In the social sciences, latent traits often have a hierarchical structure, and data can be sampled from multiple levels. Both hierarchical latent traits and multilevel data can occur simultaneously. In this study, we developed a general class of item response theory models to accommodate both hierarchical latent traits and multilevel data. The…

Response styles, the tendency to respond to Likert-type items irrespective of content, are a widely known threat to the reliability and validity of self-report measures. However, it is still debated how to measure and control for response styles such as extreme responding. Recently, multiprocess item response theory models have been proposed that…

This study compared the functioning of positively and negatively worded personality items using item response theory. In Study 1, word pairs from the Goldberg Adjective Checklist were analyzed using the Graded Response Model. Across subscales, negatively worded items produced comparatively higher difficulty and lower discrimination parameters than…

A study in a university clinic/laboratory investigated adaptive Bayesian scaling as a supplement to interpretation of scores on the Mini-IPIP. A "probability of belonging" in categories of low, medium, or high on each of the Big Five traits was calculated after each item response and continued until all items had been used or until a…

Many measurement biases affect student evaluations of instruction (SEIs). However, two have been relatively understudied: halo effects and ceiling/floor effects. This study examined these effects in two ways. To examine the halo effect, using a videotaped lecture, we manipulated specific teacher behaviors to be "good" or "bad"…

Adapting the original latitude of acceptance concept to Likert-type surveys, response latitudes are defined as the range of graded response options a person is willing to endorse. Response latitudes were expected to relate to attitude involvement such that high involvement was linked to narrow latitudes (the result of selective, careful…

The usefulness of the l[subscript z] person-fit index was investigated with achievement test data from 20 exams given to more than 3,200 college students. Results for three methods of estimating ? showed that the distributions of l[subscript z] were not consistent with its theoretical distribution, resulting in general overfit to the item response…

Data from 181 college students were used to assess whether math reasoning item response times in computerized testing can provide valid and reliable measures of a speed dimension. The alternate forms reliability of the speed dimension was .85. A two-dimensional structural equation model suggests that the speed dimension is related to the accuracy…

Outcomes assessments are gaining great attention in higher education because of increased demand for accountability. These assessments are widely used by U.S. higher education institutions to measure students' college-level knowledge and skills, including students who speak English as a second language (ESL). For the past decade, the increasing…

Estimation problems associated with the correlated-trait correlated-method (CTCM) parameterization of a multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) matrix are widely documented: the model often fails to converge; even when convergence is achieved, one or more of the parameter estimates are outside the admissible parameter space. In this study, the authors…

Questionnaire instruments are frequently administered in digital formats, largely web-based, without much systematic investigation of possible effects from these administration methods. Furthermore, little attention has been given to the contextual lack of control for extraneous factors that may influence user responses. In this study, 263…

The authors investigated the factor structure of the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence (SSREI) scale on international students. Via confirmatory factor analysis, the authors tested the fit of the models reported by Schutte et al. and five other studies to data from 640 international students in the United States. Results show that…

Hope is a motivational/cognitive attribute that is theoretically necessary to initiate and sustain action toward goal attainment. The Herth Hope Scale (HHS) not only appears to tap into some of the same Agency and Pathways content of the commonly used Adult Hope Scale developed by Snyder et al. but also contains some more spiritual and social…

The Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) is a measure of university students' approach to learning. Original evaluation of the scale's psychometric properties was based on a sample of Hong Kong university students' scores. The purpose of this study was to test and cross-validate the R-SPQ-2F factor structure, based on separate…

This study examined the psychometric properties of scores from the University Attachment Scale, a measure that operationalizes group and member attachment as two separate dimensions of attachment to a university. A two-factor model was championed over a one-factor model providing evidence of a distinction between university attachment and member…