Amota Ataneka

Amota Ataneka

Graduate Assistant

Email

Professional Summary

Amota Ataneka is a quantitative methodologist and applied evaluator with advanced expertise in program evaluation, performance measurement, and causal impact analysis. His work focuses on strengthening the credibility, transparency, and methodological integrity of evaluations conducted in complex public-sector environments.

A central component of his recent research involves integrating causal machine learning methods with latent variable measurement models to improve the validity of impact estimates. In many social and government evaluations, key outcomes such as wellbeing, burnout, satisfaction, or perceptions of service quality are measured through multi-item surveys rather than directly observed indicators. Conventional approaches often rely on composite scores without formally accounting for measurement error, which can bias program effect estimates.

To address this, Amota develops and applies evaluation frameworks that jointly consider measurement structure and causal identification. His work combines:

  • Double-robust causal estimation methods, including Targeted Maximum Likelihood Estimation (TMLE)
  • Machine learning–based model selection to reduce bias from functional form misspecification
  • Explicit modelling of latent constructs to improve outcome reliability
  • Robust variance estimation and sensitivity analysis to appropriately quantify uncertainty
In a recent evaluation of mental health-focused teacher induction supports, he applied TMLE with ensemble machine learning to estimate program effects on teacher burnout, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. This work involved handling high-dimensional covariates, addressing missing data, modelling latent outcomes derived from survey indicators, and comparing machine learning–based estimates with traditional regression approaches. The objective was to ensure that conclusions regarding program effectiveness were defensible under realistic data limitations and modelling uncertainty.

In addition to this work, his doctoral thesis at James Cook University focused on the development of Critical Data Envelopment Analysis (Critical DEA), an equitable performance evaluation framework for homogeneous public-sector entities operating under shared policy and funding environments. This framework was designed to evaluate institutions such as government agencies, schools, and banks in a way that accounts for contextual and structural variation rather than attributing differences solely to operational efficiency. Applied to Queensland state primary schools, this work involved integrating achievement data, survey microdata, financial inputs, and contextual indicators to construct fair, transparent, and policy-relevant performance metrics. The framework emphasises equity-informed interpretation, ensuring that evaluation conclusions do not penalise entities operating in structurally disadvantaged environments.

In addition to observational impact evaluation, Amota contributes to the design and analysis of randomized and quasi-experimental studies. He is currently contributing a chapter to the Oxford Handbook of Impact Evaluation focused on cluster randomized trials (CRTs). This work provides practical guidance on the design, analysis, and interpretation of evaluations where interventions are assigned at the group level (e.g., schools, communities, or service units). The chapter addresses:
  • Rationale for cluster-level randomization
  • Design trade-offs and statistical power considerations
  • Appropriate analytic strategies for clustered data
  • Handling heterogeneity and contextual effects
  • Implications for policy interpretation
This work reflects his broader commitment to ensuring that evaluation designs align with program implementation structures and that statistical analysis appropriately reflects clustering and dependency.
Across all projects, his evaluation approach emphasises:
  • Strong internal validity and careful causal interpretation
  • Measurement integrity and reliability of key outcomes
  • Transparent documentation of assumptions and limitations
  • Reproducibility and quality assurance
  • Clear translation of technical findings into policy-relevant conclusions
His work bridges advanced statistical methodology and applied public-sector evaluation, with a consistent focus on improving the fairness, robustness, and accountability of evidence used in government decision-making.

Amota published and presented his work at premier conferences, including the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the American Evaluation Association (AEA), and the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE).

Education

Bachelor of Economics: University of Queensland Australia, 2011

Master's of Public Administration (MPA): University of Hawaii USA, 2017

Ph.D. (Education): James Cook University

Positions and Work Experience

- Teaching Assistant: Graduate-level Research Methods Courses: Course Title: EDST8086 Causal Inference for the Social Sciences; Where: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), Institute for Social Research (ISR), University of Michigan, USA; When: Summer 2024 ,

- Teaching Assistant: Graduate-level Research Methods Courses: Course Title: EDST8086 Experimental & Quasi-experimental Research for Causal Inference Where: School of Education, College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services, University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. When: Fall 2023; Spring 2024; Fall 2024,

- Teaching Assistant: Graduate-level Research Methods Courses: Course Title: EDST8089 Structural Equation Modeling Where: School of Education, College of Education, Criminal Justice and Human Services, University of Cincinnati, Ohio, USA When: Spring 2025,

- Workshop/Professional-Development Instructor:1. Workshop Name: PD25-10 Designing Adequately Powered Cluster and Multisite Randomized Trials to Detect Main Effects, Moderation, and Mediation Where: American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference, Denver, Colorado, USA. Link When: April 2025, https://tinyurl.com/28cpmdee

