ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we introduce n-Level Structural Equation Modeling (nSEM). As the name suggests, nSEM combines features of confirmatory factor analysis (see Chapter 6 by Rex Kline), structural equation modeling (see Chapter 8 by Richard Lomax), and multilevel modeling (see Chapter 4 by Lee Branum-Martin). nSEM is a general framework for estimating latent variable models for clustered data (e.g., students nested within classrooms or schools). Clustered data introduce a number of conceptual, methodological, and statistical issues that necessitate extensions to the modeling approaches for single-level data.
