Three Approaches to Handling Dependence in Meta-Analysis of Writing Self-Efficacy and Writing Proficiency

• In Event: Advanced Methods in Meta-Analysis: Handling Missing Covariates and Dependence

Abstract

This study compares three approaches (i.e., averaging within-study effect sizes, three-level meta-analysis, and robust variance estimation) to handling the dependence in conducting a meta-analysis. Data are from a meta-analytic study examining the relationship between writing self-efficacy and writing proficiency. Seven conditions are created to examine the differences in the performance of the three methods by the number of studies and the number of effect sizes per study. The study found while the three methods produced similar results in the average effect size and standard error estimates, the averaging method had much smaller variance estimates. The patterns were basically consistent across different conditions. This study informs meta-analysts of appropriate procedures in handling the dependent effect sizes.

Authors

• Ting Sun, Northwestern University

• Chuang Wang, University of Macau

• Richard G. Lambert, University of North Carolina - Charlotte