- Workshop/Professional-Development Instructor:Workshop Name: Designing Adequately Powered Cluster and Multisite Randomized Trials to Detect Main Effects, Moderation, and Mediation. Where: American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference, Chicago, IL, USA. Link When: April 2023 Notes: Participants paid $90 on top of conference registration fee to attend this workshop,

- Workshop/Professional-Development Instructor:Workshop Name: Designing Adequately Powered Cluster and Multisite Randomized Trials to Detect Main Effects, Moderation, and Mediation. Where: Annual Meeting of the American Evaluation Association (AEA), Indianapolis, USA. When: October 2023 Notes: Paid workshop; Link , https://eval23.eventscribe.net/fsPopup.asp?PresentationID=1282613&mode=presInfo

- Workshop/Professional-Development Instructor:Workshop Name: Designing Adequately Powered Multilevel Studies Cluster Randomized Trials to Detect Main Effects, Moderation, and Mediation. Where: Northeastern Educational Research Conference (NERA) Conference, Trumbull, Connecticut, USA. Link When: October 2023 Notes: Paid workshop, https://www.nera-education.org/annual_conference.php,

Research Support

Grant: #1760884 Investigators:PIs: Benjamin Kelcey, Nianbo Dong National Science Foundation (NSF) Designing Multisite Mediation Studies to Track Teacher Development Processes in Mathematics Role:Collaborator $499,996.00 Completed Type:Grant

Grant: #1552535 Investigators:PIs: Benjamin Kelcey National Science Foundation (NSF) Multilevel Mediation Models to Study the Impact of Teacher Development on Student Achievement in Mathematics. Role:Contributor $679,105.00

Grant: #2321191 01-01-2024 -12-31-2026 U.S National Science Foundation (NSF) An Explanatory Machine Learning Framework for Teacher Effectiveness in STEM Education Role:Contributor $349,999.00 Active Type:Grant

Investigators:McLean LE, Youngs P, Bartell T, Kelcey B, Jones ND The Impacts of Pre-service Supervised Field Experiences on Elementary Teachers Retention and Effectiveness in Mathematics Role:Contributor $1,493,082.00 Type:Grant

Publications

Peer Reviewed Publications

Bai, F., Xie, Y., Kelcey, B., Ataneka, A., McLean, L., & Phelps, G. (2024). Design Parameter Values for Planning Mediation Studies with Teacher and Student Mathematics Outcomes. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/19345747.2024.2349670

Ataneka, A., Bai, F., Xie, Y., Kelcey, B., McLean, L.  (2026). Evaluations of Literacy-Based Programs: Empirical Values for Designing Studies Probing Mediation. Eavaluation Review, 0 (0) More Information

Ataneka, A., Doyle, T., Tomas, L., (in progress). ‘Red-Dirt Thinking’ of School Performance Evaluation: A CritQuant Application of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in Queensland State Primary Schools.

Bai, F., Kelcey, B., Ataneka, A., Xie, Y., Cox, K., & Dong, N. (revised and resubmitted). Designing Multisite Randomized Trials to Detect (Conditional) Mediation Effects. American Journal of Evaluation.

Bai, F., Kelcey, B., Xie, Y., Ataneka, A., Cox, K., & Dong, N.  (2025). Design and Analysis of Multisite Cluster-Randomized Trials Targeting (Conditional) Mediation Effects. The Journal of Experimental Education More Information

Bai, F., Kelcey, B., Ataneka, A., (in-progress), Missing Data in Multilevel Structural Equation Models: A Multilevel Structural-After-Measurement Estimation Approach, Link

Ataneka, A., Kelcey, B., McLean, L., Youngs, P., (in progress), Evaluating the Causal Effect of Teacher Mental Health Induction Program on Teacher Burnout, Depression and Anxiety, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis Link

Ataneka, A., Kelcey, B (in progress)Causal Machine Learning with Latent Outcomes. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence

Other Publications

Ataneka, A., Kelcey, B., Dong, N., Bulus, M., & Bai, F. (2023) Power-Up Shiny App User Guide 0.9 .https://www.causalevaluation.org/power-analysis.html,

Ataneka A., (2016) Evaluating the efficiency of public hospitals in the State of Hawaii .

