Abstract

Proficiency in strategic processing is beneficial for accomplishing tasks in a variety of domains. It has been linked to achievement outcomes across the lifespan, though effective strategic processing varies across learning tasks and contexts. Given this, research methods that are capable of capturing dynamic strategic processing are helpful, though they can produce a lot of data that can be challenging to analyze. These data may be analyzed using variable-centered approaches, depending on the nature of the data and research aims. In this chapter, first we outline the differences between variable-centered and person-centered analyses in the study of strategy use and strategic processing. Then we outline different kinds of variable-centered analyses that can be employed to understand and represent these data. We conclude with a summary of observations about the use of variable-centered analysis in the extant literature, as well as practical implications and future directions.