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AbstractThe purpose of this study was to consider how researchers can incorporate item attributes into nonparametric person fit analysis for the purpose of providing additional insight into person fit beyond what is available using typical total-scale person fit approaches. Inspired by parametric person fit statistics that consider patterns of residuals at the total-scale, between-item-attribute, and within-item-attribute levels, we proposed simple adaptations to standard Mokken Scale Analysis (MSA) person fit analysis techniques to reflect these three levels of person fit analysis. We demonstrated the technique using a secondary analysis of survey data related to learning motivation and considered how the results may be interpreted in an affective assessment context. We used a simple exploratory simulation study to consider the techniques under a wider range of conditions. Overall, the results suggested that it is possible to incorporate item attributes into MSA person fit analysis at the total-scale, between-item-attribute, and within-item attribute levels, and that each set of analyses provides a unique perspective on person fit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractMokken Scale Analysis (MSA) is a nonparametric approach that offers exploratory tools for understanding the nature of item responses while emphasizing invariance requirements. MSA is often discussed as it relates to Rasch measurement theory, which also emphasizes invariance, but uses parametric models. Researchers who have compared and combined MSA and Rasch approaches have generally concluded that these approaches offer complementary perspectives. However, researchers have not considered how the two approaches may provide insight related to examinee subgroups. Using a simulation and illustrative real data analysis, we propose an exploratory approach to integrating MSA and Rasch techniques to understand item fit as it relates to differences in item characteristics between examinee subgroups. Our results suggest that integrating complete-sample and subgroup-level MSA and Rasch model item fit analyses can provide insight into differences in item quality between subgroups. In some cases, misfit at the complete sample level corresponds to subgroup-related differences. On the other hand, fit at the complete sample level does not guarantee consistent measurement properties within subgroups. When subgroups are important for scale interpretation and use, our results suggest that conducting separate analyses within groups and considering their results with respect to those from the full sample may lend useful insight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractResearchers frequently examine the effects of item attributes (i.e., item properties, item covariates, item formats) as part of item analysis for cognitive and affective assessments. In this study, we propose and illustrate item-explanatory Mokken Scale Analysis (MSA) as an exploratory nonparametric approach to examining item attributes based on invariance principles. We used real data and an illustrative simulation to demonstrate the approach under various conditions. Our results suggest that item-explanatory MSA provides practical and theoretical insight to support measurement research in a variety of contexts. Because of the emphasis on invariance, our approach can help researchers explore the impact of item characteristics on examinee responses and evaluate the degree to which item characteristics have a consistent interpretation for all examinees. We consider the implications of our findings for research and practice, along with directions for further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There are no psychometrically validated instruments available to measure motor skills of children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities (PIMD). In this study, the construct validity and reliability (Rho) of the Motor Development List for children with PIMD (MDL-PIMD), a proxy-reported measure, was investigated. Methods: The MDL-PIMD was filled in by parents of 52 children with PIMD every six months over a period of two years. The items of the original MDL were categorised into subscales. A Mokken scale analysis for polytomous items was conducted for five subscales (Posture, Locomotion, Reaching, Grabbing and Facial Actions). Results: Several items were deleted to improve scalability. All scales showed good scalability (range scale H.66-.78) and reliability (range Rho.92-.98). Conclusions: The MDL-PIMD seems to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the motor skills of children with PIMD, although more research is needed to confirm the factorial structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers apply individual person fit analyses as a procedure for checking model-data fit for individual test-takers. When a test-taker misfits, it means that the inferences from their test score regarding what they know and can do may not be accurate. One problem in applying individual person fit procedures in practice is the question of how much misfit it takes to make the test score an untrustworthy estimate of achievement. In this paper, we argue that if a person's responses generally follow a monotonic pattern, the resulting test score is "good enough" to be interpreted and used. We present an approach that applies statistical procedures from the Rasch and Mokken measurement perspectives to examine individual person fit based on this good enough criterion in real data from a performance assessment. We discuss how these perspectives may facilitate thinking about applying individual person fit procedures in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterosexual attitudes toward individuals with other sexual orientations and identities, such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, etc. (LGBTQIA+), have