Despite the frequent use of state-of-the-art psychometric models in the field of medical education, there is a growing body of literature that questions their usefulness in the assessment of medical competence. Essentially, a number of authors raised doubt about the appropriateness of psychometric models as a guiding framework to secure and refine…

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of chance success on test equalization. For this purpose, artificially generated 500 and 1000 sample size data sets were synchronized using linear equalization and equal percentage equalization methods. In the data which were produced as a simulative, a total of four cases were created with no…

As an alternative to Cronbach's [alpha] for estimating scale reliability, McDonald's [omega] has attracted increased attention within the methodological community for its less stringent measurement assumptions. Notwithstanding, [omega] is still seldom used by practitioners, likely due to its unavailability in popular software packages (e.g., SPSS)…

The current study sought out to advance the Social Self-Efficacy and Social Outcome Expectations scale using multiple approaches to scale development. Data from 583 undergraduate students were used in two scale development approaches: Classic Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT). Confirmatory factor analysis suggested a 2-factor…

Writing assessments often consist of students responding to multiple prompts, which are judged by more than one rater. To establish the reliability of these assessments, there exist different methods to disentangle variation due to prompts and raters, including classical test theory, Many Facet Rasch Measurement (MFRM), and Generalizability Theory…

The study covers the development and testing of the alternative mechanics survey (AMS), a modified force concept inventory (FCI), which used automatically marked free-response questions. Data were collected over a period of three academic years from 611 participants who were taking physics classes at high school and university level. A total of…

Chalmers recently published a critique of the use of ordinal a[alpha] proposed in Zumbo et al. as a measure of test reliability in certain research settings. In this response, we take up the task of refuting Chalmers' critique. We identify three broad misconceptions that characterize Chalmers' criticisms: (1) confusing assumptions with…

The Fundamentals in Meteorology Inventory (FMI) concept inventory exam was recently developed to gauge understanding of fundamental meteorological concepts among introductory meteorology students. The exam was iteratively tested and refined over several years using a small sample of students. With a goal of evaluating the reliability and validity…

The van Hiele theory and van Hiele Geometry Test have been extensively used in mathematics assessments across countries. The purpose of this study is to use classical test theory (CTT) and cognitive diagnostic modeling (CDM) frameworks to examine psychometric properties of the van Hiele Geometry Test and to compare how various classification…

It is a much-lamented fact that research with the potential to inform or influence education policy instead remains policy inert. There are many reasons for this frustrating state of affairs, including a lack of strategic thinking on the part of researchers on how to successfully accomplish outreach--as opposed to communication with peers…

This dissertation is composed of a study of estimation methods in classical and test theories and the elaboration and application of a cluster-robust variance estimator. Variance estimators derived from generalized estimating equations are known to be robust to most covariance structures and are therefore well suited for psychometric analysis of…

This simulation study examines the characteristics of the Explanatory Item Response Model (EIRM) when estimating treatment effects when compared to classical test theory (CTT) sum and mean scores and item response theory (IRT)-based theta scores. Results show that the EIRM and IRT theta scores provide generally equivalent bias and false positive…

Although the principles behind assessment "for" and "as" learning are well-established, there can be a struggle when reforming traditional assessment "of" learning to a program which encompasses assessment "for" and "as" learning. When introducing and reporting reforms, tensions in faculty may…

Background/Context: Pass/fail standardized exams frequently selectively rescore failing exams and retest failing examinees. This practice distorts the test score distribution and can confuse those who do analysis on these distributions. In 2011, the Wall Street Journal showed large discontinuities in the New York City Regent test score…

The R software provides packages and functions that provide data analysis in classical true score, generalizability theory, item response theory, and Rasch measurement theories. A brief list of notable articles in each measurement theory and the first measurement journals is followed by a list of R psychometric software packages. Each psychometric…