"I would strongly recommend this book for use as a primary text in any SEM course. It offers a clear, applied presentation of complicated SEM techniques for a wide array of audiences with various abilities. The text would be beneficial for students with a limited background in theoretical statistics, as well as those with a strong understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of SEM. I often refer to this text in my everyday work, due to the clarity with which the material is presented."--Greg Welch, PhD, Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families, and Schools, University of Nebraska-Lincoln "The skill and knowledge sets for evaluating and using SEM have become important components of social science education. Kline provides a text that is accessible for graduate students, practitioners, and researchers who are not intimately familiar with SEM techniques. In addition, he effortlessly summarizes current information that researchers who already use SEM should have. The reorganization of the material, new topic boxes, new Web page, and updated technical information enhance an already great resource.

A major strength of the book is the individual chapter examples with explanation of the values provided from a variety of statistical analysis packages. I will continue to use this third edition as the primary text in my SEM course, and highly recommend it as both a text and a technical resource."--James B. Schreiber, PhD, Center for Advancing the Study of Teaching and Learning, Duquesne University  "In the third edition, Kline has improved the pedagogical value of his book relative to prior editions and to other SEM books. The many exercises help a reader understand how to apply important chapter concepts, making the book not only useful for an SEM course, but also an effective resource for self-study. The Web page featuring complete computer syntax and data for the examples is very helpful. Other new material further supports a reader's understanding of SEM; for example, Chapter 2 provides more information on multiple regression/correlation, and the chapter on data preparation has been expanded to cover important topics such as positive-definite matrices, which are among the most common problems researchers experience when using SEM. This edition also provides more information on available SEM software, including an entire chapter on the use of computer software.

"--Craig Wells, PhD, School of Education, University of Massachusetts-Amherst   "Chapters 2 and 3 review important concepts in multiple regression and data screening, both of which are critical to understand before learning SEM. From an instructor''s perspective, I enjoyed reading these chapters very much. They are well written, logically organized, and easy to follow. Another strength of the book is the thorough and comprehensive reference list on various topics."--Duan Zhang, PhD, College of Education, University of Denver   "I am excited about this book. The coverage is excellent and the writing style is friendly and direct, with a subtle humor that I find refreshing. I especially like the new topic boxes in the third edition, most of which discuss issues that I have had to address separately in lectures."--Jacob Marszalek, PhD, Division of Counseling and Educational Psychology, University of Missouri-Kansas City   "If you didn''t think a statistics text could be riveting, read this book! The first chapter covers basic statistical concepts in better detail and more clearly than other texts that are meant to be general introductions.

Discussing extremely helpful articles that have examined SEM research, Kline identifies and provides empirical evidence of potential problems with using and reporting SEM. This helps readers understand what to do (and what not to do) from the very beginning. I love it that one of the goals is to help readers avoid common mistakes in SEM."--Debbie Hahs-Vaughn, PhD, Department of Educational Research, Technology, and Leadership, University of Central Florida   "This is now the #1 book I will recommend to students and substantive researchers (who are not quantitative specialists) who want to learn SEM! Compared to most SEM books that I have seen, this one strikes a better balance between accessibility and breadth. In the third edition, Kline not only has updated the material, but has substantially improved it. He adds more depth to certain topics--such as estimation, in Chapter 7--and covers some intermediate-to-advanced topics not described in the previous edition, all at a level appropriate for beginners."--Noel A. Card, PhD, Division of Family Studies and Human Development, University of Arizona   "A terrific introduction to SEM.

Kline offers some of the basics and does so in a way that is quite approachable for students. I have recommended this text to a number of people who were just beginning to use SEM, and will continue to do so."--R. Lance Holbert, PhD, School of Communications, Ohio State University "Of all the introductory SEM texts, this one is the most interesting to read. Anyone who has taken a course in basic algebra or introductory statistics will be able to understand the ideas and work through the exercises, and those who work their way through the book will have a good foundation in SEM and will be able to use it effectively."--David F. Gillespie, PhD, George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis.