Statistical Modelling 3 (2003), 127–153
Multilevel ordinal models for examination grades
A. Fielding
Department of Economics,
University of Birmingham,
Birmingham, B15 2TT
UK
eMail:
a.fielding@bham.ac.uk
M. Yang, and H. Goldstein
Institute of Education,
University of London,
London, UK.
Abstract:
In multilevel situations graded category responses are often
converted to points scores and linear models for continuous
normal responses fitted. This is particularly prevalent in
educational research. Generalized multilevel ordinal models
for response categories are developed and contrasted in some
respects with these normal models. Attention is given to the
analysis of a large database of the General Certificate of
Education Advanced Level examinations in England and Wales.
Ordinal models appear to have advantages in facilitating the
study of institutional differences in more detail. Of particular
importance is the flexibility offered by logit models with
nonproportionally changing odds. Examples are given of the
richer contrasts of institutional and subgroup differences
that may be evaluated. Appropriate widely available software
for this approach is also discussed.
Keywords:
EDUCATIONAL GRADES; GCE ADVANCED LEVEL; LOGIT; MLWIN;
MULTICAT; MULTILEVEL MODELS; NONPROPORTIONAL ODDS; ORDINAL RESPONSES.
Downloads:
Data
in zipped archive
Software used was the MULTICAT macro in MLwiN. See the Centre for
Multilevel Modelling website
http://multilevel.ioe.ac.uk/index.html
for information on MLwiN, additional datasets, etc.
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