Differential item functioning (DIF) can occur across age, gender, ethnic, and/or linguistic groups of examinee populations. Therefore, whenever there is more than one group of examinees involved in a test, a possibility of DIF exists. It is important to detect items with DIF with accurate and powerful statistical methods. While finding a proper DIP method is essential, until now most of the available methods have been dominated by applications to large scale testing contexts. Since the early 1990s, Ramsay has developed a nonparametric item response methodology and computer software, TestGraf (Ramsay, 2000). The nonparametric item response theory (IRT) method requires fewer examinees and items than other item response theory methods and was also designed to detect DIF. However, nonparametric IRT's Type I error rate for DIF detection had not been investigated. The present study investigated the Type I error rate of the nonparametric IRT DIF detection method, when applied to moderate-to-small-scale testing context wherein there were 500 or fewer examinees in a group. In addition, the Mantel-Haenszel (MH) DIF detection method was included. A three-parameter logistic item response model was used to generate data for the two population groups. Each population corresponded to a test of 40 items. Item statistics for the first 34 non-DIF items were randomly chosen from the mathematics test of the 1999 TEVISS (Third International Mathematics and Science Study) for grade eight, whereas item statistics for the last six studied items were adopted from the DIF items used in the study of Muniz, Hambleton, and Xing (2001). These six items were the focus of this study.

No description available.

No description available.

Over the past few decades, the nature of work has undergone remarkable changes, resulting in a shift from manual demands to mental and emotional demands on employees. In order to manage these demands and optimise employee performance, organisations use well-being surveys to guide their interventions. Because these interventions have a drastic financial implication it is important to ensure the validity and reliability of the results. However, even if a validated measuring instrument is used, the problem remains that wellness audits might be reliable, valid and equivalent when the results of a group of people are analysed, but cannot be guaranteed for each individual. It is therefore important to determine the validity and reliability of individual measurements (i.e. protocol validity). However, little information exists concerning the efficiency of different methods to evaluate protocol validity. The general objective of this study was to establish an efficient, real-time method/indicator for determining protocol validity in web-based instruments. The study sample consisted of 14 592 participants from several industries in South Africa and was extracted from a work-related well-being survey archive. A protocol validity indicator that detects random responses was developed and evaluated. It was also investigated whether Item Response Theory (IRT) fit statistics have the potential to serve as protocol validity indicators and this was compared to the newly developed protocol validity indicator. The developed protocol validity indicator makes use of neural networks to predict whether cases have protocol validity. A neural network was trained on a large non-random sample and a computer-generated random sample. The neural network was then cross-validated to see whether posterior cases can be accurately classified as belonging to the random or non-random sample. The neural network proved to be effective in detecting 86,39% of the random responses and 85,85% of the non-random responses correctly. Analyses on the misclassified cases demonstrated that the neural network was accurate because non-random classified cases were in fact valid and reliable, while random classified cases showed a problematic factor structure and low internal consistency. Neural networks proved to be an effective technique for the detection of potential invalid and unreliable cases in electronic well-being surveys. Subsequently, the protocol validity detection capability of IRT fit statistics was investigated. The fit statistics were calculated for the study population and for random generated data with a uniform distribution. In both the study population and the random data, cases with higher outfit statistics showed problems with validity and reliability. When compared to the neural network technique, the fit statistics suggested that the neural network was more effective in classifying non-random cases than it was in classifying random cases. Overall, the fit statistics proved to be effective indicators of protocol invalidity (rather than validity) provided that some additional measures be imposed. Recommendations were made for the organisation as well as with a view to future research. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Human Resource Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

