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Thesis advisor: Larry H. Ludlow / In 2019, as in previous years, White students outperformed African American, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Natives in a variety of K-12 outcomes (Darling-Hammond, 2007; de Brey et al., 2019; Jacob & Ludwig, 2008; National Education Association, 2015). The urgency of the opportunity/achievement gap is clear, as the current cohort of students under 5 years of age marks a turning point in student population demographics as the first in which 50 percent are part of a minority race or ethnic group (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). Sociocultural integration (SCI) is included in the frameworks of successful bilingual programs (Howard et al., 2007; Scanlan & López, 2014). SCI considers the dynamics of relationships with oneself and others as being built in the context of one’s racial/ethnic, cultural, and linguistic background (Brisk, 2006; Feinauer & Howard, 2014). Acceptance and appreciation of cultural difference is critical for teachers (Bennett, 2003) and a number of pedagogical frameworks center teachers’ role of cultural brokerage as a pathway to fostering positive student outcomes (Grant & Sleeter, 2006; Suárez-Orozco & Suárez-Orozco, 2001; Villegas & Lucas, 2002). In this dissertation, I defined sociocultural integration in a teacher-centered way, and explicitly incorporate teachers’ racial/ethnic identity development in the evolution of their actions to support SCI. Second, I operationalized this definition and built a scale for measuring SCI using innovative “lived experiences” scenario items according to the Rasch/Guttman Scenario scale development methodology (Ludlow et al., 2020). The SCI Scale for Teachers showed desirable psychometric properties and is well suited to increase use due to ease of interpretability. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Research, Measurement and Evaluation.

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The use of rating scales in the evaluation of secondary teacher performance has been called into question and widely criticized. Of particular concern has been the use of student ratings of teacher performance. A review of instruments and practices used in the rating process reveals serious design flaws that account for the criticisms leveled against the use of rating scales. This study sought to address the limitations evident in previous rating efforts by utilizing a combination of design methodologies and measurement models including elements of Classical Test Theory (CTT), factor analysis, and Item Response Theory (IRT). The IRT model employed was the one-parameter logistic model also known as the Rasch model. Twelve scales were developed consisting of a total of ninety-two items. These scales were developed to facilitate student ratings of secondary level teachers of religion in the Church Educational System (CES) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). In addition to exploring rating scale design methodology and scale performance, this study also examined a potential threat to the validity of decisions based on ratings referred to as halo effect. Using a variety of approaches to operationally define and estimate halo error, the extent to which male and female students exhibit differing degrees of halo in their ratings of teachers was examined. The results of the study revealed that of the twelve teacher traits hypothesized in the design of the rating scales, only three met defensible criteria based on CTT and Rasch model standards: the Student-Teacher Rapport Scale (STRS), the Scripture Mastery Expectation Scale (SMES), and the Spiritual Learning Environment Scale (SLES). Secondary students were unable to meaningfully discriminate between all twelve traits. Traditional approaches to halo effect estimation suggest that males exhibited halo to a greater degree than females, whereas Rasch model approaches to halo effect estimation were less consistent. Considered together, however, the evidence suggests differential halo error by gender, with males exhibiting halo to a greater degree than females. The implications of these findings for teacher evaluation, instructional design, and future research efforts are also addressed.

The importance of valid and reliable couple assessment has been increasing with growth in research on couple and family relationships as well as in therapeutic and educational interventions for couples and families. However, self-report instruments–the most popular type of couple assessment–have been criticized at least partly due to limitations in Classical Test Theory (CTT) which has been used solely in developing and evaluating couple assessments for decades. In an effort to address the limitations in the sole use of CTT in developing self-report couple assessments, the present study integrated a modern test theory called Item Response Theory (IRT) and evaluated the properties of subscales in the RELATionship Evaluation (RELATE) using the existing data from 4,784 participants. Using the Rasch rating scale or partial credit model which is one of the IRT models, the author demonstrated that some of the RELATE subscales had items and response categories that functioned less optimally or in an unexpected way. The results suggested that some items misfit the model or overlapped with other items, many scales did not cover the entire range of the measured construct, and response categories for many items malfunctioned. The author made recommendations on possible remedies that could be adopted to improve the function of individual scales and items.

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