What Are the Odds of That? A Primer on Understanding Logistic Regression

Abstract

The purpose of this Methodological Brief is to present a brief primer on logistic regression, a commonly used technique when modeling dichotomous outcomes. Using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), logistic regression techniques were used to investigate student-level variables in eighth grade (i.e., enrolled in a gifted class, gender, and socioeconomic status) that were associated with taking an Advanced Placement course in the 10th grade. Through the use of the NELS:88 data, the authors provide an example of how to interpret both categorical and continuous independent variables and illustrate how model fit can be assessed. © 2013 National Association for Gifted Children.