Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics & Assessment (MESA) emphasis
The PhD program in Educational Psychology with an emphasis in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics and Assessment (MESA) combines training and research experiences that aid in the implementation of relevant and responsive research for the various and diverse communities being served. In Measurement, specific areas of study include measurement theory, Rasch measurement, Item Response Theory, true score theory, generalizability theory, test score equating, standard setting, and instrument design. In Evaluation, areas of study include evaluation methods, evaluation theory, the role of values in evaluation practice, specifying and applying evaluative criteria, partnering with stakeholders and communities, evaluation reporting, and evaluation use and influence. In Statistics, areas of study includes statistical theory, hierarchical linear modeling, nonparametric modeling, regression analysis, multivariate analysis, structural equation modeling, factor analysis, causal analysis, categorical data analysis, research synthesis and meta-analysis, exploratory data analysis, model estimation, model goodness-of-fit analysis, model selection, robust analysis, missing-data analysis, and research methods. In Assessment, study areas include qualitative theory, design, analysis, and dissemination, testing for licensure and certification, computer adaptive testing, large-scale testing and classroom-based assessment.
The other area of emphasis for the PhD in Educational Psychology is Human Development & Learning (HDL).
Academic Themes & Perspectives Heading link
PhD students can specialize in a particular MESA focus area, but all are encouraged to take courses in each of four areas. Available areas of expertise change as the composition of the faculty and the field change. Students are advised to look at the research interests of current MESA faculty (click on photos of faculty below to view their profiles) to determine which topical interests to focus on during their program of study. Our current faculty members specialize in four areas:
- Measurement: Measurement courses cover a range of theories, models, and methods for measuring variables of aptitude, achievement, and attitudes. They include test, questionnaire, rating scale, and survey construction for data collection, and include contemporary measurement models for data analysis. These courses are designed to prepare researchers and practitioners to meet measurement challenges they will encounter when conducting research and applying measurement models in a variety of settings.
- Evaluation: Evaluation courses deal with the systematic collection of information about the activities, characteristics, and outcomes of programs and how this information can be used to make judgments about program quality, improve program effectiveness, and/or inform decisions about future program development. Students learn about evaluation theory and methods in coursework emphasizing the processes associated with planning and conducting evaluations. They become informed, critical evaluation stakeholders.
- Statistics: This area of emphasis enables students to conduct evidence-based research, to rigorously answer questions that are important to the educational and social sciences. Statistics courses cover a broad range of statistical models that are useful for the analysis of many types of data sets. They include models that discover the relationship between one variable with and a set of other variables, and models that describe causal relationships between variables (for example, the causal effects of educational treatments on academic achievement). Students who take statistics courses will gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities to analyze, interpret, and draw accurate conclusions from data.
- Assessment: Assessment courses focus on the process of theorizing, collecting, analyzing, and interpreting quantitative and qualitative information to aid-decision making. Assessment training allows students to design, administer, score, and interpret results from various types of assessments that measure simple and complex learning outcomes. Students learn how to design paper-and-pencil tests, performance assessments, and product assessments that are aligned with those standards that are to be evaluated as well as how to interpret various statistical findings. These skills can be used for a variety of purposes including the interpretation of score reports, determining appropriate modifications or accommodations when using a tool to assess the performance of students with disabilities or language limitations, the development and defense of grading procedures, and important legal purposes associated with education and employment.
Faculty
The following faculty in the Department of Educational Psychology teach most of the MESA courses. In addition to the courses taught within the MESA program, students in MESA PhD program can take MESA related courses outside the Department of Educational Psychology, even outside the College of Education. Please check with your advisor before enrolling to make sure the credits will be acceptable to transfer to the MESA PhD.
Faculty Heading link
Frequently Asked Questions Heading link
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How is the discipline of Educational Psychology defined at UIC?
The PhD in Educational Psychology includes the investigation of topics found on the overview page for HDL and for MESA area of emphasis.
We do not offer programs in school psychology, counseling psychology, or other programs that require certification. Many of our current students have enrolled after receiving some sort of formal certification in teaching, counseling, school psychology, or administration if they intend to move into a research specialty.
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Do I need to have a degree in Education to be admitted to this PhD program?
Although our students study topics that are ultimately related to a broad definition of education, many of our students join us after having completed degrees in fields outside Colleges or Schools of Education. It will be a good idea to incorporate a rationale for how you hope to contribute to the field of Education in the statement of your goals that is submitted with your application.
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How can I decide if my interests match the interests supported by the program?
We offer a mentoring-style program rather than one that is “credential-driven.” This means that we admit students whose interests match those of our faculty with the hope that a strong mentoring relationship can ultimately flourish. It may help to review the Department of Educational Psychology faculty profiles page. In the goals statement you put forth in your application materials, you may want to list topics of interests and/or the names of faculty whose interests most closely align with your own.
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What if my interests change while I am in the program?
We realize students interests change as they go through the program. It is important to make sure that interests do not change so dramatically that no one on our faculty can assist with the dissertation process. We do work with “soft” administrative boundaries to help our students meet their needs. In the first year, students are assigned an initial adviser using information from their goals statement as well as knowledge of faculty workloads to make that assignment. As early as possible, students are asked to settle on a faculty adviser who will ensure that students understand the program expectations. Later in the program, students are asked to select faculty to serve as Chair and members of their Preliminary Examination and Dissertation Committees. It is often the case that faculty advisers ultimately become the Chairs of the respective committees associated with the dissertation, but this is not always the case. Like other relationships, these decisions involve an important negotiation between students’ interests, the skills of faculty, and the longer-term purposes students have for obtaining a degree.
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How do I find out more about the program expectations?
You can review the degree requirements and the doctoral student handbook which includes information about other programs as well.
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Do you compare your program with others available in the nation?
We regularly evaluate the content of our program by comparing it to others in the country. We currently meet or exceed all the expectations established for institutions rated as Research I, using guidelines established by the Carnegie Foundation. The Educational Psychology division (Division 15) of the American Psychological Association recently conducted a review of all the Educational Psychology PhD programs in the country and our program activities were consistent with those found in the top scoring universities in the country.