Rasch Measurement

This book applies Rasch measurement theory to the fields of education, psychology, sociology, marketing and health outcomes in order to measure various social constructs. The chief focus is on first principles of both the theory and its applications. Because software is readily available to carry out analyses of real data, numerous small examples are provided in the book. The software used in these examples, and which is helpful in working through the text, is RUMM2030 (Rasch unidimensional models for measurement). The book’s main goals are to equip researchers with the confidence they need in order to be in control of the analysis and interpretation of data, and to make professional rather than primarily statistical decisions mechanically. Because statistical principles are necessarily involved, reviews of the requisite statistics are provided in the Appendix. The content is based on courses that have been taught both online and in intensive form for over two decades. Although first principles are emphasised, much of the book is based on research conducted by the two authors and their colleagues.

Written in an accessible style, this book facilitates a deep understanding of the Rasch model. Authors Bond and Fox review the crucial properties of the Rasch model and demonstrate its use with a wide range of examples including the measurement of educational achievement, human development, attitudes, and medical rehabilitation. A glossary and numerous illustrations further aid the reader's understanding. The authors demonstrate how to apply Rasch analysis and prepare readers to perform their own analyses and interpret the results. Updated throughout, highlights of the Second Edition include: a new CD that features an introductory version of the latest Winsteps program and the data files for the book’s examples, preprogrammed to run using Winsteps; a new chapter on invariance that highlights the parallels between physical and human science measurement; a new appendix on analyzing data to help those new to Rasch analysis; more explanation of the key concepts and item characteristic curves; a new empirical example with data sets demonstrates the many facets of the Rasch model and other new examples; and an increased focus on issues related to unidimensionality, multidimensionality, and the Rasch factor analysis of residuals. Applying the Rasch Model is intended for researchers and practitioners in psychology, especially developmental psychologists, education, health care, medical rehabilitation, business, government, and those interested in measuring attitude, ability, and/or performance. The book is an excellent text for use in courses on advanced research methods, measurement, or quantitative analysis. Significant knowledge of statistics is not required.

This book focuses on the use of the Rasch measurement model in validation studies and in analyzing the psychometric properties of a variety of test instruments, questionnaires, and scales in international contexts. It broadly examines the development and application of Rasch modeling, providing in-depth analyses of the properties of various scales used in the fields of education, and humanities and social sciences research. The book includes exemplary works on educational research and practices that highlight recent and innovative applications, as well as theoretical and practical aspects of Rasch modeling. Readers will find it helpful to understand the latest approaches to Rasch measurement in educational research, as well as practices for future studies and quantitative research. 'This book provides a diverse set of perspectives on Rasch models from scholars across the globe. The volume is both theoretical and applied. The first section of the book provides an overview of Rasch modeling and explains the theoretical and conceptual framework underlying the Rasch model. The remainder of the book highlights multiple applications of the Rasch model within educational assessment as well as several examples of how Rasch modeling can be used for validation studies. This volume showcases the wide variety of ways in which Rasch modeling can be applied to assessment data to provide insights into students’ achievement and learning and to improve instruction.'–Betsy McCoach, University of Connecticut, USA. 'A well-written collection of articles. Grouped by the theoretical and applied aspects of Rasch measurement, each chapter in this edited volume makes notable contributions to knowledge and practice. Written by leading scholars in the field, these chapters were written in a clear, succinct, and assertive manner, providing readers with up-to-date information, analyses, and debates. This book should be found in the core collection of emerging researchers and established scholars in educational measurement.'–Timothy Teo, Murdoch University, Australia.

Rasch Measurement Theory Analysis in R provides researchers and practitioners with a step-by-step guide for conducting Rasch measurement theory analyses using R. It includes theoretical introductions to major Rasch measurement principles and techniques, demonstrations of analyses using several R packages that contain Rasch measurement functions, and sample interpretations of results. Features: Accessible to users with relatively little experience with R programming Reproducible data analysis examples that can be modified to accommodate users’ own data Accompanying e-book website with links to additional resources and R code updates as needed Features dichotomous and polytomous (rating scale) Rasch models that can be applied to data from a wide range of disciplines This book is designed for graduate students, researchers, and practitioners across the social, health, and behavioral sciences who have a basic familiarity with Rasch measurement theory and with R. Readers will learn how to use existing R packages to conduct a variety of analyses related to Rasch measurement theory, including evaluating data for adherence to measurement requirements, applying the dichotomous, Rating Scale, Partial Credit, and Many-Facet Rasch models, examining data for evidence of differential item functioning, and considering potential interpretations of results from such analyses.