This dissertation is composed of three studies that examined illness-related stigma, depressive symptoms and attachment style among patients living with HIV and Hepatitis C (HCV). The first study examined the psychometric properties of a brief HIV Stigma Scale (B-HSS) in a sample of adult patients living with HIV (PHA) (n=94). The second study developed and explored the psychometric properties of the HCV Stigma Scale in a sample of adult patients living with HCV (PHC) (n =92). Psychometric properties were evaluated with classical test theory and item response theory methodology. The third study explored whether illness-related stigma mediated the relationship between insecure attachment styles (anxious attachment or avoidant attachment) and depressive symptoms among PHA (n =72) and PHC (n=83). From June to December 2008, patients were recruited to participate in a questionnaire study at the outpatient clinics in The Ottawa Hospital. Findings indicated that the 9-item B-HSS is a reliable and valid measure of HIV stigma with items that are highly discriminatory, which indicates that items are highly effective at discriminating patients with different levels of stigma. The 9-item HCV Stigma Scale was also found to be reliable and valid with highly discriminatory items that effectively differentiate PHC. Construct validity for both scales was supported by relationships with theoretically related constructs: depression and quality of life. Among PHA, when HIV stigma was controlled the relationship between anxious attachment style and depression was not significant. However, the relationship between avoidant attachment style and depressive symptoms decreased but remained significant. Among PHC when HCV stigma was controlled the relationship between insecure attachment styles and depressive symptoms was not significant. Dissertation results emphasize the importance of identifying patients experiencing illness-related stigma and the relevance of addressing stigma and attachment style when treating depressive symptoms among PHA and PHC.

Over the past few decades, the nature of work has undergone remarkable changes, resulting in a shift from manual demands to mental and emotional demands on employees. In order to manage these demands and optimise employee performance, organisations use well-being surveys to guide their interventions. Because these interventions have a drastic financial implication it is important to ensure the validity and reliability of the results. However, even if a validated measuring instrument is used, the problem remains that wellness audits might be reliable, valid and equivalent when the results of a group of people are analysed, but cannot be guaranteed for each individual. It is therefore important to determine the validity and reliability of individual measurements (i.e. protocol validity). However, little information exists concerning the efficiency of different methods to evaluate protocol validity. The general objective of this study was to establish an efficient, real-time method/indicator for determining protocol validity in web-based instruments. The study sample consisted of 14 592 participants from several industries in South Africa and was extracted from a work-related well-being survey archive. A protocol validity indicator that detects random responses was developed and evaluated. It was also investigated whether Item Response Theory (IRT) fit statistics have the potential to serve as protocol validity indicators and this was compared to the newly developed protocol validity indicator. The developed protocol validity indicator makes use of neural networks to predict whether cases have protocol validity. A neural network was trained on a large non-random sample and a computer-generated random sample. The neural network was then cross-validated to see whether posterior cases can be accurately classified as belonging to the random or non-random sample. The neural network proved to be effective in detecting 86,39% of the random responses and 85,85% of the non-random responses correctly. Analyses on the misclassified cases demonstrated that the neural network was accurate because non-random classified cases were in fact valid and reliable, while random classified cases showed a problematic factor structure and low internal consistency. Neural networks proved to be an effective technique for the detection of potential invalid and unreliable cases in electronic well-being surveys. Subsequently, the protocol validity detection capability of IRT fit statistics was investigated. The fit statistics were calculated for the study population and for random generated data with a uniform distribution. In both the study population and the random data, cases with higher outfit statistics showed problems with validity and reliability. When compared to the neural network technique, the fit statistics suggested that the neural network was more effective in classifying non-random cases than it was in classifying random cases. Overall, the fit statistics proved to be effective indicators of protocol invalidity (rather than validity) provided that some additional measures be imposed. Recommendations were made for the organisation as well as with a view to future research. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Human Resource Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2010.

国立情報学研究所で電子化したコンテンツを使用している。

Problem solving has received a great deal of attention in the past two decades. Much work has been carried out in the fields of cognitive psychology and education on the topic of problem solving. Psychologists mainly focused on the cognitive processes underlying problem-solving activities, while educators mainly focused on practical strategies to improve students’ problem-solving skills. The research studies carried out in these two fields were somewhat separate with different theoretical underpinnings. This thesis brings together the fields of cognitive psychology and education through the methodological advances of educational measurement developed to measure psychological constructs. More specifically, this thesis develops a theoretical framework for measuring problem-solving proficiencies, and applies item response theory to analyse students’ responses to the test items. (For complete abstract open document)

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University, Dept. of Counseling, Educational Psychology, and Special Education, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on November 12, 2007). Available through UMI ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 110-115).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: Ross Traub.