiation between the three bundling sub-processes, several proposed hypotheses were not testable and thus, unsupported. Current theory details three bundling sub-processes; however, I demonstrate evidence that fewer or greater numbers of sub-processes may be required to capture the bundling process. Other evidence suggests that firms do alter bundling sub-processes in response to changing conditions of munificence, but fail to do so during punctuated events.Item A self-determination perspective on students’ differentiated experiences of academic motivation and course well-being across courses(2010-05) Kim, Hyunjin, 1974 Jan. 10-; Schallert, Diane L.; Svinicki, Marilla D.; Weinstein, Claire E.; Beretvas, S. Natasha; Lewis, Karron G.For many years, researchers and educators have been concerned about achievement scores but seemed less interested in students’ happiness and psychological well-being at school. However, students’ psychological well-being experiences may facilitate students’ adjustment and ultimately lead to academic achievement. It can be assumed that students’ different motivational and well-being experiences in each course would contribute to students’ overall psychological well-being. The purpose of this study was to investigate how and why students experience different levels and kinds of motivation and well-being across courses. As the preliminary and important ground to allow me to address this purpose, I needed to establish first whether students experienced different levels of academic motivation and course well-being across the courses they were taking. A total of 505 students participated in this study and provided information about 1817 courses they were taking. The participants come from a subject pool of one department that attracted students from diverse majors. Multilevel modeling was used to explore different situational (Level 1) and personal experiences (Level 2) of motivation and course well-being across courses and across students. The unconditional model showed variability of perceptions at Levels 1 and 2 indicating that students did vary in their reports across courses and that nevertheless, there were individual differences across students in their aggregate experiences. The conditional model was used to test what course characteristics were associated with motivational and well-being indicators at the situational level. Course characteristics were taken from different constructs: course value, classroom structure, teacher characteristics, classroom goal structure, and a caring classroom climate. Predictors at the personal level included students’ sex and their perceptions of general needs for relatedness, general relatedness need fulfillment in everyday life, and personal growth. Having supported the preliminary hypothesis with the unconditional model that there was variance both within student and between students, I used the conditional model and found that various course characteristics were differently associated with academic motivation and course well-being. Overall, results addressed that teacher characteristics and a caring classroom climate were strongly associated with all the different kinds of motivational and course well-being indicators. Students’ personal characteristics were, also, differently related to these outcomes.Item The incidence of death among low-risk populations: a multi-level analysis(Texas A&M University, 2007-09-17) Lewinski, Christi NicoleThis study utilized a multi-level model to examine the impact of religion as an occupation on mortality. Death certificate data were used to examine clergy mortality and compares them to census categorized professionals, counseling professionals and unmarried clergy. Individuals mortality exist in, and is influenced by the state they resided and died in. Because of this, they are not only examined on the individual level, they are also nested in their respective state of death. A series of hierarchical linear models were estimated in order to determine the effects of the different influence levels (individual and state). Findings suggest that clergy have a significant life advantage over professionals and counseling professionals. Married clergy have significant years of life disadvantage when compared to unmarried clergy. Implications of this research are discussed and considerations for future research are presented.