Scientific knowledge should reflect valid, consistent measurement. It is argued research on scale development needs to be more systematic and prevalent. The intent of this article is to address scale development by creating and validating a construct that measures the underlying reasons why undergraduate students seek a degree in journalism, the…

This comprehensive "Handbook" focuses on the most used polytomous item response theory (IRT) models. These models help us understand the interaction between examinees and test questions where the questions have various response categories. The book reviews all of the major models and includes discussions about how and where the models…

Much of the effort involved in a major restructuring of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Aptitude Test was intended to result in the creation of an analytical module to supplement the verbal and quantitative sections of the test, thus providing broadened measurement. Factor extension analysis was used in the present study to investigate…

This paper explores alternative approaches for facilitating efficient, evidence-centered item development for a new type of verbal reasoning item developed for use on the GRE® General Test. Results obtained in two separate studies are reported. The first study documented the development and validation of a fully automated approach for locating the…

Factor analyses of two forms of the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) Aptitude Test were undertaken to better understand the abilities affecting test performance. Results suggest that three global abilities--two verbal and one quantitative--are consistently tapped by the GRE Aptitude Test. Other less prominent dimensions--some of which appear to…

When the three-parameter logistic model and item response theory are used to analyze Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) data, there are problems with the assumption of unidimensionality. Linear factor analytic models, exploratory factor analysis programs, and the comparison of item parameter estimates for heterogeneous and homogeneous…