Peter Siegel, Chair of the Graduate Student Award Committee of the SIG on Survey Research in Education, and Danny Katz at the 2019 AERA conference in Toronto
Gevirtz Graduate School of Education student Daniel Katz has won the AERA research award in Special Interest Group (SIG) on Survey Research in Education. His paper, titled, “Is One Item Enough? Examining Affect-Laden Survey Items Using Mixture Modelling with Distal Outcomes” asks technical and philosophical questions related to researchers’ use of multiple items in surveys, the psychometric models used to probe these surveys, especially when theoretical constructs are complex, and our ability to make comparative claims based on these survey results. It provides an empirical example, showing how one can use certain statistical practices that are more aligned with researcher theory than other typical statistical validation practices.
The SIG on Survey Research in Education presents up to two monetary awards annually of $300 each to recognize and promote graduate students’ research interests in survey methodology. Katz received his award at a ceremony at the 2019 AERA Annual Meeting in Toronto. The purpose of the Special Interest Group on Survey Research in Education is to provide a forum for researchers interested in improving survey methodology in educational research. This SIG strives to foster communication among survey researchers and promote the development and dissemination of scholarly work in survey methods through such activities as the sponsorship of paper presentations, invited addresses, symposia, and poster sessions at the AERA Annual Meetings; publication of the SIG newsletter; and interaction with other groups seeking to improve survey methodology.
Danny Katz is a third-year graduate student in the Department of Education with interests in quantitative methods, education policy, and educational measurement. His advisers are Dr. Andrew Maul and Dr. Karen Nylund-Gibson. Katz received his BA in political science from UCSB where he was introduced to quantitative methods of analysis in the social sciences. After graduating, he spent roughly three years working at an academic publisher, sparking his interests in educational research and measurement. Between working at a publisher and going to graduate school, Danny spent a year travelling across the country to race his bike while also working at a bike shop. Danny is currently involved in projects related to educational assessment at UCSB, measurement and, more recently, the California Dropout Research Project. Other research areas of interest include vocational and technical education and The Lexile.