The conventional method of measuring ability--based on items with assumed true parameter values obtained from a pretest--is compared to a Bayesian method that deals with the uncertainties of such items. Data from a 1987 American College Testing Program mathematics test indicate that maximum likelihood/Bayesian techniques underestimate uncertainty.…

This paper describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of an automated system for predicting the acceptability status of candidate reading-comprehension stimuli extracted from a database of journal and magazine articles. The system uses a combination of classification and regression techniques to predict the probability that a given…

This study explores the test-retest consistency of computer adaptive tests of varying lengths. The testing model used was designed as a mastery model to determine whether an examinee's estimated ability level is above or below a pre-established criterion expressed in the metric (logits) of the calibrated item pool scale. The Rasch model was used…

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…

A study was conducted to compare tailored testing procedures based on a Bayesian ability estimation technique and on a maximum likelihood ability estimation technique. The Bayesian tailored testing procedure selected items so as to minimize the posterior variance of the ability estimate distribution, while the maximum likelihood tailored testing…

Impacts of the parents' divorce and the student's academic potential and drug use on non-completion of high school were examined using 3 methods of structural equation modeling with latent variables. Data were collected from 706 adolescents (in grades 10 through 12). Maximum likelihood, asymptotically distribution-free, and categorical variable…

Guided by Self-Determination and associated theories, we examined whether adolescent (N=324, Mage=15, 52% female) competence (academic engagement and achievement) were supported by relationships at school and school fit. Aspects of relationships and school fit that were measured included adolescents' perceptions of each context as promoting…

This paper describes structural equation modeling (SEM) and possibilities for using SEM to address problems specific to workforce education and career development. A sample of adolescents identified as work-bound (i.e., transition directly from secondary school to work) from the National Education Longitudinal Study 1988-1996 database (NELS:…

In the present study, we used a model of motivation grounded in self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 1991; Ryan & Deci, 2000a, 2000b, 2002) to examine the relationship between physical education (PE) students' motivational processes and ratings of their effort and persistence as provided by their PE teacher. Data were obtained…

To correct for the effects of measurement error on structural parameter estimates, many researchers are now estimating models of educational achievement with LISREL. In order to estimate such models it is desirable to obtain multiple manifest measures of the latent constructs. Many researchers restrict their models to two manifest measures per…

A loglinear item response theory (IRT) model is proposed that relates polytomously scored item responses to a multidimensional latent space. Each item may have a different response function where each item response may be explained by one or more latent traits. Item response functions may follow a partial credit model (D. Andrich, 1978; and G. N.…

Several models for optimizing incomplete sample designs with respect to information on the item parameters are presented. The following cases are considered: (1) known ability parameters; (2) unknown ability parameters; (3) item sets with multiple ability scales; and (4) response models with multiple item parameters. The models are able to cope…

The factor structure, psychometric properties, and relationship with personality variables of a Spanish version of the Savings Inventory-Revised (SI-R) are investigated in a sample of 381 undergraduate students. A maximum likelihood factor analysis suggests a three-factor structure, which is similar but not identical to that of the original…

The study presented here examines the influence of social and family contexts on the self-esteem of Mexican (n = 287), Mexican American (n = 558), and Puerto Rican (n = 212) children. Using data from the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth, tests of a longitudinal path model show significant social and family effects on the cognitive…

Various parallel forms of the NTE (National Teacher Examinations) Test of Professional Knowledge (NTETPK) have been administered to examinees aspiring to initial teacher certification since 1982. To confirm that recent reported scores are comparable to those from earlier forms, the stability of the score scale was studied using section…