Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling

“Perfectly addresses the needs of social scientists like me without formal training in mathematical statistics....Can be read by any graduate in psychology or even by keen undergraduates interested in exploring new vistas. Yet it will also constitute a surprisingly good read for experienced researchers in search of some refreshing insights in their favorite techniques....A real tour de force....Succeeds in reconciling comprehensiveness and comprehensibility.”

—The Psychologist (on the second edition)


“The greatest strength of this book is Kline's ability to present materials in an engaging, accessible manner. In nearly all situations, Kline is able to describe even the more complex material in practical, (relatively) jargon-free terms....In this regard, this book is unparalleled, and I suspect that this strength alone will make this the book of choice for many who are eager to learn SEM but who do not possess extensive quantitative backgrounds....This book could be readily adapted to courses for students with a basic understanding of correlation and regression or as part of a course for more advanced students.”

—PsycCRITIQUES (on the second edition)


“This wonderfully written book is an impressive introduction to structural equation models (SEM) containing a sharp mix of expert analysis and observations....Contains important resources for both theoretical and applied researchers interested in SEM....Appropriate as a text for graduate students and a reference for researchers, providing both audiences with valuable insight into the subject matter.”

—Journal of the American Statistical Association (on the second edition)


“In this ambitious work, Kline thoughtfully and patiently presents diverse perspectives, effectively enlarging the world of SEM while maintaining coherence. The fifth edition's breadth and timeliness make it an easy choice as the primary text in a graduate course on SEM, with readability that journal articles often lack. Researchers will appreciate the book as an entry point to a range of literatures within the SEM world. Kline’s embrace of open-source R software for SEM is very welcome, as it makes the book’s computer examples immediately accessible to readers everywhere.”

—Edward E. Rigdon, PhD, Marketing RoundTable Professor, Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University


“Kline’s fifth edition is thoroughly updated and greatly expanded. I love the emphasis on Open Science, and I am impressed by the variety of new methodological techniques in SEM that Kline has managed to effectively introduce in the fifth edition. I can’t wait to use this text in my SEM class!”

—D. Betsy McCoach, PhD, Neag School of Education, University of Connecticut


“A wonderful introductory book that can be used by individuals without extensive quantitative backgrounds. I use this book to teach an introductory SEM course, but I also use it as a personal reference for my research. It is very readable, which is the number-one reason why I assign this text to my students. I love the walk-through examples with references to real data and syntax. I have always liked Kline’s practical recommendations, and they continue to be really helpful for newbies to SEM—my students constantly reference these sections.”

—Naomi Ekas, PhD, Department of Psychology, Texas Christian University


“One of the primary strengths of Kline’s book is that it is written in plain English, but with sufficient sophistication that the reader is well prepared to read more technical books or articles on advanced topics. Another strength is the helpful remedies and hints, such as the topic box on the causes of nonpositive definite data matrices and solutions. The most practical advantage of Kline’s text is the exercises at the end of each chapter, and the corresponding answers and explanations.”

—Stephanie Castro, PhD, College of Business, Florida Atlantic University


“The substantially revised fifth edition lives up to the reputation of prior editions and will be a valuable resource to anyone learning SEM. The online primers are very thorough and give students great refreshers on background topics, including exercises with answers. This edition has appropriate balance between the three 'families' of SEM; I appreciate the detailed descriptions of Pearl’s structural causal model.”

—Jam Khojasteh, PhD, College of Education and Human Services, Oklahoma State University