Assessing Measurement Invariance For Applied Research

This user-friendly guide illustrates how to assess measurement invariance using computer programs, statistical methods, and real data.

"Assessing Measurement Invariance for Applied Research will provide psychometricians and researchers across diverse disciplines in the social sciences the necessary knowledge and skills to select and apply appropriate methods to assess measurement invariance. It is a user-friendly guide that describes a variety of statistical methods using a pedagogical framework emphasizing conceptual understanding with extensive illustrations that demonstrate how to use software to analyze real data. A companion website (people.umass.edu/cswells) provides downloadable computer syntax and the data sets demonstrated in this book so readers can use them to become familiar with the analyses and understand how to apply the methods with proficiency to their own work. Evidence-supported methods that can be readily applied to real world data are described and illustrated, providing researchers with many options from which to select given the characteristics of their data. The approaches include observed-score methods and those that use item response theory models and confirmatory factor analysis,"--

Multi-item surveys are frequently used to study scores on latent factors, like human values, attitudes and behavior. Such studies often include a comparison, between specific groups of individuals, either at one or multiple points in time. If such latent factor means are to be meaningfully compared, the measurement structures including the latent factor and their survey items should be stable across groups and/or over time, that is ‘invariant’. Recent developments in statistics have provided new analytical tools for assessing measurement invariance (MI). The aim of this special issue is to provide a forum for a discussion of MI, covering some crucial ‘themes’: (1) ways to assess and deal with measurement non-invariance; (2) Bayesian and IRT methods employing the concept of approximate measurement invariance; and (3) new or adjusted approaches for testing MI to fit increasingly complex statistical models and specific characteristics of survey data. The special issue started with a kick-off meeting where all potential contributors shared ideas on potential papers. This expert workshop was organized at Utrecht University in The Netherlands and was funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO-VENI-451-11-008). After the kick-off meeting the authors submitted their papers, all of which were reviewed by experts in the field. The papers in the eBook are listed in alphabetical order, but in the editorial the papers are introduced thematically. Although it is impossible to cover all areas of relevant research in the field of MI, papers in this eBook provide insight on important aspects of measurement invariance. We hope that the discussions included in this special issue will stimulate further research on MI and facilitate further discussions to support the understanding of the role of MI in multi-item surveys.

The SAGE Handbook of Survey Development and Application provides a practical resource that researchers can go to for cutting-edge tools to ensure they are employing the best survey research techniques. This handbook not only covers the classic and innovational skills and approaches involved at every step of the survey research process, but also centres itself around applied, how-to guidance to aid readers in best practice. Chapters engage with a broad range of topics including sampling issues, approaches to establishment of measurement equivalence, and the use of online labour pools in survey development. With contributions from a global community of leading and emerging scholars across a wide variety of disciplines, this Handbook is focused on being applicable and accessible across the social sciences. Containing over 120 tables and figures, checklists and tutorial guides, The SAGE Handbook of Survey Development and Application will serve as a one stop resource for survey research. This handbook serves as a touchstone for a variety of fields such as Organizational Behavior, Industrial & Organizational Psychology, Management, Psychology, Educational Research, Marketing, Public Policy, and others. PART 1: Conceptual Issues and Operational Definition PART 2: Research Design Considerations PART 3: Item Development PART 4: Scale Improvement Methods PART 5: Data Collection PART 6: Data Management and Analysis PART 7: Research Production and Dissemination PART 8: Applications

Multi-item surveys are frequently used to study scores on latent factors, like human values, attitudes and behavior. Such studies often include a comparison, between specific groups of individuals, either at one or multiple points in time. If such latent factor means are to be meaningfully compared, the measurement structures including the latent factor and their survey items should be stable across groups and/or over time, that is 'invariant'. Recent developments in statistics have provided new analytical tools for assessing measurement invariance (MI). The aim of this special issue is to provide a forum for a discussion of MI, covering some crucial 'themes': (1) ways to assess and deal with measurement non-invariance; (2) Bayesian and IRT methods employing the concept of approximate measurement invariance; and (3) new or adjusted approaches for testing MI to fit increasingly complex statistical models and specific characteristics of survey data. The special issue started with a kick-off meeting where all potential contributors shared ideas on potential papers. This expert workshop was organized at Utrecht University in The Netherlands and was funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO-VENI-451-11-008). After the kick-off meeting the authors submitted their papers, all of which were reviewed by experts in the field. The papers in the eBook are listed in alphabetical order, but in the editorial the papers are introduced thematically. Although it is impossible to cover all areas of relevant research in the field of MI, papers in this eBook provide insight on important aspects of measurement invariance. We hope that the discussions included in this special issue will stimulate further research on MI and facilitate further discussions to support the understanding of the role of MI in multi-item surveys.

This book brings together expert research on the history of psychological assessment across the continents and spanning over 50 countries.

With its emphasis on practical and conceptual aspects, rather than mathematics or formulas, this accessible book has established itself as the go-to resource on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Detailed, worked-through examples drawn from psychology, management, and sociology studies illustrate the procedures, pitfalls, and extensions of CFA methodology. The text shows how to formulate, program, and interpret CFA models using popular latent variable software packages (LISREL, Mplus, EQS, SAS/CALIS); understand the similarities and differences between CFA and exploratory factor analysis (EFA); and report results from a CFA study. It is filled with useful advice and tables that outline the procedures. The companion website (www.guilford.com/brown3-materials) offers data and program syntax files for most of the research examples, as well as links to CFA-related resources. New to This Edition *Updated throughout to incorporate important developments in latent variable modeling. *Chapter on Bayesian CFA and multilevel measurement models. *Addresses new topics (with examples): exploratory structural equation modeling, bifactor analysis, measurement invariance evaluation with categorical indicators, and a new method for scaling latent variables. *Utilizes the latest versions of major latent variable software packages.

This accessible book has established itself as the go-to resource on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for its emphasis on practical and conceptual aspects rather than mathematics or formulas. Detailed, worked-through examples drawn from psychology, management, and sociology studies illustrate the procedures, pitfalls, and extensions of CFA methodology. The text shows how to formulate, program, and interpret CFA models using popular latent variable software packages (LISREL, Mplus, EQS, SAS/CALIS); understand the similarities ...