Structural Equation Modeling with AMOS: From Zero to Hero

Learn everything you need to know to apply structural equation modeling (SEM) using AMOS in your research!

Course Description

Structural equation modeling (SEM) has become enormously popular in social science research and a considerable body of literature in different fields has been formed by the results obtained from this technique. SEM is a multivariate technique that can be seen as a hybrid of factor analysis and path analysis. Indeed, SEM can be used to simultaneously examine a set of relationships between observed variables (directly measured, e.g. salary, age, return on investment, etc.) and latent variables (not directly measured, e.g. quality of life, satisfaction, loyalty, etc.). There are several software packages for SEM which are mainly different in terms of their graphical interface and results presentation. The main differences between the packages include the user interface, capability to conduct multiple group analysis, and the availability of different options such as model fit indices that they provide.

Generally, there are two approaches to conduct SEM, including covariance-based SEM (CB-SEM) and variance-based SEM which is also known as PLS-SEM. Although there has been controversy among researchers between these two methods, the arguments have been on legitimacy of PLS-SEM. So that some researchers have emphasized using CB-SEM and suggested PLS-SEM to be abandoned in social science research (see Rigdon, 2016*). Even some journals such as Journal of Operations Management banned any PLS-based manuscript submission. Of course, assessing such claims is not in the scope of this course. However, given the predominance of CB-SEM and critics of PLS-SEM, it seems using CB-SEM should be safer than using PLS-SEM in research, if applicable.

I personally believe all methods have their own pros and cons and researchers need to be aware of limitations and advantages of the methods they use. So, while I encourage you to learn and apply CB-SEM in your research, I believe you should have a good understanding of other methods such as PLS too. The good news is that after completing this course, not only you will be able to SEM, you will be able to quickly learn and apply PLS-SEM too. This is because most of the things that I’ll teach you can be used in PLS-SEM as well.

I have designed this hands-on course to provide you an intense yet enjoyable instructional experience that focuses on a large number of both introductory and advanced topics in SEM using the latest version of one of the most well-known software package, IBM AMOS (Analysis of Moment Structures). In this course I will provide the materials and instruction that you need to both develop a good understanding of SEM and to be able to thoughtfully apply a variety of basic and advanced models to your data. More specifically, this course will cover a broad range of topics such as

• data preparation,
• model development,
• model fit assessment using various indexes,
• construct reliability and validity assessment using various methods,
• different methods to improve your model,
• structural model assessment,
• hypothesis testing,
• mediation using Baron and Kenny approach
• mediation using Sobel test
• mediation using bootstrapping method
• moderation,
• and multi-group analysis

Finally, I will show you how to report your results in your research paper or Masters/PhD thesis. I will also share some good samples to follow with you. Take this course and become an SEM expert!

• _{Rigdon, E. E. (2016). Choosing PLS path modeling as analytical method in European management research: A realist perspective. European Management Journal, 34(6), 598-605.}

Learning Outcomes

After completing this course, you will be able to

• Clean and prepare your data
• Evaluate measurement model through performing Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)
• Assess your structural model and test your research hypotheses
• Examine mediation, moderation, and multi-group analysis models
• Interpret and report your SEM results

Skills You Will Learn

Structural equation modeling, SEM, Covariance-based SEM, Confirmatory factor analysis, CFA, measurement model assessment, structural model assessment, construct reliability, construct validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, mediation, moderation, multigroup analysis, bootstrapping, fornell-larcker criterion, Heterotrait-Monotrait ratio of correlations (HTMT), average variance extracted, maximum shared variance, average shared variance, model fit assessment, improving model fit, hypothesis testing, data cleaning, and reporting.

References

• Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. Sage.
• Hair, Joseph F., Black, William C., Barbin, Barry J., Anderson, Rolph E. and Tatham, Ronald L. (2010), Multivariate Data Analysis (7th ed). Pearson Education International. Upper Saddle River, NJ.
• Hayes, A. F. (2013). Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach. Guilford Press.
• Ho, R. (2006). Handbook of univariate and multivariate data analysis and interpretation with SPSS. CRC Press.
• Meyers, L. S., Gamst, G., & Guarino, A. J. (2006). Applied multivariate research: Design and interpretation. Sage.
• Pahlevan Sharif, S., Mahdavian, V. (2015). Structural Equation Modeling by the Use of AMOS, Tehran: Fazel.
• Tabachnick & Fidell. (2001). Using Multivariate Statistics, 4th edition. Allyn & Bacon

Trainer Profile:

Associate Professor Dr Saeed Pahlevan Sharif

I’m Saeed. I’m currently the Director of Centre for Industrial Revolution and Innovation (CIR⁴I), Taylor’s University, Malaysia. I’ve conducted various workshops on methodological and data analytics topics. I also have published more than 100 papers in peer-reviewed journals among them are several SEM-based papers published prestigious journals. I received Taylor’s University Vice Chancellor’s Research Award and the Iranian Embassy Research Medalist Award in 2017. I serve as the Editor of Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, Taylor’s Business Review, and Homo economicus.

I have a passion for teaching too. I received Superhero Award 2018 for integrating technology in classroom and recently I was awarded the gold medal of EMAS award for innovation in teaching and learning in 2020. I’ve conducted many workshops on structural equation modeling and my SEM textbook in Persian language is one of the best sellers in Iran. I’ve helped many students and researchers learn how to conduct SEM and publish their papers in top-tier journals. In this course, you’ll learn whatever you need to know to conduct your SEM analysis, report your results, and publish your work in high impact journals. I’ll be with you every step of the way. Enjoy the course!