AUTHOR=McCoach D. Betsy , Kaniskan Burcu 

TITLE=Using time-varying covariates in multilevel growth models

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=1

YEAR=2010

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2010.00017

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2010.00017

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p>This article provides an illustration of growth curve modeling within a multilevel framework. Specifically, we demonstrate coding schemes that allow the researcher to model discontinuous longitudinal data using a linear growth model in conjunction with time-varying covariates. Our focus is on developing a level-1 model that accurately reflects the shape of the growth trajectory. We demonstrate the importance of adequately modeling the shape of the level-1 growth trajectory in order to make inferences about the importance of both level-1 and level-2 predictors.</p>