Designing and Analyzing Studies to Detect Moderation and Mediation

This session provides practical training in the concepts and application of moderation and mediation within the context of STEM education.

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This session provides applied training in the principles and practice of designing and analyzing studies to address questions of moderation and mediation. Presenters outline the motivation and critical value of complementing “what works”-type questions with explanatory investigations that address for whom a program works, under what conditions it works, and how it works for different groups. A practical outline of the concepts of moderation and mediation is presented through several STEM case studies. Through practical examples, presenters demonstrate the analysis and design of several studies using common statistical software. They then consider multilevel extensions to these concepts in STEM settings and probe participant-generated considerations and challenges. The session concludes with a discussion of practical STEM-based strategies to address common challenges in implementing design and analysis.