For several decades, researchers have focused on dropout in search for an explanation and prevention of this phenomenon. However, past research is characterized by methodological shortcomings. Most of this research was conducted without considering the hierarchical structure of educational data...

Multilevel growth curve models for repeated measures data have become increasingly popular and stand as a flexible tool for investigating longitudinal change in students’ outcome variables. In addition, these models allow the estimation of school effects on students’ outcomes though making...

Multilevel growth curve models are becoming invaluable in educational research because they model changes in student outcomes efficiently. The coding of the time variable in these models plays a crucial role as illustrated in this study for the case of a three-level quadratic growth curve model....