Faculty Directory
Zhushan "Mandy" Li
Program Director, Applied Statistics and Psychometrics, M.S.
Associate Professor
Zhushan "Mandy" Li
Ph.D.
Contact
Campion Hall Room 336A
Telephone: 617-552-4534
Email: zhushan.li@bc.edu
Education
- Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- M.S., Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
- M.S., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Courses
Psychometrics II Item Response Theory
Multivariate Statistical Analysis
Intermediate Statistics
Readings and Research in Measurement, Evaluation, Statistics, and Assessment
General Linear Models
Dissertation Seminar in Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation
Research Interests
Psychometrics and quantitative research methods, including Item Response Theory, Differential Item Functioning, Latent Variable Modeling,Multivariate Statistics, Survey development, categorical data analysis, and educational measurement issues
Expertise
- Research Methods, Evaluation & Psychometrics
- STEM Teaching and Learning
- Bilingualism & Immigration
Department
Selected Publications
- A Bayesian Framework: Establishing Validity Evidence for Multi-unidimensional Instruments with Small Samples.(with Chen, J. ) Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics (2025)
- Belongingness in Higher Education: Fostering Decent Education to Sustain Academic Progress and Equitable Access to Decent Work.(with Kenny, M., Chen, J.)聽 Australian Journal of Career Development (2024)
- An Intersectional Approach to DIF: Comparing Outcomes across Methods.聽(with Russell, M., Szendey, O.) Educational Assessment. 2023
- Family聽conflict and ethnic identity among Chinese American college students. (with Tummala-Narra, P.,聽 Yang, E.J., Xiu, Z., Cui, E., & Song, Y.)聽American Journal of Orthopsychiatry.(2021)
- The Power of Crossing SIBTEST. (Li, Z.)聽聽Applied Psychological Measurement.听(2020).听
- 聽Development of a Diabetes-Focused Print Health Literacy Scale Using the Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine Model: DM-REALM (with Kim, M.,聽Li, Z., Nguyen, T., Ko, J. Murry, N., Jocobs, E. Han, H., & Kim, K. )聽 HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice.聽(2020)
- Shared knowledge between reading and writing among middle school adolescent readers.(聽with Proctor, C.P., Daley, S., Xu, Y., Graham, S.,聽 & Hall, T.)聽 Elementary School Journal.(2020)
- How Does Inquiry-Based Scientific Investigation Relate to the Development of Students鈥� Science Knowledge, Knowing, Applying, and Reasoning? An Examination of TIMSS Data. (with Zhang, L.)聽Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education. (2019)
- Shared knowledge between reading and writing among middle school adolescent readers. (with Proctor, C. P. Daley, S., Xu, Y., Graham, S. & Hall, T.)聽Elementary School Journal. (2019)
- Developmental and contextual correlates of mental health and help seeking among Asian American college students. (with Tummala_Narra, P. Chang, J. , Yang, E., Jiang, J. Sagherian, M., Phan, J. & Alfonso,A.) 聽American Journal of Orthopsychiatry听(2018)
- A Regularization Method for Detecting Differential Item Functioning under the Framework of Generalized Linear Models. (with Jiang, J.) In聽JSM Proceedings, Statistical Learning and Data Science Section.聽Baltimore, MD:聽American Statistical Association.聽(2017)
- Coping Measurement: Creating Short Form of Coping and Adaptation Processing Scale Using Item Response Theory and Patients Dealing with Chronic and Acute Health Conditions. (with Roy, C., Bakan, G., Nguyen, T.)聽Applied Nursing Research. (2016)
- Adolescent judgments and reasoning about the exclusion of peers with social disabilities. (with Bottema-Beutel, K.)聽Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. (2015)
- A generalized formula for the power of the Mantel-Haenszel test for differential item functioning. (Li, Z.)聽Applied Psychological Measurement. (2015)
- Power and sample size calculations for logistic regression tests for differential item functioning. (Li, Z.)聽Journal of Educational Measurement. (2014)
- A power formula for the SIBTEST procedure for differential item functioning. (Li, Z.)聽 Applied Psychological Measurement. (2014). 聽
