PD24-12: Introduction to the Design and Analysis of Studies With Partially Nested Structures

Session Type: Professional Development Course

Abstract

he purpose of this workshop is to introduce and train researchers and evaluators on the design and analysis of partially nested structures probing main, mediation, and moderation effects. Partially nested structures arise when the treatment and control conditions maintain different multilevel or hierarchical structures or forms of nesting. In many intervention studies, for instance, the treatment condition induces a form of nesting or clustering that does not naturally exist in the control condition (e.g., attending summer school introduces dependence or nesting among students in the same summer school classroom whereas students who do not participate in summer school remain unclustered). The workshop focuses on the conceptual logic and mechanics of partially nested studies and train participants in how to design, analyze and leverage partially nested studies to detect main, mediation, and moderation effects. Analyses and example code will be demonstrated in the statistical software R and in simple to use Shiny Apps. The workshop will combine lecture with hands-on practice with the free software programs. The target audience includes researchers and evaluators interested in learning about the flexibility of partially nested designs and those interested in planning and analyzing them to detect different types of effects. Participants should bring a laptop to the session.

Sub Unit

• Professional Development and Training Committee

Director

• Benjamin Kelcey, University of Cincinnati

Instructor

• Kyle T. Cox, University of North Carolina - Charlotte