An Accessible Introduction to Structural Equation Modeling

Reviews the book by Kline (see record 2005–03476–000), which provides an accessible introduction to the topic that should allow newcomers to structural equation modeling (SEM) to quickly understand and begin using these powerful techniques. This book represents a well-written introduction to SEM that will be accessible to readers with minimal quantitative background. This second edition is a substantial improvement to the previous edition, in that it provides expanded coverage of several important concepts, especially inclusion of mean structure information and multiple-group analysis. Coverage of these intermediate topics should provide readers with an appreciation for the power and flexibility of SEM and prepare them well for more advanced study. This book could be readily adapted to courses for students with a basic understanding of correlation and regression or as part of a course for more advanced students (especially if some of the earlier chapters are skipped). The lack of adherence to a single software package makes this book highly adaptable, though those independently learning SEM will need to supplement their study with a software-specific guide. Overall, this is a highly worthy successor to the outstanding first edition. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)