The effects of variations in degree of range restriction and different subgroup sample sizes on the validity of several item bias detection procedures based on Item Response Theory (IRT) were investigated in a simulation study. The degree of range restriction for each of two subpopulations was varied by cutting the specified subpopulation ability…

A class of multidimensional latent trait models is described. The properties of the model parameters, and initial results on the accuracy of a maximum likelihood procedure for estimating the model parameters are discussed. The model presented is a special case of the general model described by Rasch (1961), with close similarities to the models…

Guidelines for the construction and use of an attitude instrument are presented, and the application of the instrument to measure student attitude toward economics is described. Attention is directed to the Likert-like summated forced-choice variety of attitude instrument, whereby attitude toward the object is inferred from the summed responses to…

An investigation which develops a method for the automatic collection of meaningful statistical information about the causes of program resubmittal in a batch-processing environment. (Author)

The Mat-Sea-Cal Oral Proficiency Tests are a series of comparable grammatical structure tests. They have been developed in six languages: English, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Ilokano and Tagalog. Their purpose is to identify linguistic skills and deficiencies of primary school children grades K through 4. This research reported on the…

In the development of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) the phrase "more desirable in American society" was used in the final item selection. To clarify whether subjects tended to interpret this phrase normatively or prescriptively, a sample of 432 college men and women used the items of the BSRI to describe either a typical (normative),…

A preliminary version of an oral proficiency test in English and Spanish for bilingual speakers was revised after analysis of the results of a pilot study in which the item pool was administered to 45 bilingual first-, fifth- and ninth-graders. Analyses of items and independent variables are described. (KM)

Item analysis of a mathematics preknowledge test given to physics students revealed that significant differences existed on certain items between groups of students who had followed different mathematics syllabuses. (MLH)

Presents a series of analyses of Jackson's Personality Research Form items and scales to determine the apparent effects of the use of the differential validity index on more traditional item psychometric indices which have been used to reduce the confounding of trait scales and social desirability. (Author/RC)

Suggests improving test validity by deciding in advance the relative importance of each competence, and asking a colleague to read over the items and comment on any discovered ambiguities. Suggests increasing test reliability with item analyses. Discusses criteria for choosing objective or essay tests. (MLH)

Research performed pursuant to a grant from the Charles F. Kettering Foundation.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the accuracy of indirect trait estimates, i.e., estimates of some primary trait obtained from a second measure which have been equated to the first. The California Achievement Test in Reading was the primary measure and the Prescriptive Reading Inventory was the indirect measure. Four kinds of…

This fifty-item test is intended for the 'Responsibility' unit of the 'Law in a Free Society' materials published by the California Bar Association. The test was administered as a pre- and post-test to more than 600 grade 11 students. The pre-test data for all students were item-analyzed and the results are made available along with a table of…

This handbook treats a restricted set of statistical procedures for addressing some of the most prevalent technical issues that arise in domain-referenced testing. The procedures discussed here were chosen because they do not necessitate extensive computations. The five major sections of the paper cover: (1) item analysis procedures for using data…

Item content of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is catagorized using 100 items from a half-length sample TOEFL published by Educational Testing Service (ETS), 120 items from Section II and 150 from the Section IV of Test of English as a Foreign Language (Gruber and Gruber), and 200 items from How to Prepare for the TOEFL by…