International Journal of Testing 

About: International Journal of Testing is an academic journal published by Taylor & Francis. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Item response theory & Differential item functioning. It has an ISSN identifier of 1530-5058. Over the lifetime, 418 publications have been published receiving 10990 citations. The journal is also known as: IJT.

Structural Equation Modeling with AMOS, EQS, and LISREL: Comparative Approaches to Testing for the Factorial Validity of a Measuring Instrument

Abstract: Using a confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) model as a paradigmatic basis for all comparisons, this article reviews and contrasts important features related to 3 of the most widely-used structural equation modeling (SEM) computer programs: AMOS 4.0 (Arbuckle, 1999), EQS 6 (Bentler, 2000), and LISREL 8 (Joreskog & Sorbom, 1996b). Comparisons focus on (a) key aspects of the programs that bear on the specification and testing of CFA models-preliminary analysis of data, and model specification, estimation, assessment, and misspecification; and (b) other important issues that include treatment of incomplete, nonnormally-distributed, or categorically-scaled data. It is expected that this comparative review will provide readers with at least a flavor of the approach taken by each program with respect to both the application of SEM within the framework of a CFA model, and the critically important issues, previously noted, related to data under study.

Minimum Sample Size Recommendations for Conducting Factor Analyses

Abstract: There is no shortage of recommendations regarding the appropriate sample size to use when conducting a factor analysis. Suggested minimums for sample size include from 3 to 20 times the number of variables and absolute ranges from 100 to over 1,000. For the most part, there is little empirical evidence to support these recommendations. This simulation study addressed minimum sample size requirements for 180 different population conditions that varied in the number of factors, the number of variables per factor, and the level of communality. Congruence coefficients were calculated to assess the agreement between population solutions and sample solutions generated from the various population conditions. Although absolute minimums are not presented, it was found that, in general, minimum sample sizes appear to be smaller for higher levels of communality; minimum sample sizes appear to be smaller for higher ratios of the number of variables to the number of factors; and when the variables-to-factors ratio exc...

OECD's brief self-report measure of educational psychology's most useful affective constructs : cross-cultural, psychometric comparisons across 25 countries

Abstract: Through a rigorous process of selecting educational psychology's most useful affective constructs, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) constructed the Students' Approaches to Learning (SAL) instrument, which requires only 10 min to measure 14 factors that assess self-regulated learning strategies, self-beliefs, motivation, and learning preferences. This study evaluated SAL responses from nationally representative samples of approximately 4,000 15-year-olds from each of 25 countries (N = 107,899)—OECD's Program For International Student Assessment database. In one of the largest and most powerful cross-cultural comparisons of diverse educational psychology constructs, this study used multiple group confirmatory factor analyses to show that SAL's a priori 14-factor solution is well defined and reasonably invariant across the 25 countries, as are relations between SAL factors and 4 criterion variables (gender, socioeconomic status, math achievement, and verbal achievement). The ...

Testing for Measurement and Structural Equivalence in Large-Scale Cross-Cultural Studies: Addressing the Issue of Nonequivalence

Abstract: A critical assumption in cross-cultural comparative research is that the instrument measures the same construct(s) in exactly the same way across all groups (i.e., the instrument is measurement and structurally equivalent). Structural equation modeling (SEM) procedures are commonly used in testing these assumptions of multigroup equivalence. However, when comparisons comprise large-scale cross-cultural studies, the standard SEM strategy can be extremely problematic both statistically and substantively. Based on responses to a 14-item version of the Family Values Scale (Georgas, 1999) by 5,482 university students from 27 nations around the globe, we describe and illustrate these difficulties. We propose and report on a dual modal two-pronged strategy that focuses on countries as well as scale items in determining the possible sources of bias. Suggestions for minimizing problems in tests for multigroup equivalence in large-scale cross-cultural studies are proffered.

Indexes of Item-Objective Congruence for Multidimensional Items

Abstract: The index of item-objective congruence developed by Rovinelli and Hambleton (1977) is a procedure used in test development for evaluating content validity at the item development stage. This measure is limited to the assessment of unidimensional items or items that measure specified composites of skills. In modern test development, items are sometimes developed to be multidimensional assessments or measures of multiple combinations of skills. The purpose of this research is to provide a mathematical extension to the Rovinelli and Hambleton index that is applicable for the multidimensional case.