Ann O'Connell

Dr. Ann A. O’Connell is Professor of Evaluation, Statistics and Measurement in the Department of Educational Psychology at Rutgers University, Graduate School of Education. She was formerly a Professor in the Educational Studies Department at The Ohio State University. Dr. O’Connell’s research interests are in quantitative methods including multilevel and generalized linear models, evidence-based interventions and the use of research evidence, and evaluation of interventions in health and education. She is passionate about strengthening methodological capacity among applied researchers and working with her students and colleagues on evaluation of educational, health, and wellness initiatives. Dr. O’Connell is engaged in a variety of projects at local, national, and international levels. She was the Principal Investigator for a recently completed Methods Training Grant from the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) which was designed to strengthen capacity among schools, districts, and their higher-education partners for the selection and use of evidence-based interventions. Current efforts are expanding the Evidence-based Intervention Training in Education (EBITE) curriculum to make all materials accessible to schools, districts and researchers nationwide. On an international level, Dr. O’Connell has an ongoing collaboration with Addis Ababa University (AAU) in Ethiopia, where she teaches courses in statistics and research methods and partners with faculty and graduate students at the College of Education and Language Studies (CELS) on research involving STEM education and early childhood learning outcomes and teacher practices in Ethiopia. She is a former Fulbright Scholar to Ethiopia during which she taught at AAU as well as at Jimma University, University of Gondar, and Mekele University. Dr. O’Connell teaches courses in Multilevel Modeling, Regression, Multivariate Analysis, Introductory Statistics, Sampling and Survey Research Methods, and other topics. She is an advocate for interdisciplinary science and the improvement of methods to strengthen education research. Dr. O’Connell has published in the Journal of Research in Educational Effectiveness, Journal of Experimental Education, Journal of Educational Psychology, New Directions in Program Evaluation, and other outlets. She is the author and editor of a number of books on advanced statistical methods, and is the recipient of several local and national awards for her scholarship and service to the profession.

• Expertise & Research Interest
  Multilevel modeling and analysis of count and categorical outcomes

  Use of research evidence and evidence-based interventions by schools and districts

  Training and capacity-building for use of quantitative methods
• Recent & Selected Publications

  Selected Books/Book Chapters:

  Lo, M-T, Bhaktha, N., Mauck, S., & O’Connell, AA. (2023). Power and evidence: Guide for sample size estimation. In FTL Leong & JT Austin (Eds.), Psychological Methodology Handbook (3rd ed.). Sage.

  O’Connell, A.A., McCoach, D.B., & Bell, B. (Eds.) (2022). Multilevel Modeling Methods with Introductory and Advanced Applications. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

  O’Connell, A.A., Lo, M-T., Goldstein, J., Rogers, H.J., & Peng, C.J. (2022). Multilevel models for logistic and ordinal outcomes. In A.A. O’Connell, D.B McCoach, & B.A. Bell (Eds.), Multilevel Modeling Methods with Introductory and Advanced Applications. Information Age Publishing.

  O’Connell, A.A., Bhaktha, N. & Zhang, J. (2022). Single and multilevel models for count outcomes. In A.A. O’Connell, D.B McCoach, & B.A. Bell (Eds.), Multilevel Modeling Methods with Introductory and Advanced Applications. Information Age Publishing.

  O’Connell, A.A. & McCoach, D.B. (Eds.) (2008). Multilevel Modeling of Educational Data. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

  O’Connell, A.A. (2006). Logistic Regression Models for Ordinal Response Variables. Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

  Selected Peer-reviewed Publications:

  Forbes-Spear, C., Piasta, S., Lo, M-T., Justice, L., O’Connell, AA. (in press). Examining naturally occurring Language- and Literacy-Learning Opportunities for children with disabilities across ECE/ECSE contexts. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education.

  O’Connell, AA, Michael, K., Desie, Y., Garabed, RB, & Wilberforce, WG (in press). Graduate-level quantitative methods and research training in education and related fields in Ethiopia: Challenges and opportunities. Frontiers in Education.

  Verschraegen, CF, Hashibe, M, Neill, US, Pirl, W., Hexner, EO, & O’Connell, AA (2025). NCI Awardee Skills Development Consortium (NASDC): A successful novel educational effort to maintain early academic competitiveness: PART 1 – Overview of the NASDC Coordinating Center. Journal of Cancer Education, online first, https://doi.org/10.1007/s13187-025-02635-w.

  Liu, X., O’Connell, A.A., Bai, H., Yang, H., Liu, L. (2024). Fitting proportional odds models for ordinal responses in educational research: A comparison of multiple packages in R. The General Linear Model, 48(1), 41-52.

  O’Connell, AA, Lewis, MS, Bowen, NK, Stuckey, T., Ruhil, A., Stephany, K. (2024). Educator and leadership challenges in selecting and implementing evidence-based interventions in schools and districts, (ED 664414). Available online https://eric.ed.gov/?q=%22R305B200024%22&id=ED664414

  Language and Reading Research Consortium, Lo, M., & Xu, M. (2022). Impacts of the Let’s Know! curriculum on the language and comprehension-related skills of prekindergarten and kindergarten children. Task Force: S. Piasta, AA O’Connell, S. Gray, K. Cain. Journal of Educational Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000744

  O’Connell, A.A., Bowen, N., Lewis, M.S., Stuckey, T., Ruhil, A., Stephany, K., & Gowdy, K. (2022). High-need areas in the use of Evidence-based Interventions: Baseline findings from an EBI training program. (ED 664343) Available online https://eric.ed.gov/?q=%22R305B200024%22&id=ED664343

  Desie, Y., O’Connell, A.A., Michael, K., & Wiium, N. (2021). Parenting of schoolchildren’s television viewing in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Journal of Children and Media, 15(4), 492-508.

  Yeomans-Maldonado, G., Mesa, C., and LARRC (2021). The association of the home literacy environment and parental reading beliefs with oral language growth trajectories of Spanish-English bilingual children. Task Force: L. Restrepo, AA O’Connell. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 57(4), 271-284). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2021.07.001

  Piasta, S.B., Sawyer, B., Justice, L.M., O’Connell, A.A., Jiang, Hui, Dogucu, M., & Khan, K. (2020). Effects of Read It Again! in early childhood special education classrooms. Journal of Early Intervention, 42(3), 224-243. (online 1st in 2019).

  Sawyer, B., O’Connell, A.A., Bhaktha, N., Santoro, J., Justice, L., & Rhoad-Drogalis, A. (2020). Does teachers’ self-efficacy vary for different children? A study of early childhood special educators. Topics in Early Childhood Special Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/0271121420906528

  Uanhoro, J. O., Wang, Y., and O’Connell, A.A. (2019). Problems with using odds ratios as effect sizes in logistic regression and alternative approaches. Journal of Experimental Education, 89(4), 670-689. DOI: 10.1080/00220973.2019.1693328

  O’Connell, AA, Kassa, M., Garabed, R., & Joseph. L. (2019). Recommendations on building competencies for Quantitative Research in Education and Related Fields. Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Quality of Education, Adama, Ethiopia.

  Serovich, J., Reed, S., O’Connell, AA., & Laschober, T. (2018). Relationship between serostatus disclosure and categories of HIV transmission risk in men who have sex with men living with HIV. International Journal of STD & AIDS, 29(8), 744-750.

   

   

• Honors & Awards

  2013-2014 – Fulbright Scholar Award, Ethiopia, Addis Ababa University

• Areas of Expertise
  • Quantitative Methods
  • Evidence-based Interventions and use of evidence/research in education
  • Methodology capacity-building
  • Evaluation and evidence
• Files

  Download Ann O’Connell CV