Hawaii public Hospitals Efficiency

Book Chapter

Ataneka A., Kelcey B., (2026). Cluster Randomized Trials (CRT). In Oxford Handbook for Impact Evaluations. Oxford Press

Presentations

Invited Presentations

Bai, F., Ataneka, A., Kelcey, B., & Xie, Y (2023. ) Designing Adequately Powered Multilevel Studies Cluster Randomized Trials to Detect Main Effects, Moderation, and Mediation .University of Connecticut, Trumbull, Connecticut, USA, https://www.nera-education.org/annual_conference.php. Workshop. . Level:Regional

Ataneka, A., Xie, Y., Bai, F., Kelcey, B., & Dong, N. (Oct 2023). Symposium Title: Exploring Variation in Populations and Outcomes: Challenging Design Conventions in Study Parameters, Paper Presented: Design Parameter Values for Multilevel Mediation Studies of Teacher Development. Northeastern Educational Research Conference (NERA) Conference 2023, Trumbull, Connecticut, USA. Link

Xie, Y., Bai, F., Ataneka, A., & Kelcey, B., (2024), Symposium Title: Design and Analysis for Causal Inferences in and across, Paper Presented: Moderation in Multisite Partially Nested Trials: Estimation, Inference, and Design Studies, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, Link

Poster Presentations

Bai, F., Kelcey, B., Ataneka, A., Xie, Y., Dong, N., (April 2025), Experimental Power for Mediation Ataneka, A., Xie, Y., Bai, F., Kelcey, B., & Dong, N. (Oct 2023). Design Parameter Values for Multilevel Mediation Studies of Teacher Development. Effects in Multisite Studies, Northeastern Educational Research Association (NERA), Tru Colorado, USA. Link

Colloquium

Ataneka, A., Xie, Y., Bai, F., Kelcey, B., & Dong, N. (04-2024). Design Parameter Values for Planning Mediation Studies With Teacher and Student Mathematics Outcomes. . Spring Conference, Louisville, Kentucky. Conference. Level:Regional

Paper Presentations

Ataneka, A., Xie, Y., Bai, F., Kelcey, B., & Dong, N. (05-2023. ) Design Parameter Values for Planning Mediation Studies With Teacher and Student Mathematics Outcomes. .Chicago. Conference. Level:National

Ataneka, A., (2017. ) Examining the Efficiency of Public Elementary Schools in the State of Hawaii: An Application of Data Envelopment Analysis .California. Conference. Level:National

Bai, F., Xie, Y., Kelcey, B., Ataneka, A., McLean, L., Dong, N., & Phelps, G. (10-2023. ) Design Parameter Values for Multilevel Mediation Studies of Teacher Development. .Connecticut. Conference.

Ataneka, A., Xie, Y., Bai, F., Kelcey, B., & Dong, N. (09-2023. ) Design Parameter Values for Multilevel Mediation Studies of Teacher Development. .Arlington Virginia . Conference. Level:National

Ataneka, A., Kelcey, B., McLean, L., Youngs, P., (April 2025), Evaluating the Causal Effect of Teacher Mental Health Induction Program on Teacher Burnout, Depression and Anxiety, Presented at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference, Denver, Colorado, USA, Link

Kelcey, B., Ataneka, A., (April 2025), Explanatory Machine Learning Methods for Teacher Effectiveness, American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference, Denver, Colorado, USA, Link

Ataneka, A., Xie, Y., Bai, F., Kelcey, B., & Dong, N. (Oct 2023). Design Parameter Values for Multilevel Mediation Studies of Teacher Development. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Evaluation Association (AEA), Indianapolis, IN. USA, Link

Kelcey, B., Xie, Y., Bai, F., & Ataneka, A. (November 2023). Moderation in Multisite Partially Nested Experiments: Estimation, Inference and Design. Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management (APPAM) Fall Conference 2023, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Kelcey, B., Bai, F., Cox, K., Xie, Y., & Ataneka, A. (April 2024). Structural After Measurement Estimation With Missing Data in Structural Equation Models. American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting 2024, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Link

Kelcey, B., Bai, F., & Ataneka, A. (April 2024). Structural After Measurement Estimation of higher order and (non)linear in n-level Structural Equation Models, American Evaluation Association (AEA) Annual Meeting 2024, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, Link

Kelcey, B., Bai, F., Ataneka, A., & Xie, Y. (April 2024). Experimental Design and Analysis of Multiple Group Individually-Randomized Group Trials. American Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting 2024, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Ataneka, A., Doyle, T., Engel, L., (2021), ‘Red-Dirt Thinking’ of School Performance Evaluation: A CritQuant Application of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) in Queensland State Primary Schools. CASE HDR Conference, Cairns, Australia

Symposium

Ataneka, A., Cox, K., Kelcey, B., Bai, F., Luce, Hannah., (10-2022. ) Detecting Moderation Effects in Cluster Randomized Trials with Partially Nested Data .Washington DC. Conference. Level:International

Ataneka, A., (Discussant) (11-2022. ) Principles of Estimation, Inference & Design in Partially Nested Regression Discontinuity Studies .New Orleans, Louisiana. Conference.

Professional Affiliation

2022 -2025: Official Member AERA (American Educational Research Association) , Washington DC

2022 -2025: Official Member AEA (American Evaluation Association), Washington DC

2022 -2025: Official Member APPAM (Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management), Washington DC

2022 -2025: Official Member SREE (Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness), Washington DC