- A stochastic method for balancing item exposure rates in computerized classification tests. (with Huebner, A.), Applied Psychological Measurement (2012)
Awards
- 2012 National Council of Measurement in Education (NCME) Brenda Loyd Dissertation Award聽https://www.ncme.org/about/awards/ncme-awards/2012-awards
- 2012 American Psychological Association (APA) Division 5 Distinguished Dissertation Award, Orlando, Florida. https://www.apadivisions.org/division-5/awards/anastasi-dissertation?tab=4
- 2011 American Educational Research Association (AERA) Outstanding Quantitative Dissertation Award, New Orleans, LA聽http://www.aera.net/DivisionD/Awards/OutandingQuantitativeDissertation/tabid/12665/Default.aspx
- 2009 William Chandler Bagley Doctoral Scholarship from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Selected Grants
- 2025 NSF grant: Role: Co-Principal Investigator.聽 Collaborative Research: Professional Learning Resources for Customizing Curricula to Support Elementary Students in Using Full Communicative Repertoires for Scientific Sensemaking ($1,270,503) National Science Foundation, 2026-2029
- 2025 Ignite grant. Role: Co-Principal Investigator.聽 Refinement and Validation of Neurodiversity Knowledge and Attitudes Assessments for School-age Children ($30,000). Funded by Boston College, 2025-2026
- 2024 NSF grant: Role: Statistical Consultant.聽 Leveraging Numerical Patterns in a Modified Board Game to Improve Numeracy Knowledge in Primary School Students ($857,000) Funded by the National Science Foundation, ECR-Core 2024-2026
- 2019 NSF grant.聽 Role: Research Consultant.聽 Infusing Data Science into Undergraduates STEM Education ($2,791,391.00).聽 Funded by the National Science Foundation, 2019-2023.
- 2019 NSF grant.聽 Role: Statistical Consultant.聽 The Elementary Mathematics Project ($1,618,452.00).聽 Funded by the National Science Foundation, 2016-2021.
- 2019 IES grant.聽 Role: Statistical Consultant.聽 聽Moving Transition Forward: Exploration of College-Based and Conventional Transition Practices for Students with Intellectual Disability and Autism ($1,500,121).聽 United States Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, 2019-2022
- 2015 Research Incentive grant. Role: Principal Investigator.聽 Developing a Generalized Power Formula for the Mantel-Haenszel Test for Differential Item Functioning ($15,000). Funded聽 by Boston College, 2015-2016
- 2014 Academic Technology Innovation Grant.聽 Role: Principal Investigator. Technology Enhanced Teaching: Animated Visual Demonstration of Statistical Concepts and Analysis ($13,000).聽 Funded by Boston College, 2015-2016.
- 2014 Research Expense grant. Role: Principal Investigator. Generalized Formula for Power and Sample Size for Logistic Regression DIF in the Context of Item Response Theory ($2,000). Funded by Boston College, 2014-2015
- 2012 NSF grant (Award Number: 1227245). Role: Co-Principal Investigator. DIP: Using dynamic formative assessment models to enhance learning of the experimental process in biology ($1,333,395). Funded by the National Science Foundation, 2012-2016.
- 2012 Research Incentive grant. Role: Principal Investigator. Explanatory item response theory models with multidimensional latent traits ($15,000). Funded by Boston College, 2012-2013
Selected Peer-Reviewed Conference Presentations
- Li, Z. & Chen, J. (2025) Applying Machine Learning Techniques to Analyze Student Test-Taking Behavior in PIRLS 2021.聽 Paper presented at the American Educational Research聽Association (AERA), Denver, Colorado.
- Li, Z., Qian, X. Szendey, O., Kursav, M. & Pauls, S (2025). A Survey Instrument Exploring Students鈥� Attitudes towards Data Science.聽 Paper presented at the American Educational Research聽Association (AERA), Denver, Colorado.
- Chen, J. & Li, Z. (2024) Evaluating Model Fit in Bayesian IRT with Small Samples. Paper presented at the American Educational Research聽Association (AERA), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Jong, M. & Li, Z. (2024) Investigation of Generalized Partial Credit Models and the Relationship Between College Choice and Student鈥檚 Ratings (AERA), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.