Descriptive fit indices that do not require a formal statistical basis and do not specifically depend on a given estimation criterion are useful as auxiliary devices for judging the appropriateness of unrestricted or exploratory factor analytical (UFA) solutions, when the problem is to decide the most appropriate number of common factors. While…

Identifying items with differential item functioning (DIF) in an assessment is a crucial step for achieving equitable measurement. One critical issue that has not been fully addressed with existing studies is how DIF items can be detected when data are multilevel. In the present study, we introduced a Lord's Wald X[superscript 2] test-based…

Asymmetric Likert-type items in research studies can present several challenges in data analysis, particularly concerning missing data. These items are often characterized by a skewed scaling, where either there is no neutral response option or an unequal number of possible positive and negative responses. The use of conventional techniques, such…

Training in school-based consultation may encompass instruction on various consultation models, aims, and work with various partners. However, it is unclear how trainers currently structure coursework and the extent to which social justice is embedded in class. Therefore, we conducted a systematic replication of Hazel et al. (2010) analyses of…

Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) are widely used in digital learning systems, as they allow for automating the assessment process. However, owing to the increased digital literacy of students and the advent of social media platforms, MCQ tests are widely shared online, and teachers are continuously challenged to create new questions, which is an…

This research aims to compare the ability and item parameter estimations of Item Response Theory according to Maximum likelihood and Bayesian approaches in different Monte Carlo simulation conditions. For this purpose, depending on the changes in the priori distribution type, sample size, test length, and logistics model, the ability and item…

This software review discusses the capabilities of Stata to conduct item response theory modeling. The commands needed for fitting the popular one-, two-, and three-parameter logistic models are initially discussed. The procedure for testing the discrimination parameter equality in the one-parameter model is then outlined. The commands for fitting…

Two independent statistical tests of item compromise are presented, one based on the test takers' responses and the other on their response times (RTs) on the same items. The tests can be used to monitor an item in real time during online continuous testing but are also applicable as part of post hoc forensic analysis. The two test statistics are…

Item response theory (IRT) refers to a family of mathematical models which describe the relationship between latent continuous variables (attributes or characteristics) and their manifestations (dichotomous/polytomous observed outcomes or responses) with regard to a set of item characteristics. Researchers typically use parametric IRT (PIRT)…

Balancing assessment of learning outcomes with the expectations of students is a perennial challenge in education. Difficult exams, in which many students perform poorly, exacerbate this problem and can inspire a wide variety of interventions, such as a grading curve. However, addressing poor performance can sometimes distort or inflate grades and…

GCSE examinations (taken by students aged 16 years in England) are not intended to be speeded (i.e. to be partly a test of how quickly students can answer questions). However, there has been little research exploring this. The aim of this research was to explore the speededness of past GCSE written examinations, using only the data from scored…

This note is concerned with evaluation of location parameters for polytomous items in multiple-component measuring instruments. A point and interval estimation procedure for these parameters is outlined that is developed within the framework of latent variable modeling. The method permits educational, behavioral, biomedical, and marketing…

Many organizations utilize some form of automation in the test assembly process; either fully algorithmic or heuristically constructed. However, one issue with heuristic models is that when the test assembly problem changes the entire model may need to be re-conceptualized and recoded. In contrast, mixed-integer programming (MIP) is a mathematical…

The purpose of this study is to introduce a method for converting scored 4-option multiple-choice (MC) items into scored 3-option MC items without re-pretesting the 3-option MC items. This study describes a six-step process for achieving this goal. Data from a professional credentialing exam was used in this study and the method was applied to 24…

The Remote Associates Test (RAT; Mednick, 1962; Mednick & Mednick, 1967) is a commonly employed test of creative convergent thinking. The RAT is scored with a dichotomous scoring, scoring correct answers as 1 and all other answers as 0. Based on recent research into the information processing underlying RAT performance, we argued that the…