Sunday, June 30, 2013

Invariant Measurement


Invariant Measurement: Using Rasch Models in the Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences [Hardcover]

Author: George Engelhard Jr. | Language: English | ISBN: 0415871220 | Format: PDF, EPUB

Invariant Measurement: Using Rasch Models in the Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences
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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Previously unpublished work in analyzing rating data, the detection and measurement of rater errors, and the evaluation of rater accuracy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.

Books with free ebook downloads available Invariant Measurement: Using Rasch Models in the Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences [Hardcover]
  • Hardcover: 312 pages
  • Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (December 11, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0415871220
  • ISBN-13: 978-0415871228
  • Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Invariant Measurement, by Englehard, is a very good presentation of all of the elements of the use of mathematical models to reduce information contained in measurements made in the social, behavioral and health sciences into consistent quantitative measures which are in turn amenable to more classic statistical analysis.

I have utilized some of these methods in examining data taken from Health Care questions and specifically for Patient Reported Outcomes, PROs. The specific application of the Rasch method is exceptionally well presented by Englehard; in fact it is one of the best I have seen in the literature of this type.

To paraphrase Rasch, one may look at responses from an individual to say some academic question and one would like to take into account two factors. The level of proficiency of the individual and the complexity of the question asked. This was one of the constructs used by Rasch and it provides a reasonable basis upon which to examine the theory. The goal of taking these measurements and converting them into quantitatively used and repeatable data is to transform the measurements by means of certain metrics into results which can provide consistent and repeatable statistical inferences. Englehard does an exceptionally good job in presenting an overview of how this is accomplished.

Chapter 1 is a general introduction. I found this a bit complex and not as clear as the remainder of the text. The author tries to motivate the remainder of what he develops yet the result is a mass of information which may be a bit more overwhelming than helpful. If one is new to the topic this can be difficult, if one is quite familiar it is redundant.

Chapter 2 is a development of the models with a specific development of the Rasch model.

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