Gifted and Talented Services for EFL Learners in China: A Step-by-Step Guide to Propensity Score Matching Analysis in R
1
Center for Research and Development in Dual Language and Literacy Acquisition (CRDLLA), Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
2
Department of Educational Psychology, College of Education and Human Development, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
3
School of Foreign Languages, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Data 2019, 4(3), 119; https://doi.org/10.3390/data4030119
Received: 1 July 2019 / Revised: 31 July 2019 / Accepted: 1 August 2019 / Published: 3 August 2019
We sought to quantify the effectiveness of a gifted and talented (GT) program, as was provided to university students who demonstrated a talent for learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in China. To do so, we used propensity score matching (PSM) techniques to analyze data collected from a tier-1 university where an English talent (ET) program was provided. Specifically, we provided (a) a step-by-step guide of PSM analysis using the R analytical package, (b) the codes for PSM analysis and visualization, and (c) the final analysis of baseline equivalence and treatment effect based on the matching sample. Collectively, the results of descriptive statistics, visualization, and baseline equivalence indicate that PSM is an effective matching technique for generating an unbiased counterfactual analysis. Moreover, the ET program yields a statistically significant, positive effect on ET students’ English language proficiency.
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Keywords:
EFL; English Talent; propensity score matching
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MDPI and ACS Style
Tang, S.; Tong, F.; Lu, X. Gifted and Talented Services for EFL Learners in China: A Step-by-Step Guide to Propensity Score Matching Analysis in R. Data 2019, 4, 119.
AMA Style
Tang S, Tong F, Lu X. Gifted and Talented Services for EFL Learners in China: A Step-by-Step Guide to Propensity Score Matching Analysis in R. Data. 2019; 4(3):119.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTang, Shifang; Tong, Fuhui; Lu, Xiuhong. 2019. "Gifted and Talented Services for EFL Learners in China: A Step-by-Step Guide to Propensity Score Matching Analysis in R" Data 4, no. 3: 119.
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