Rasch Analysis in the Human Sciences

489 Pages·2014·6.02 MB·English

by  William J. Boone, John R. Staver, Melissa S. Yale (auth.)

William J. Boone · John R. Staver
Melissa S. Yale
Rasch
Analysis in
the Human
Sciences
Rasch Analysis in the Human Sciences

William J. Boone (cid:129) John R. Staver

Melissa S. Yale
Rasch Analysis in the
Human Sciences
William J. Boone John R. Staver
Miami University Purdue University
Oxford , OH , USA West Lafayette , IN , USA
Melissa S. Yale
Irving , TX , USA
Additional material to this book can be downloaded from http://extras.springer.com
ISBN 978-94-007-6856-7 ISBN 978-94-007-6857-4 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-6857-4
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Library of Congress Control Number: 2013953542
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To William Fitzpatrick Boone

Pref ace
Where did this book all begin? How did it come to be? As a former geologist,
geophysicist, and high school science teacher, I always appreciated how important
it was to confi dently measure. It was critical to know exactly when and exactly
where a P-wave arrived at a seismograph. And if I wanted to understand what my
students had mastered (and not mastered), I had to present the right mix of test
items. Of course these issues would be the ones that I would learn how to deeply
consider as a PhD student of Benjamin Wright at the University of Chicago.
At the University of Chicago, with the aid of the likes of Ben Wright, Mike
Linacre, and frequent visitors such as David Andrich, Carl Granger, Richard Smith,
and of course the spirit of George Rasch, I learned that it was possible to bring
the rigor of scientific measurement to the measurement needed in the social
sciences. It took me a while, and I am ever learning, but now I think I grasp the
types of issues Ben and Mike had mastered when I fi rst arrived at 59th and Kimbark
in the fall of 1989.
This book is one I had thought about off and on for over 10 years now. It is a book
meant to explain a selected set of topics in Rasch measurement which seem to be
issues that come up over and over in the undergraduate evaluation courses I lead, the
Rasch graduate classes I teach, and the Rasch workshops I conduct. Of course not
all Rasch topics are presented, and those topics selected are described in a general
way with the hope that the material can be grasped by mostly all undergraduates,
graduate students, researchers, and practitioners. There are numerous more technical
books (e.g., from MESA Press and JAM Press) which readers completing R asch
Measurement in the Human Sciences can later read to further expand their
Rasch understanding.
The work presented in these chapters would have not made it to paper without
the infl uence of many individuals, fi rst and foremost Mike Linacre the author of
Winsteps. Mike has a lways been willing to patiently answer questions and provides
amazingly timely (less than 24 h) support for his Rasch Winsteps program. Through
the years as I have broadened and deepened my understanding of Rasch and
Winsteps, Mike has been the one I have turned to for help and insight. Mike, without
you, I would not have progressed as I have. Thank you Mike!
vii
viii Preface
The other key infl uence for this book is Ben Wright. Ben, always an advocate of
measurement, was of course brilliant (his Person-Maps [aka Wright Maps] are
impacting research in so many fi elds). Ben was unwavering in his measurement
clarity, with or without the meter stick in hand. Ben was very generous in his time
he spent with me (and all of the MESA Program’s students and visitors).
My coauthors John Staver and Melissa Yale, naturally, have been a critical component
of this book. Through 5+ rounds of edits and ideas, John and Melissa made what
one reads in this book possible. Thank you John and Melissa for joining me in this
endeavor! Without your help, this book would not have been completed.
The text, fi gures, and tables are ones which have gone through a number of
iterations. I want to personally thank Everett Smith, Greg Stone, Donna Sturges
Tatum, Tobias Viering, and Mike Linacre for reviewing chapters of this book. The
comments each provided were of great help. And of course one must have text on
paper, but without a good publisher all can be lost. I want to thank Springer and in
particular Springer’s Bernadette Olmer for her help and encouragement through the
writing process. I also want to thank Springer’s Marianna Pascale. I am also in debt
to the many individuals who have provided data sets for this book.
A broad range of people have infl uenced this book in many ways. In particular
I wish to mention my colleague Ross Nehm and my German colleagues Hans
Fischer, Knut Neumann, Birgit Neuhaus, and Andrea Moeller. Ross introduced me
to Hans and Knut, and with that link I have had countless trips to Germany to work
with these and other researchers who wish to measure “mit Rasch.” I also want to
thank Xiufeng Liu with whom I have had many Rasch conversations. Xiufeng asked me
to coedit a book with him, and that collaboration was one that I greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much Xiufeng!!
F inally, I wish to express my gratitude to a number of individuals who have also
infl uenced the completion of this book in many ways. Those listed give of them-
selves, are listeners, enjoy learning, and add joy to the journey of life. They are
interesting and they are interested: Valerie Chase, Dan Shepardson, Jerry Krockover,
Kim Metcalf, Roy Forbes, Melanie Jüttner, Annika Ohle, Suzi Seale, Alton
McWorter, Sandra Abell, William Werner Boone, Eileen Boone, Jane Herweh, Bob
Inkrot, Joe Finke, Mike Wilger, Dennis Koenig, Richard Reed, Alan Bell, Charles
Johnson, Kim Fisher, John Holmes, John Jordan, Louis Morrison, Greg Bilbrey,
Dave Fopay, Carl Bauer, Sue Dix, Mike Dix, Mike Roth, Jale Çakıroğlu, Özgül
Yılmaz-Tüzün, and Rose Wetterau. Also I would like to pay tribute to the faculty
and staff of Cincinnati’s St. Xavier High School for their unwavering commitment
to education and student growth.
I hope readers will learn and marvel as they read and learn about Rasch
measurement. Basic application of Rasch measurement techniques will allow you
to develop rigorous measurement devices, monitor data quality, compute measures
for statistical tests, and communicate fi ndings in a manner which brings meaning
to measures.
Cincinnati, OH, USA William J. Boone ([email protected])
Contents
1 What Is Rasch Measurement and How Can Rasch
Measurement Help Me? ......................................................................... 1
Why Did We Write This Book? ................................................................ 2
Rasch Measurement? ................................................................................ 2
Goal, Organization, and Scope ................................................................. 3
Road Map Tips and Caveats ..................................................................... 5
A Sample of Common Problems That Researchers Face
and the Application of Rasch Measurement Helps Solve ......................... 6
Missing Data Problems ........................................................................ 8
Problems with Equating Pre-surveys and Post-surveys ....................... 9
Problems with Utilizing Judges, Examinees, and Tasks ...................... 10
Problems Presenting (and Communicating) Research Results ............ 11
Software .................................................................................................... 12
Teaching Techniques ................................................................................. 13
Keywords and Phrases.......................................................................... 14
Potential Article Text ........................................................................... 15
Quick Tips ............................................................................................ 15
Data Sets............................................................................................... 15
Activities .............................................................................................. 16
References ................................................................................................. 19
2 Rating Scale Surveys ............................................................................... 21
Introduction to Rating Scale Surveys ........................................................ 22
Entering Rating Scale Data into a Spreadsheet ......................................... 23
Entering Negatively Phrased Items ........................................................... 26
A Sample Spreadsheet with Survey Data and Basic
Non-Rasch Calculations ............................................................................ 27
Flaws in the Use of Non-Rasch Techniques to Confront
Missing Data ............................................................................................. 29
Action and Consequence of Just Entering Data
and Not Conducting a Rasch Analysis ...................................................... 31
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