Moderated Mediation Analysis: A Review and Application to School Climate Research

Moderated mediation analysis is a valuable technique for assessing whether an indirect effect is conditional on values of a moderating variable. We review the basis of moderation and mediation and their integration into a combined model of moderated mediation within a regression framework. Thereafter, an analytic and interpretive illustration of the technique is provided in the context of a substantive school climate research question. The illustration is based on a sample of 318 high schools that examines whether school-wide student engagement mediates the association between the prevalence of teasing and bullying (PTB) and academic achievement on a state-mandated reading exam; and whether this indirect effect was moderated by student perceptions of teacher support

Contributions of Children’s Temperament to Teachers’ Judgments of Social Competence from Kindergarten through Second Grade

Research Findings: Children’s social competence has been linked to successful transition to formal school. The purpose of this study was to examine the contributions of children’s temperament to teachers’ ratings of their social competence from kindergarten through 2nd grade. Children (N = 1,364) from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Early Child Care Research Network participated in this study. Mothers rated children’s shyness, attentional focusing, and inhibitory control with the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire at 4½ years, and teachers rated children’s social competence with three subscales (cooperation, assertion, and self-control) of the Social Skills Rating System at kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade. Latent growth curve analysis indicated that both shyness and effortful control contributed to children’s social competence. Bolder children were likely to have higher assertion ratings, and shyer children with greater attentional focusing were likely to have higher assertion ratings. Shyer children and children with greater inhibitory control and attentional focusing were likely to have higher teacher ratings of self-control and cooperation. Practice or Policy: Findings highlight the importance of considering child temperament characteristics when understanding children’s social competence and successful adjustment to kindergarten. Information may help parents, preschool teachers, and early elementary teachers prepare children who may be at particular risk for lower social competence

Reimagining MTMM Designs for Examining Intersectionality in Latent Variables

The present study represents a novel method not yet used in the quantitative intersectionality literature – the CT-C(M-1) model (Eid et al., 2003) – for measuring and understanding the similarities and uniquenesses among intersectional subgroups. Intersectionality is a conceptual framework from which to investigate and remedy the ways in which oppression manifests at the intersections of socio-politico-geo-temporal power structure contexts and individuals’ interwoven experiences of racism, sexism, and other forms of marginalization (Cho et al., 2013). Specifically, we describe and illustrate the usefulness of the CT-C(M-1) model in intersectionality research through estimation of the latent variable structure of two school climate variables (engagement and support) using data from N = 165 schools in which Black non-Hispanic students’ experience is centered as the reference category, and which other race-ethnicity subgroups are compared. Consistent with prior research, our substantive findings indicated that, while a large share of commonality among subgroups was observed, Black Hispanic students experienced school climate differently from the other groups. This analytic tool adds to the growing set of quantitative methods that can aid in advancing the second goal of intersectionality research – intervening in the status quo for true transformational change

Authoritative School Climate and Student Academic Engagement, Grades, and Aspirations in Middle and High Schools

This study tested the theory that an authoritative school climate characterized by disciplinary structure and student support is conducive to positive academic outcomes for middle and high school students. Multilevel multivariate modeling at student and school levels was conducted using school surveys completed by statewide samples of 39,364 students in Grades 7 and 8 in 423 middle schools and 48,027 students in Grades 9 through 12 in 323 high schools. Consistent with authoritative school climate theory, both higher disciplinary structure and student support were associated with higher student engagement in school, higher course grades, and higher educational aspirations at the student level in both samples. At the school level, higher disciplinary structure was associated with higher engagement, and higher student support was associated with higher engagement and grades in both samples. Overall, these findings add new evidence that an authoritative school climate is conducive to student academic success in middle and high schools

A Multitrait–Multimethod Approach to Assessing Childhood Aggression and Related Constructs

Data were collected about 95 fourth-grade and fifth-grade children from three sources (teachers, parents, and children) on four constructs related to aggression (proactive aggression, reactive aggression, callous–unemotional traits, and anger dysregulation) by using a multitrait–multimethod design. Two goals were addressed through a correlated-trait–correlated-method analysis: (a) Investigate the overlap versus distinctiveness of proactive aggression, reactive aggression, callous–unemotional traits, and anger dysregulation by examining the correlations among their trait factors. (b) Investigate the extent to which the informant who assessed children’s aggression was associated with the rating given. Moderate-to-strong trait factor correlations emerged among all pairs of latent trait factors, suggesting at best modest discriminant validity among the constructs. The informant played a significant role for almost all ratings; however, teachers’ ratings were the most strongly linked to method variance, and children’s ratings provided the most convergent validity with other sources. Findings are discussed in terms of enhanced assessment of childhood aggression