Measurement Theory and Applications for the Social Sciences

686 Pages·2018·10.435 MB·English

by  Deborah L. Bandalos

Measurement Theory and Applications
for the Social Sciences
Methodology in the Social Sciences
David A. Kenny, Founding Editor
Todd D. Little, Series Editor
www.guilford.com/MSS
This series provides applied researchers and students with analysis and research design books that
emphasize the use of methods to answer research questions. Rather than emphasizing statistical
theory, each volume in the series illustrates when a technique should (and should not) be used and
how the output from available software programs should (and should not) be interpreted. Common
pitfalls as well as areas of further development are clearly articulated.
Recent Volumes
DOING STATISTICAL MEDIATION AND MODERATION
Paul E. Jose
LONGITUDINAL STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING
Todd D. Little
BAYESIAN STATISTICS FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
David Kaplan
CONFIRMATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS FOR APPLIED RESEARCH, SECOND EDITION
Timothy A. Brown
PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING, FOURTH EDITION
Rex B. Kline
HYPOTHESIS TESTING AND MODEL SELECTION IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
David L. Weakliem
REGRESSION ANALYSIS AND LINEAR MODELS: CONCEPTS, APPLICATIONS,
AND IMPLEMENTATION
Richard B. Darlington and Andrew F. Hayes
GROWTH MODELING: STRUCTURAL EQUATION AND MULTILEVEL MODELING
APPROACHES
Kevin J. Grimm, Nilam Ram, and Ryne Estabrook
PSYCHOMETRIC METHODS: THEORY INTO PRACTICE
Larry R. Price
INTRODUCTION TO MEDIATION, MODERATION, AND CONDITIONAL PROCESS
ANALYSIS: A REGRESSION-BASED APPROACH, SECOND EDITION
Andrew F. Hayes
MEASUREMENT THEORY AND APPLICATIONS FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Deborah L. Bandalos
Measurement Theory
and Applications for
the Social Sciences
Deborah L. Bandalos
Series Editor’s Note by Todd D. Little
THE GUILFORD PRESS
New York London
Copyright © 2018 The Guilford Press
A Division of Guilford Publications, Inc.
370 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1200, New York, NY 10001
www.guilford.com
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
microfilming, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the
publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
This book is printed on acid-free paper.
Last digit is print number: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Bandalos, Deborah L., author.
Title: Measurement theory and applications for the social sciences / Deborah
L. Bandalos.
Description: New York: Guilford Press, [2018] | Series: Methodology in the
social sciences | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017007303 | ISBN 9781462532131 (hardcover)
Subjects: LCSH: Social sciences—Statistical methods. | Social
sciences—Methodology.
Classification: LCC HA29 .B356 2018 | DDC 300.72/7—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017007303
In memory of my mother, father, sister, and brother,
who all would have been so proud of this book

Series Editor’s Note
Measurement, measurement, measurement: It is such a critical part of quality research,
yet it is too often neglected or assumed to be relatively unimportant compared to the
design or analysis phases. The phrase “garbage in, garbage out” encapsulates what hap-
pens when measurement is neglected. The theory and craft of measurement is, in my
view, more important than the analysis phase and perhaps even the design phase. High-
quality measurement yields high-quality data, which makes the analysis phase almost
pro forma. Creating reliable and valid indicators of constructs is underemphasized in
many graduate training programs. The vestiges of neglecting the measurement phase
degrade whole programs of research in a compounding manner. Thank goodness we
now have Deborah Bandalos’s book, Measurement Theory and Applications for the Social
Sciences.
Bandalos is the quintessential person to author this comprehensive book on mea-
surement theory. She brings a wealth of experience and acumen to the topics covered
and she’s reached out to a couple of top-notch colleagues (Christine DeMars and Laine
Bradshaw) to bring their particular expertise to two chapters (on item response theory
and diagnostic classification models, respectively). All chapters emphasize a conceptual
understanding from ground-floor principles to the pinnacle of current knowledge and
understanding on any given topic. Bandalos also adds extensive exercises at the end of
each chapter that, when combined with the articulate and clear presentation of each
topic, promote deep learning and critical thinking. Because the book is flexibly orga-
nized, instructors can easily assemble a curriculum and syllabus that fit the needs of any
course, whether for undergraduates or graduates or at the introductory, intermediate, or
advanced level.
Bandalos is a natural communicator. With a balance of humor and lilting exposi-
tion, she presents clear explanations accompanied by useful real-world examples from
vii
viii Series Editor’s Note
a variety of social and behavioral science disciplines. She’s methodical and thorough in
taking us through each topic, decision by decision, and each equation, step by step. This
level of clarity and depth yields a comprehensive textbook for students as well as a refer-
ence volume for experienced researchers. The breadth of topics spans all the essential
topics in the field of measurement, including scale development, item writing and analy-
sis, and reliability and validity. She also covers more advanced topics such as exploratory
and confirmatory factor analysis, item response theory, diagnostic classification models,
standard setting, generalizability theory, and equating, as well as test bias, fairness, and
legal issues.
As a fellow disciple of the need for valid and reliable measurement practices, I laud
Debbi Bandalos for adding this valuable jewel to the collection of works in my Methodol-
ogy in the Social Sciences series. I see this book as one of her crowning achievements in
a remarkable and illustrious career.
With gratitude and, as always, enjoy!
Todd d. LiTTLe
Wit’s End
Lakeside, Montana
Preface
Whether we like it or not, testing is pervasive in the modern world. It is difficult to
imagine any aspect of life in which testing is not involved. Of course, testing is widely
used in education, psychology, employment settings, and certification for various pro-
fessions. And during even a brief encounter with news or social media outlets, readers
are bombarded with information obtained from opinion and attitude surveys. Add to
these the many informal “tests” designed to answer such weighty questions as “What
kind of tree are you?” or “Do you party like a true rock star?” and one begins to wonder
whether there is any issue that does not involve testing of some sort. Given this, I could
make (and have made; see Bandalos & Kopp, 2012) the argument that some knowledge
of the theory and practice of testing is essential for an informed citizenry.
Unfortunately, even in professions such as teaching, in which knowledge of testing
is clearly essential, the majority of training programs provide little instruction in this
area (Plake, Impara, & Fagan, 1993; Schaefer & Lissitz, 1987; Wise & Conoley, 1993).
Aiken, West, and Millsap (2008) reported that fewer than half of the professors teaching
in graduate-level psychology departments felt their students had adequate knowledge
of even the most basic measurement concepts. Although many excellent textbooks on
measurement theory exist, they are too often outdated, overly technical or otherwise
inaccessible, or not sufficiently comprehensive.
My goal in writing this book was therefore to provide a user-friendly and up-to-
date text to introduce readers to the field of measurement theory and its applications.
It is true that many measurement theory concepts are somewhat technical, but I have
made every attempt to make these concepts accessible through the use of clear explana-
tions and illustrative examples. When equations are presented, they are accompanied by
verbal descriptions of the underlying concepts. Exercises focused on conceptual under-
standing as well as computational ability are included for each chapter.
ix