SCIS Research Seminar by Dr Paul Benjamin Lowry | How Researchers Can Leverage Two-stage Structural Equation Modeling (TSSEM) To Develop Robust Theoretical Models and Provide Effective Suggestions for Practice

This presentation introduces IS researchers to advanced MASEM, mainly through Two-Stage Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Modeling (TSSEM), which overcomes traditional limitations by pooling multivariate correlation matrices. Statistical methods, notably Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and meta-analysis, are crucial for testing hypotheses in Information Systems (IS) research. SEM evaluates complex models but cannot synthesize findings across studies. Meta-analysis, while underutilized in IS, aggregates results across diverse literature yet falls short for models with mediation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), or SEM constructs—key in testing IS theories like the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and Protection Motivation Theory (PMT). Meta-analytic structural Equation Modeling (MASEM) addresses these limitations by integrating SEM with meta-analysis, facilitating model fit testing and parameter estimation for latent variables. We explain the recent developments in MASEM using TSSEM and how it overcomes traditional univariate limitations by pooling multivariate correlation matrices. The TSSEM approach offers a robust framework for IS theory testing, improving the accuracy and generalizability of results and informing best practices in IS theory development and application. 

Prof. Paul Benjamin Lowry, Ph.D., is an Eminent Scholar and the Suzanne Parker Thornhill Chair Professor in Business Information Technology at the Pamplin College of Business at Virginia Tech, where he serves as the BIT Ph.D. and Graduate Programs Director. He also is a visiting professor at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is a former tenured Full Professor at City University of Hong Kong and The University of Hong Kong. He has published 290+ publications, including 170+ journal articles in the Journal of Management Information Systems (JMIS), Information Systems Research (ISR), MIS Quarterly (MISQ), Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS), Information Systems Journal (ISJ), European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS), and others. In the last 10+ years, he has been consistently ranked in the top 5 in the world in various top information systems journal rankings. His research interests include (1) organizational and behavioral security and privacy; (2) online deviance, online harassment, and computer ethics; (3) HCI, social media, and gamification; and (4) business analytics, decision sciences, innovation, and supply chains.