ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF MULTILEVEL STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING USING MPLUS PROGRAM

Abstract

This article aims to present the important concepts and option approaches for analyzing the multi-level structural equation model with Mplus program. Before analyzing data with Mplus program, it can be operated into 2 ways: First, by means of the Language Generator, it’s a menu command in the program. Details in terms of command for data analysis will show in the Syntax window; and Second, by means of writing a command directly into the Syntax window. Also, it will show principles and using the commands of “Fix”, “Free”, and “With” for upgrading the model as well as techniques for detecting the Mplus Output and for searching the tfi index of the model. Again, it can explain the variety of various indexes and present the tables of analyzed results of preliminary data. In Thailand, most of research methodologies are more developed in the efild of education, but in the efild of managerial administration or other efilds have a higher gap. All of these aspects are seen in the number of dissertations have much more increasingly but the old research methodologies were employed (using old previous techniques). Also, those research techniques, most of them still have the trend of basic assumption that is coniflct with real nature of data. On the contrary, the technique of multi-level structural equation model is a new research technique which responds to the direction of future research as well. This program has lots of models, more than 150 options, for implement. It is strongly appropriate to use this program for starting new research studies. Graduate students in Master Degree or Doctoral Degree can create the research values and sending them to the future people for continuous studies. Also, this program will help to increase the basic factors level for developing country as a whole and in the future.