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Washington State University
College of Education

Brian F. French

Brian F. French

Regents Professor
Berry Family Distinguished Professor
Director – Learning and Performance Research Center; Psychometric Laboratory

Washington State Academy of Sciences Member

American Psychological Association Fellow

WSU Pullman
Cleveland hall 362
509-335-8584
frenchb@wsu.edu

warns.wsu.edu

Curriculum Vitae

Research interests

Brian French’s research focuses on educational and psychological measurement issues. The first area concerns the application of psychometric methods to gather score validity evidence for instruments. The second area, informed by the first, is the use of methodological studies to evaluate and improve methods in terms of efficiency and accuracy used to gather test score validity evidence. The goal of this research is to address fairness issues in decisions made about individuals. A sample of topics of interest include: Measurement Invariance, Structural Equation Modeling, Item Response Theory, Classical Test Theory, Factor Analysis, Multilevel Modeling, Monte Carlo studies. He works with various groups (e.g., education, psychology, agriculture, medicine) on these topics.

Teaching/professional interests

Dr. French teaches courses in measurement/psychometrics, statistics, research methods, and quantitative methods. He also is active in national service. For example, he currently serves on the Educators of Measurement Committee with NCME, as the chair of the GRE Research and Technical Advisory Committee, and as the editor of the Measurement, Statistics, and Research Design section of the Journal of Experimental Education.

Sample Recent Accomplishments

  • Finch, W. H., & French, B. F. (2015). Modeling of nonrecursive structural equation models with categorical indicators, Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 22, 416-428. DOI:10.1080/10705511.2014.937380.
  • French, B. F., & Finch, W. H. (2015). SIBTEST in a multilevel data environment. Journal of Educational Measurement, 52, 159-180.
  • French, B. F., & Finch, W. H. (2016). Factorial invariance testing under different levels of partial loading invariance within a multiple group confirmatory factor analysis model. Journal of Modern Applied Statistical Methods, 15, 511-538.
  • Ward, L., French, B. F., Barbosa-Leiker, C., & Iverson, A. E. (2016). Application of exploratory factor analysis and item response theory to validate the genomic nursing concept inventory. Journal of Nursing Education, 15, 9-17.
  • Hidalgo Montesinos, M. D., & French, B. F. (2016). Una introducción didáctica a la Teoría de Respuesta al Ítem para comprender la construcción de escalas. Revista de Psicología Clínica con Niños y Adolescentes, 3, 13-21.
  • Cheng, Y.H., Field, W., Tormoehlen, R., & French, B. F. (2017). Utilizing secondary agricultural education programs to deliver evidence-based grain safety training for young and beginning workers. Journal of Argomedicine, 22, 328-336.
  • Mantzicopoulos, P. Y., French, B. F., Patrick, H., Watson, S. & Ahn, I. (2018). The stability of kindergarten teachers’ effectiveness: A generalizability study comparing the FFT and CLASS. Educational Assessment, 23, 24-46. DOI: 10.1080/10627197.2017.1408407 .
  • Iverson, A., French, B.F., Strand, P., Gotch, C. M., & McCurley, C. (2018).Understanding school truancy: Risk-need latent profiles of adolescents. Assessment, 25, 978-987. DOI: 10.1177/1073191116672329.
  • Finch, W.H. & French, B. F. (2018). A simulation investigation of the performance of invariance assessment using equivalence testing procedures. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal, 25, 673-686. DOI: 10.1080/10705511.2018.1431781
  • Mantzicopoulos, P. Y., French, B. F., & Patrick, H. (2019). The Quality of Mathematics Instruction in Kindergarten: Associations with Students’ Achievement and Motivation. The Elementary School Journal, 119, 651-676.
  • Finch, W.H. & French, B. F. (2019). A Comparison of estimation techniques for IRT models with small samples. Applied Measurement in Education, 32, 77-96.    doi.org/10.1080/08957347.2019.1577243
  • Gotch, C. M., & French, B. F. (2020). A validation trajectory for the Washington Assessment of Risks and Needs of Students. Educational Assessment, 25, 1, 65-82, Special Issue on Validity Studies. doi.org/10.1080/10627197.2019.1702462
  • Patrick, H., Mantzicopoulos, P. Y., & French, B. F. (2020). The predictive validity of classroom observations: Do teachers’ Framework for Teaching scores predict kindergarteners’ achievement and motivation? American Educational Research Journal, 57, 2021-2058, doi.org/10.3102/0002831219891409.
  • Vo, T. & French, B. F. (2021). Ecological framework for item responding within the context of a youth risk and needs assessment. Educational Measurement: Issue and Practice, 40, 64-72, org/10.1111/emip.12426
  • Schweizer, K., Krampen, D., et al, & French, B. F. (2021). Does rapid guessing prevent the detection of an effect of a time limit in testing? Methodology, 17, 168-188, https://doi.org/10.5964/meth.4663.
  • Shavlik, M., Kösal, Ö., French, B. F. Haden, C., Legare, C., & Booth, A. E., (2022). Contribution of causal reasoning to early scientific literacy. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 224. org/10.1016/j.jecp.2022.105509
  • Alpizar, D., Vo, T., French, B. F., & Hand, B. (2022). Growth of critical thinking skills in middle school immersive science learning environments. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 46, 101192, doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2022.101192.
  • Strand, P., French, B. F., & Austin, B. (2023). Assessment of the risks and needs of middle school students. Invariance properties related to gender and ethnicity. Assessment, 30, 580-591.
  • Castro Montoya, B. A., et al., & French, B. F. (in press). Spanish adaptation and validation of the Institutional Integration Scale. Interdisciplinaria: Revista de Psicolgía y Ciencias Afines.
  • Dai, S., Schmitter-Edgecombe, M., Kehinde, O. & French, B. F. (in press) Modeling daily fluctuations in everyday cognition and health behaviors at general and person-specific levels: A GIMME analysis. Behaviormetrika.
  • Immekus, J. C., Finch, W. H., & French, B. F. (in press). Recovery accuracy of measurement model and structural coefficients of extended bifactor-(S-1) and (S∙I-1) models. Structural Equation Modeling: A Multidisciplinary Journal.

Education

  • Ph.D., Educational Psychology, Purdue University
  • M.S., Educational Psychology,  Purdue University
  • B.A., Psychology and Spanish, Seattle University