Name: Laura Stapleton, Ph.D.

Education: Ph.D. 2001 University of Maryland, College Park

Area: Measurement, Statistics and Evaluation

Office: MP325 x 410-455-3704
Lab: (to be assigned)
Email:lstaplet@umbc.edu

Research Interests

My current interest is in the collection and statistical modeling of survey data. Often in program evaluation and research (correlational and experimental), surveys or questionnaires are used to collect data about a person's feelings, knowledge, or behaviors. My line of research examines both questionnaire item development (how do we know if the person is answering the way we think they should?) and the problems in using traditional statistical analysis when the respondents to the survey are not the product of a simple random sampling procedure. My research is both methodological and applied in nature. A typical methodological study may involve simulating data with certain known properties and then examining how well the sampling and subsequent statistical modeling procedure captures the known properties. Another type of methodological study would be to construct questionnaire items that attempt to capture the same construct, but are worded or formatted differently. These items would then be administered to a large sample of respondents to determine whether differences in response were noted or the items would be discussed in focus groups to understand perceived differences in the items.

Selected Publications

Stapleton, L. M., & Thomas, S. L. (expected Spring 2006). Sources and issues in the use of national datasets for pedagogy and research. In O'Connell, A., & McCoach, B. (Eds). Multilevel Analysis of Educational Data. Information Age Publishing.

Stapleton, L. M. (expected Spring 2006). Analyzing data from complex surveys. In Hox, J., de Leeuw, E., & Dillman, D (Eds). International Handbook of Survey Methodology. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Pituch, K. A., Stapleton, L. M., & Kang, J.-Y. (in press). A comparison of single sample and bootstrap methods to assess mediation in cluster randomized trials. Multivariate Behavioral Research.

Stapleton, L. M. (in press). An assessment of practical solutions for structural equation modeling with complex sample data. Structural Equation Modeling.

Stapleton, L. M. (in press). Using multilevel structural equation modeling techniques with complex sample data. In Hancock, G. R., & Mueller, R. (Eds). A Second Course in Structural Equation Modeling. Greenwich, CT: Information Age Publishing.

Best, R. G., Stapleton, L. M., & Downey, R. G. (in press). Core self-evaluations and job burnout: The test of alternative models. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.

Stapleton, L. M., & Leite, W. (in press). A review of syllabi for a sample of structural equation modeling courses. Structural Equation Modeling.

Novak S., Stapleton L. M., Litaker J., Lawson K. (2005). Re: "(Mis)use of factor analysis in the study of insulin resistance syndrome". American Journal of Epidemiology, 161, 1181-1185.

Cemalcilar, Z., Falbo, T., & Stapleton, L. M. (2005). Cyber communication: A new opportunity for international students' acculturation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 29, 91-110.

Stapleton, L. M, & Edmonds, M. (2005). An exploration of the validity of the unbounded write-in scale for inter-individual research. International Journal of Public Opinion Research, 17.

Pituch, K., Whittaker, T. A., & Stapleton, L. M. (2005). A comparison of methods to test for mediation in multisite experiments. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 40, 1-23.

Novak, S., Stapleton, L. M., Litaker, J. R., & Lawson, K. A. (2003). A confirmatory factor analysis evaluation of the coronary heart disease risk factors of metabolic syndrome with emphasis on the insulin resistance factor. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 5, 388-396.

De Ayala, R., Kim, S.-H., Stapleton, L. M., & Dayton, C. M. (2002). Differential Item Functioning: A mixture distribution conceptualization. International Journal of Testing, 2, 243-276.

Stapleton, L. M. (2002). The incorporation of sample weights into multilevel structural equation models. Structural Equation Modeling, 9, 475-502.

Courses Taught

Psyc 715: Measurement of Behavior