ERIC Number: EJ1122918
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0895-7347
EISSN: N/A
Measurement Invariance in International Surveys: Categorical Indicators and Fit Measure Performance
Rutkowski, Leslie; Svetina, Dubravka
Applied Measurement in Education, v30 n1 p39-51 2017
In spite of the challenges inherent in making dozens of comparisons across heterogeneous populations, a relatively recent interest in scale-score equivalence for non-achievement measures in an international context has emerged. Until recently, operational procedures for establishing measurement invariance using multiple-groups analyses were typically supported with research that was limited in scope to few groups and relatively small sample sizes. Recent research that examined situations more representative of international surveys recommended some revisions to typically used fit measures. The current study extends this research and evaluates the performance of several fit measures when data are assumed to have an ordered categorical, rather than the typically assumed continuous, scale. Using a simulation study based on empirical results, findings indicated that classic measures and associated criteria were either unsuitable in a large-group and varied sample-size context or should be adjusted, particularly when observed variables were not normally distributed. We provide specific recommendations for revising currently used criteria for evaluating overall and relative fit based on the chi-square test, root mean-squared error of approximation, and comparative fit index (CFI).
Descriptors: International Assessment, Goodness of Fit, Statistical Analysis, Teacher Surveys, Administrator Surveys, Simulation, Sample Size, Measurement
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A