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Large-Scale Data Lab Learning Performance and Research Center

What we do

Quantitative data analysis & statistics

Example projects/grants/contracts:

  • 2023-2024, Statistician, Creating adaptive, wearable technologies to assess and intervene for individuals with ADRDs. PI: Schmitter-Edgecombe, M. National Institute on Aging (#R35 AG071451), 2021-2026, Amount: $4,590,000.
  • 2023-2024, Statistician, Multi-modal assessment and intervention for functional independence. PI: Schmitter-Edgecombe, M. National Institute on Aging (#R01 AG065218), 2020-2025, Amount: $2,992,391.
  • 2022, Statistician, Clinician-in-the-loop smart technology to support health monitoring and intervention for chronic conditions. PIs: Cook/Fritz/Schmitter-Edgecombe. NIH: National Institute of Nursing Research (#R01 NINR016732), 2017-2022, Amount: $1,826,091.

Example products:

  • Kangas, S., Dai, S., & Ardasheva, Y. (2024). The Intersection of language and disability: Progress of English learners with disabilities on NAEP reading. The Journal of Special Education, 58(2), 88-99. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224669231213054. 
  • Dai, S., Hao, T., Ardasheva, Y., Ramazan, O., Danielson, R., & Austin, B. (2023). PISA reading achievement: Identifying predictors and examining model generalizability for multilingual students. Reading and Writing. 36, 2763-2795.https://doi.org/10.1007/s11145-022-10357-4. 
  • Schmitter-Edgecombe, M., Luna, C., Beech, B., Dai, S., & Cook, D. (2024). Capturing cognitive capacity in the everyday environment across a continuum of cognitive decline using a smartwatch n-back task and ecological momentary assessment. Neuropsychology. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/neu0000984
  • Dai, S., Kehinde, O.J., Schmitter-Edgecombe, M., & French, B. (2022). Modeling daily fluctuations in everyday cognition and health behaviors at general and person-specific levels: A GIMME analysis. Behaviormetrika. 50, 563–583. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41237-022-00191-x. 

Psychometrics and measurement

Example projects/grants/contracts:

  • 2021-2022, Psychometrician and Statistician, Data analysis for the motivated strategies for learning questionnaire (MSLQ) project. (With A. Adesope). WSU Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. Amount: $18,288.

Example products:

  • Svetina Valdivia, D. & Dai, S. (2023). Number of response categories and sample size requirements in polytomous IRT models. Journal of Experimental Education. 92 (1), 154-185. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2022.2153783
  • Dai, S., Vo, T., Kehinde, O.J., He, H., Xue, Y., Demir, C., & Wang, X. (2021). Performance of polytomous IRT models with rating scale data: An investigation over sample size, instrument length, and missing data. Frontiers in Education – Assessment, Testing and Applied Measurement. 6, 721963. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2021.721963
  • Dai, S. (2021). Handling missing responses in psychometrics: Methods and software. Psych, 3, 673-693. https://doi.org/10.3390/psych3040043

Instrument development & validation

Example projects/grants/contracts:

  • 2019-2020, Psychometrician, Psychometric analysis for the IT-related self-efficacy measure. WSU Carson College of Business. (With D. Compeau). Amount: $6,000.

Example products:

  • Danielson, R.W., Gale, M.S., Dai, S., Seyranian, V., Heddy, B., Marsh, J., & Polikoff, M.S. (2023). The development and validation of the elementary activity interest measure. Journal of Experimental Education. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2023.2276933
  • Schmitter-Edgecombe, M., Rahman, S., Dai, S., Woo, E., & Libon, D. (2025). Cutoffs of the instrumental activities of daily living – compensation (IADL-C) scale for identification of functional limitations consistent with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology, Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/arclin/acaf028.

Program evaluation

Example projects/grants/contracts:

  • 2025-2029, Co-Principal Investigator & Program Evaluator, Certifying and Advancing Multilingual Teachers by Increasing Numbers Through Three Grow-Your-Own Strands (CAMINOS). PI: Y. Ardasheva. Department of Education – National Professional Development (NPD) Grant. Amount: $3,067,509.
  • 2016-2017, Program Evaluator, The Indiana Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting Program Evaluation Project; The Indiana Project of Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health project; and the Project of Optimizing School Health and Learning Coordination.

Example products:

  • Howland, A., Wu, P-J., & Dai, S (2016). The Indiana Maternal, Infant, Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (IN-MIECHV) Quarterly Benchmark Reports for FY15. Report discussions presented to the Indiana State Department of Health, Indiana Department of Child Services, Healthy Families Indiana, and Indiana Nurse-Family Partnership, Indianapolis, IN.

Software (R package) development

Example products:

 

  • WSU Large-Scale Data Lab