Human ratings are subject to various forms of error and bias. Since the early days of performance assessment, this problem has been sizeable and persistent. For example, expert raters evaluating the quality of an essay, an oral communication, or a work sample, often come up with different ratings for the very same performance. In cases like this, assessment outcomes largely depend upon which raters happen to provide the rating, posing a threat to the validity and fairness of the assessment. This book provides an introduction to a psychometric approach that establishes a coherent framework for drawing reliable, valid, and fair inferences from rater-mediated assessments, thus answering the problem of inevitably fallible human ratings: many-facet Rasch measurement (MFRM). Throughout the book, sample data taken from a writing performance assessment are used to illustrate key concepts, theoretical foundations, and analytic procedures, stimulating the readers to adopt the MFRM approach in their current or future professional context.

Rasch Analysis in the Human Sciences helps individuals, both students and researchers, master the key concepts and resources needed to use Rasch techniques for analyzing data from assessments to measure variables such as abilities, attitudes, and personality traits. Upon completion of the text, readers will be able to confidently evaluate the strengths and weakness of existing instrumentation, compute linear person measures and item measures, interpret Wright Maps, utilize Rasch software, and understand what it means to measure in the Human Sciences. Each of the 24 chapters presents a key concept using a mix of theory and application of user-friendly Rasch software. Chapters also include a beginning and ending dialogue between two typical researchers learning Rasch, "Formative Assessment Check Points," sample data files, an extensive set of application activities with answers, a one paragraph sample research article text integrating the chapter topic, quick-tips, and suggested readings. Rasch Analysis in the Human Sciences will be an essential resource for anyone wishing to begin, or expand, their learning of Rasch measurement techniques, be it in the Health Sciences, Market Research, Education, or Psychology.

This unique text provides a step-by-step beginner’s guide to applying the Rasch model in R, a probabilistic model used by researchers across the social sciences to measure unobservable ("latent") variables. Each chapter is devoted to one popular Rasch model, ranging from the least to the most complex. Through a freely available and user-friendly package, BlueSky Statistics, Lamprianou offers a range of options for presenting results, critically examines the strengths and weaknesses of applying the Rasch model in each instance, and suggests more effective methodologies where applicable. With a focus on simple software code which does not assume extensive mathematical knowledge, the reader is initially introduced to the so-called simple Rasch Model to construct a "political activism" variable out of a group of dichotomously scored questions. In subsequent chapters, the book covers everything from the Rating Scale to the Many-facets Rasch model. The final chapter even showcases a complete mock manuscript, demonstrating how a Rasch-based paper on the identification of online hate speech should look like. Combining theoretical rigor and real-world examples with empirical datasets from published papers, this book is essential reading for students and researchers alike who aspire to use Rasch models in their research.

While the primary purpose of the book is a celebration of John’s contributions to the field of measurement, a second and related purpose is to provide a useful resource. We believe that the combination of the developmental history and theory of the method, the examples of its use in practice, some possible future directions, and software and data files will make this book a valuable resource for teachers and scholars of the Rasch method. This book is a tribute to Professor John P Keeves for the advocacy of the Rasch model in Australia. Happy 80th birthday John! xii There are good introductory texts on Item Response Theory, Objective Measurement and the Rasch model. However, for a beginning researcher keen on utilising the potentials of the Rasch model, theoretical discussions of test theory and associated indices do not meet their pragmatic needs. Furthermore, many researchers in measurement still have little or no knowledge of the features of the Rasch model and its use in a variety of situations and disciplines. This book attempts to describe the underlying axioms of test theory, and, in particular, the concepts of objective measurement and the Rasch model, and then link theory to practice. We have been introduced to the various models of test theory during our graduate days. It was time for us to share with those keen in the field of measurement in education, psychology and the social sciences the theoretical and practical aspects of objective measurement.