2. Find an article that uses path analysis or explanatory multiple regression on a research topic with which you are familiar and interested. If the authors’ model is not drawn in the article, see if you can draw it from their description. How do the authors justify their causal assumptions or their paths? Do you agree, or do you think some of the paths are drawn in the wrong direction? Do you think there are any obvious common causes that have not been included in the model? Can you demonstrate that there are common causes that have been neglected? If the authors included a correlation matrix
with their article, see if you can reproduce their results. Draw the estimated model.
3. In Chapter 12, you constructed and tested a path model using the variables Family Background (BYSES), 8th-grade GPA (BYGrads), 10th-grade Self-Esteem (F1Concpt2), 10th-grade Locus of Control (F1Locus2), and 10th-Grade Social Studies Achievement (F1TxHStd). Refer to or redo the analysis. For the sake of consistency, make sure you have Social Studies Achievement as the final endogenous variable.
a. Notice the direct effects of Self-Esteem and Locus of Control on Social Studies Achievement. Focus on the effect of GPA on Self-Esteem and Locus of Control. Is 8th-grade GPA a common cause of these variables and Social Studies Achievement? Now remove the 8th-grade GPA variable from the model. What happens to direct effects of Self-Esteem and Locus of Control on Social Studies Achievement? Explain the difference in effects from the original model.
b. Did you draw a path from Self-Esteem to Locus of Control or Locus of Control to Self-Esteem? Calculate the direct, indirect, and total effects of these two variables on Social Studies Achievement. Whichever way you drew the path, now reverse the direction and re-estimate the model. Recalculate the direct, indirect, and total effects of these variables on Social Studies. Explain the differences you find.