The authors examined the dimensionality of the VARK learning styles inventory. The VARK measures four perceptual preferences: visual (V), aural (A), read/write (R), and kinesthetic (K). VARK questions can be viewed as testlets because respondents can select multiple items within a question. The correlations between items within testlets are a type…

This study is an evaluation of the psychometric issues associated with estimating objective level scores, often referred to as "subscores." The article begins by introducing the concepts of reliability and validity for subscores from statewide achievement tests. These issues are discussed with reference to popular scaling techniques, classical…

Pilot studies are often recommended by scholars and consultants to address a variety of issues, including preliminary scale or instrument development. Specific concerns such as item difficulty, item discrimination, internal consistency, response rates, and parameter estimation in general are all relevant. Unfortunately, there is little discussion…

Recent research suggests that competitive work environments may influence individual's attitudes, behaviors, stress, and performance. Unfortunately, adequate measures of competitive environments are lacking. This article traces the development of a new multidimensional competitive work environment scale. An initial 59-item pool covering five…

This study investigated convergent validity evidence for student growth scores with high school course grades. The Measures of Academic Progress and Educational Planning and Assessment System growth scores for approximately 1,800 ninth-grade students over 2 years were related to language, arts, and mathematics course grades for developmental,…

A typical question in multiple regression analysis is to determine if a set of predictors gives the same degree of predictor power in two different populations. Olkin and Finn (1995) proposed two asymptotic-based methods for testing the equality of two population squared multiple correlations, [rho][superscript 2][subscript 1] and…

The present study evaluates a prospective observer form of the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) by comparing the two forms in terms of factor structure, mean differences, reliability, and examining correlations between self-report and peer ratings. A total of 163 pairs of friends complete the CISS and an observer form of the CISS.…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the application of the parallel analysis (PA) method for choosing the number of factors in component analysis for situations in which data are dichotomous or ordinal. Although polychoric correlations are sometimes used as input for component analyses, the random data matrices generated for use in PA…

Parallel analysis has been shown to be suitable for dimensionality assessment in factor analysis of continuous variables. There have also been attempts to demonstrate that it may be used to uncover the factorial structure of binary variables conforming to the unidimensional normal ogive model. This article provides both theoretical and empirical…

This article presents a motivational conceptualization of engagement and disaffection: First, it emphasizes children's constructive, focused, enthusiastic participation in the activities of classroom learning; second, it distinguishes engagement from disaffection, as well as behavioral features from emotional features. Psychometric properties of…

Educational and psychological tests are often composed of multiple short subtests, each measuring a distinct latent trait. Unfortunately, short subtests suffer from low measurement precision, which makes the bandwidth-fidelity dilemma inevitable. In this study, the authors demonstrate how a multidimensional Rasch analysis can be employed to take…

An exact permutation test is provided for the tetrachoric correlation coefficient. Comparisons with the conventional test employing Student's t distribution demonstrate the necessity of using the permutation approach for small sample sizes and/or disproportionate marginal frequency totals. (Contains 4 tables.)

This study was conducted to evaluate alternative analysis strategies for the meta-analysis method of reliability generalization when the reliability estimates are not statistically independent. Five approaches to dealing with the violation of independence were implemented: ignoring the violation and treating each observation as independent,…

Building on the Kelley and Gulliksen versions of classical test theory, this article shows that a logistic model having only a single item parameter can account for varying item discrimination, as well as difficulty, by using item-test correlations to adjust incorrect-correct (0-1) item responses prior to an initial model fit. The fit occurs…

This study examined the reliability and validity of the scores of a Chinese-translated version of the Gifted Rating Scales-School Form (GRS-S) using parents as raters and explored the effects of gender and grade on the ratings. A total of 222 parents participated in the study and rated their child independently using the Chinese version of the…