Prior research highlights the benefits of multimode surveys and best practices for item-by-item (IBI) and matrix-type survey items. Some researchers have explored whether mode differences for online and paper surveys persist for these survey item types. However, no studies discuss measurement invariance when both item types and online modes are…

Although research on sensitive topics has produced a large body of knowledge on how to improve the quality of self-reported data, little is known regarding the sensitivity of offending questions, and much less is known regarding how topic sensitivity is affected by recall periods. In this study, we developed a multi-dimensional assessment of item…

International surveys are increasingly being used to understand nonacademic outcomes like math and science motivation, and to inform education policy changes within countries. Such instruments assume that the measure works consistently across countries, ethnicities, and languages--that is, they assume measurement invariance. While studies have…

The growing use of scales in survey questionnaires warrants the need to address how does polytomous differential item functioning (DIF) affect observed scale score comparisons. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of DIF on the type I error and effect size of the independent samples t-test on the observed total scale scores. A…

There has been a growing need felt by practitioners, researchers, and evaluators to obtain a common measure of science engagement that can be used in different out-of-school time (OST) science learning settings. We report on the development and validation of a novel 10-item self-report instrument designed to measure, communicate, and ultimately…

Covariance structure modelling is applied to the problem of estimating reliability and measurement error in survey data. To provide a basis for grouping certain question or variable types (data from questions), a simple typology based on the formal characteristics of the questions is outlined. From this classification, models for the different…