An Introduction to Structural Equation Modelling in R

Structural equation modelling refers to the use of a diverse range of methods to simultaneously assess complex pathways and relationships between multiple variables, while also often incorporating the inclusion of latent variables representing concepts that cannot be directly observed but can be approximated through the use of multiple indicators.

This day course will provide a practical introduction to using structural equation modelling in applied social science with the lavaan package in R. By the end of the course, you will be able to estimate and assess the validity and reliability of latent variables and incorporate latent and continuous, ordinal, and binary observed variables in mediation models.

This training course will be useful for doctoral researchers working in areas where concepts or phenomena cannot be measured well with singular variables (e.g. wellbeing, stress, personal beliefs and attitudes) or who work with psychometric scales. It will also be useful for researchers interested in scale construction and questions of validity and reliability in quantitative research; in other words, how can we assess that what we think a set of questions in a survey are measuring is really what they are measuring, and how can we know whether such questions work equally well for measuring the thing we are interested in for all groups of people? Lastly, the content of the course will contain a lot of information that complements that found in the ‘new science of causality’.

Outcomes:

Participants in the course will be able to:

• Estimate and understand structural equation models and construct latent variables in R using the lavaan package;
• Assess the reliability and validity of latent factors using multigroup invariance testing, model fit, and other tests and criterion;
• Become familiar with lavaan syntax and how to specify, for example, constraints and equivalences as well as latent variables and models.

Contributors:

Dr Calum Webb is a Lecturer in Quantitative Social Science and Deputy Director of Advanced Data Analytics at the Sheffield Methods Institute, School of Education, University of Sheffield. He is Deputy Director of Advanced Data Analytics (ADA) for the WRDTP.

Important:

• This is an in-person event at The Wave, University of Sheffield (lunch and refreshments will be provided).
• You will need to install R, RStudio, and several required R libraries prior to the start of the course. You will also need to bring a personal laptop and any chargers or other peripherals you might require during the day.
• When booking, we ask that you use your institutional (.ac.uk) email address and complete all fields of the booking form. Thank you for your understanding.
• Bookings will close at 9.00am on Monday 19th January.
• Spaces at this event are limited. We therefore ask that you only book a place if you are sure that you will be able to attend.

Please note: The WRDTP is committed to sustainability and to reducing the waste from excess catering at events. A key challenge here is non-attendance at events. From October 1st 2025, the WRDTP will be changing the way we manage the non-attendance of PGR students who have booked place/s at WRDTP Training events. Any PGR student who does not inform the WRDTP (via [email protected]) that they will not be able to attend a WRDTP event at least 3 working days before the event takes place will have the cost of their place deducted from their RTSG (if a WRDTP-funded student), or have this charged to their department (if not funded by the WRDTP). This will allow us to better plan for events and to avoid catering waste. Thank you in advance for your cooperation on this matter.

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