The purpose of this book is to present methods for developing, evaluating and maintaining rater-mediated assessment systems. Rater-mediated assessments involve ratings that are assigned by raters to persons responding to constructed-response items (e.g., written essays and teacher portfolios) and other types of performance assessments. This book addresses the following topics: (1) introduction to the principles of invariant measurement, (2) application of the principles of invariant measurement to rater-mediated assessments, (3) description of the lens model for rater judgments, (4) integration of principles of invariant measurement with the lens model of cognitive processes of raters, (5) illustration of substantive and psychometric issues related to rater-mediated assessments in terms of validity, reliability, and fairness, and (6) discussion of theoretical and practical issues related to rater-mediated assessment systems. Invariant measurement is fast becoming the dominant paradigm for assessment systems around the world, and this book provides an invaluable resource for graduate students, measurement practitioners, substantive theorists in the human sciences, and other individuals interested in invariant measurement when judgments are obtained with rating scales.

The purpose of this book is to present methods for developing, evaluating and maintaining rater-mediated assessment systems. Rater-mediated assessments involve ratings that are assigned by raters to persons responding to constructed-response items (e.g., written essays and teacher portfolios) and other types of performance assessments. This book addresses the following topics: (1) introduction to the principles of invariant measurement, (2) application of the principles of invariant measurement to rater-mediated assessments, (3) description of the lens model for rater judgments, (4) integration of principles of invariant measurement with the lens model of cognitive processes of raters, (5) illustration of substantive and psychometric issues related to rater-mediated assessments in terms of validity, reliability, and fairness, and (6) discussion of theoretical and practical issues related to rater-mediated assessment systems. Invariant measurement is fast becoming the dominant paradigm for assessment systems around the world, and this book provides an invaluable resource for graduate students, measurement practitioners, substantive theorists in the human sciences, and other individuals interested in invariant measurement when judgments are obtained with rating scales.

This introductory text describes the principles of invariant measurement, how invariant measurement can be achieved with Rasch models, and how to use invariant measurement to solve measurement problems in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. Rasch models are used throughout but a comparison of Rasch models to other item response theory (IRT) models is also provided. Written with students in mind, the manuscript was class tested to help maximize accessibility. Chapters open with an introduction and close with a summary and discussion. Numerous examples and exercises demonstrate the main issues addressed in each chapter. Key terms are defined when first introduced and in an end-of-text glossary. All of the book’s analyses were conducted with the Facets program. The data sets used in the book, sample syntax files for running the Facets program, Excel files for creating item and person response functions, links to related websites, and other material are available at www.GeorgeEngelhard.com. Highlights include: A strong philosophical and methodological approach to measurement in the human sciences Demonstrations of how measurement problems can be addressed using invariant measurement Practical illustrations of how to create and evaluate scales using invariant measurement A history of measurement based on test-score and scaling traditions Previously unpublished work in analyzing rating data, the detection and measurement of rater errors, and the evaluation of rater accuracy A review of estimation methods, model-data fit, indices used to evaluate the quality of rater-mediated assessments, rater error and bias, and rater accuracy. Intended as a supplementary text for graduate or advanced undergraduate courses on measurement or test theory, item response theory, scaling theory, psychometrics, advanced measurement techniques, research methods, or evaluation research taught in education, psychology, and the social and health sciences, the book also appeals to practitioners and researchers in these fields who develop or use scales and instruments. Only a basic mathematical level is required including a basic course in statistic.

This is the second edition of an introductory text that describes the principles of invariant measurement; how invariant measurement can be achieved using Rasch measurement theory; and how to use invariant measurement to solve a variety of measurement problems in the social, behavioral, and health sciences. Rasch models are used throughout the text, but brief comparisons of Rasch models to other item response theory (IRT) models are also provided. Written with students in mind, this new edition was class-tested to help maximize accessibility. Chapters open with an introduction and close with a discussion and summary. All chapters have been updated from the first edition, and a new chapter on explanatory Rasch models has been added. Features include numerous examples and exercises to demonstrate the main issues addressed in each chapter. Key terms are defined when first introduced and included in a helpful end-of-text glossary. This book also benefits from online materials which include the data sets used in the book, sample syntax files for running the Facets program, Excel files for creating item and person response functions, and links to related websites. This book will act as a supplementary text for graduate or advanced undergraduate courses on measurement or test theory, IRT, scaling theory, psychometrics, advanced measurement techniques, research methods, or evaluation research taught in education, psychology, and other social and health sciences. It will also appeal to practitioners and researchers in these fields who develop or use scales and instruments. Only a basic mathematical level is required, including a basic course in statistics, ensuring it is an accessible resource for students and researchers alike.

This book collects and organizes the original studies presented at PROMS 2015 conference on theories and applications of Rasch model. It provides useful examples of the Rasch model used to address practical measurement problems across a range of different disciplines including Item Response Theory (IRT), philosophy of measurement, dimensionality, the role of fit statistics and residuals, application, educational application, language testing, health-related research, business and industrial application and Rasch-based computer software. PROMS 2015 (Pacific Rim Objective Measurement Symposium) was held from August 20-24th 2015, in Fukuoka, Japan. The goal of this conference is to bring together the researchers from academia, universities, hospitals, industry, management sector as well as practitioners to share ideas, problems and solutions relating to the multifaceted aspects of Rasch Model.

Quantitative Data Analysis for Language Assessment Volume I: Fundamental Techniques is a resource book that presents the most fundamental techniques of quantitative data analysis in the field of language assessment. Each chapter provides an accessible explanation of the selected technique, a review of language assessment studies that have used the technique, and finally, an example of an authentic study that uses the technique. Readers also get a taste of how to apply each technique through the help of supplementary online resources that include sample data sets and guided instructions. Language assessment students, test designers, and researchers should find this a unique reference as it consolidates theory and application of quantitative data analysis in language assessment.