Applications of polytomous IRT models in applied fields (e.g., health, education, psychology) are abound. However, little is known about the impact of the number of categories and sample size requirements for precise parameter recovery. In a simulation study, we investigated the impact of the number of response categories and required sample size…

In two independent studies of questionnaire administration, respondents completed multidimensional self-concept inventories within four randomized research conditions that mirrored the most common administration formats used in practice: paper booklets with and without answer sheets and computer questionnaires with single versus multiple items per…

This study investigated the effect of complex structure on dimensionality assessment in compensatory multidimensional item response models using DETECT- and NOHARM-based methods. The performance was evaluated via the accuracy of identifying the correct number of dimensions and the ability to accurately recover item groupings using a simple…

A sampling methodology is proposed for determining lengths of tests designed to assess the comprehension of written discourse. It is based on Bormuth's transformational analysis, within a domain-referenced framework. Guidelines are provided for computing sample size and selecting sentences to which the transformational rules can be applied.…

Reliabilities and concurrent validities of teacher-made multiple-choice and true-false tests were compared. No significant differences were found even when multiple-choice reliability was adjusted to equate testing time. (Author/MH)

In the context of pass/fail decisions, using the Bock multi-nominal latent trait model for moderate-length tests does not produce decisions that differ substantially from those based on the raw scores. The Bock decisions appear to relate less strongly to outside criteria than those based on the raw scores. (Author/JAZ)