been conceptualized as multidimensional and wide-ranging. With the objective of measuring these attitudes, Worthington and colleagues developed the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Knowledge and Attitudes Scale for Heterosexuals (LGB-KASH). In this article, 540 college students were administered the LGB-KASH; these data were examined for their psychometric properties of the instrument using a sequential approach. The first step included descriptive analysis, including internal consistency measures and association rules, followed by the evaluation of dimension structure with factor analysis (confirmatory/exploratory), and, finally, item analysis using non-parametric (Mokken scale analysis) and parametric approaches (item response theory). Specific to the LGB-KASH factor structure, the current structure was not supported by these data; however, alternative subsets of items that could be used to revise the original instrument to obtain a more psychometrically sound measure are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the Global Education Reform Movement (GERM) spreads, key questions that attempt to identify both the nature and the increasing scope and scale of this phenomenon become empirically significant. The concern of this article is to highlight some of the complexities of measuring one key element of the GERM: the privatisation of public education systems. Exploring indicators of privatisation through a set of methods for analysing Likert-style data, Mokken scale analysis and Rasch analysis, we generate a scale to measure an educational phenomenon so complex that it can appear to defy measurement. Our intention is to demonstrate that complex phenomena should not be oversimplified for the purpose of generating numeric data and that measurement is possible. The results, drawn from a European-wide survey, portray a nuanced pattern of privatisation at this regional level in which public funding and ownership remain important, but schools are commonly adopting a wide range of "private-like" practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to develop a psychometrically sound short version of the 17-item Aging Males’ Symptoms (AMS) scale using Mokken scale analysis (MSA) and Rasch analysis. We recruited a convenient sample of 1787 men (age: mean (SD) = 43.8 (11.5) years) who visited a men’s health polyclinic in Taiwan and completed the AMS scale. The scale was first assessed using MSA. The remaining items were assessed using Rasch analysis. We used a stepwise approach to remove items withχ2item statistics and mean square values while monitoring unidimensionality. The item reduction process resulted in a 6-item version of the AMS scale (AMS-6). The AMS-6 scale included a 5-item psychosomatic subscale (original items 1, 4, 5, 8, and 9) and a 1-item sexual subscale (original item 16). Analyses confirmed that the 5-item psychosomatic subscale was a Rasch scale. The AMS-6 correlated well with the AMS scales: the 5-item psychosomatic subscale correlated with the AMS scale (rbetween 0.50 and 0.92); the 1-item sexual subscale correlated with the sexual subscale of the AMS scale (r = 0.81). A 6-item short form of the AMS scale had satisfactory measurement properties. This version may be useful for estimating psychosomatic and sexual symptoms as well as health-related quality of life with a minimal burden on respondents. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Collaboration among community organizations is considered an important strategy for addressing the challenges posed by complex problems and turbulent environments. Indeed, there has been a proliferation of research on factors influencing the formation of interorganizational relationships (IORs), including a marked emphasis on transaction costs, resource dependence, and strategic choice. Far less attention has been focused on interest convergence, communal will, and mutuality, all of which are central to Wilkinson’s social field theory. A pilot study (n = 30) was conducted to explore community development practitioners’ views concerning the involvement of field-theoretic processes in community-oriented IORs. Participants rated a series of Likert-format statements based on an interactional approach to emergent IORs among local development agencies. Non-parametric Mokken analysis of the item responses identified six hierarchically ordered scales reflecting core tenets of social field theory. This research was undertaken to advance contemporary methods of investigating field-interactional interpretations of community and organizational development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study developed an assessment scale that hierarchically classifies degrees of low back pain severity. This assessment scale consists of two subscales: 1) pain intensity; 2) pain interference. First, the assessment scale devised by the authors was used to administer a self-administered questionnaire to 773 male workers in the car manufacturing industry. Subsequently, the validity of the measurement items was examined and some of them were revised. Next, the corrected low back pain scale was used in a self-administered questionnaire, the subjects of which were 5053 ordinary workers. The hierarchical validity between the measurement items was checked based on the results of Mokken Scale analysis. Finally, a low back pain assessment scale consisting of seven items was perfected. Quantitative assessment is made possible by scoring the items and low back pain severity can be classified into four hierarchical levels: none; mild; moderate; severe. Statement of Relevance:The use of this scale devised by the authors allows a more detailed assessment of the degree of risk factor effect and also should prove useful both in selecting remedial measures for occupational low back pain and evaluating their efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]