Introduction to Test Construction in the Social and Behavioral Sciences

Introduction to Test Construction in the Social and Behavioral Sciences PDF

Author: Joshua A. Fishman

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Published: 2003-05-16

Total Pages: 186

ISBN-13: 1461665582

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This book offers beginning researchers in psychology and education with limited statistics backgrounds a practical, hands-on guide to the preparation, assessment, and development of quantitative research instruments. With the explicit goal in mind of making the text accessible to readers with only a beginning level of statistical expertise, the authors include numerous examples and figures to illustrate necessary concepts and procedures, while minimizing jargon. The book includes an appendix with directions for the required statistical analyses for readers with access to SPSS. The organization of the book into two sections, theoretical and practical, with complementary chapters in each section, results in a practical and versatile resource to have in a variety of contexts. Because of its versatility, the book may be used either as a textbook for courses on test construction and instrument design or quantitative research methods in psychology and education, as a reference for researchers using and constructing quantitative instruments, or as background reading for professionals in related fields.

Introduction to Test Construction in the Social and Behavioral Sciences

Introduction to Test Construction in the Social and Behavioral Sciences PDF

Author: Joshua A. Fishman

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 190

ISBN-13: 9780742525207

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With the explicit goal of making the text accessible to readers with only a beginning level of statistical expertise, the authors include numerous examples and figures to illustrate necessary concepts and procedures, while minimizing jargon.

Researching Translation and Interpreting

Researching Translation and Interpreting PDF

Author: Claudia V. Angelelli

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-07-16

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 1317479394

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This volume offers a comprehensive view of current research directions in Translation and Interpreting Studies, outlining the theoretical concepts underpinning that research and presenting detailed discussions of the various methods used. Organized around three factors that are responsible for shaping the study of translation and interpreting today—post-positivist theoretical approaches, developments in the language industry, and technological innovations—this volume is divided into three parts: Part I introduces the basic concepts organizing translation and interpreting research, such as the difference between qualitative and quantitative research, between product-oriented and process-oriented studies, and between prescriptive and descriptive approaches. Part II provides a theoretical mapping of current translation and interpreting research, covering the theories underlying the current conceptualization of translation and interpreting, from queer studies to cognitive science. Part III explores the key methodological approaches to research in Translation and Interpreting Studies, including corpus-based, longitudinal, observational, and ethnographic studies, as well as survey and focus group-based studies. The international range of contributors are all leading research experts who use the methodologies in their work. They present the research aims of these methods, offer sample research questions that can—and cannot—be addressed by these methods, and discuss modes of data collection and analysis. This is an essential reference for all advanced undergraduates, postgraduates, and researchers in Translation and Interpreting Studies.

Language Loyalty, Continuity and Change

Language Loyalty, Continuity and Change PDF

Author: Rakhmiel Peltz

Publisher: Multilingual Matters

Published: 2006-01-01

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 1853599026

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This short volume provides a comprehensive and synoptic view of Joshua A. Fishman's contributions to international sociolinguistics. The two integrative essays provide readers with the essential understandings of Fishmanian sociolinguistics and his contributions to Yiddish scholarship. An up-to-date comprehensive bibliography prepared by Gella Schweid Fishman, as well as Fishman's own concluding sentiments, complement the integrative essays.

A Handbook of Test Construction (Psychology Revivals)

A Handbook of Test Construction (Psychology Revivals) PDF

Author: Paul Kline

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-06-03

Total Pages: 183

ISBN-13: 1317444590

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Psychological tests provide reliable and objective standards by which individuals can be evaluated in education and employment. Therefore accurate judgements must depend on the reliability and quality of the tests themselves. Originally published in 1986, this handbook by an internationally acknowledged expert provided an introductory and comprehensive treatment of the business of constructing good tests. Paul Kline shows how to construct a test and then to check that it is working well. Covering most kinds of tests, including computer presented tests of the time, Rasch scaling and tailored testing, this title offers: a clear introduction to this complex field; a glossary of specialist terms; an explanation of the objective of reliability; step-by-step guidance through the statistical procedures; a description of the techniques used in constructing and standardizing tests; guidelines with examples for writing the test items; computer programs for many of the techniques. Although the computer testing will inevitably have moved on, students on courses in occupational, educational and clinical psychology, as well as in psychological testing itself, would still find this a valuable source of information, guidance and clear explanation.

New Developments in Categorical Data Analysis for the Social and Behavioral Sciences

New Developments in Categorical Data Analysis for the Social and Behavioral Sciences PDF

Author: L. Andries van der Ark

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 2005-01-15

Total Pages: 274

ISBN-13: 1135704856

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Categorical data are quantified as either nominal variables--distinguishing different groups, for example, based on socio-economic status, education, and political persuasion--or ordinal variables--distinguishing levels of interest, such as the preferred politician or the preferred type of punishment for committing burglary. This new book is a collection of up-to-date studies on modern categorical data analysis methods, emphasizing their application to relevant and interesting data sets. This volume concentrates on latent class analysis and item response theory. These methods use latent variables to explain the relationships among observed categorical variables. Latent class analysis yields the classification of a group of respondents according to their pattern of scores on the categorical variables. This provides insight into the mechanisms producing the data and allows the estimation of factor structures and regression models conditional on the latent class structure. Item response theory leads to the identification of one or more ordinal or interval scales. In psychological and educational testing these scales are used for individual measurement of abilities and personality traits. The focus of this volume is applied. After a method is explained, the potential of the method for analyzing categorical data is illustrated by means of a real data example to show how it can be used effectively for solving a real data problem. These methods are accessible to researchers not trained explicitly in applied statistics. This volume appeals to researchers and advanced students in the social and behavioral sciences, including social, developmental, organizational, clinical and health psychologists, sociologists, educational and marketing researchers, and political scientists. In addition, it is of interest to those who collect data on categorical variables and are faced with the problem of how to analyze such variables--among themselves or in relation to metric variables.

Concise Encyclopedia of Comparative Sociology

Concise Encyclopedia of Comparative Sociology PDF

Author:

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2014-05-12

Total Pages: 699

ISBN-13: 9004266178

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This book is a collection of essays intended to communicate effectively the current state of knowledge in comparative sociology, the major aim of which is to identify similarities and differences between and among societies. Forty significant biographies are included.

Linear Models for Optimal Test Design

Linear Models for Optimal Test Design PDF

Author: Wim J. van der Linden

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2006-01-01

Total Pages: 421

ISBN-13: 0387290540

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Wim van der Linden was just given a lifetime achievement award by the National Council on Measurement in Education. There is no one more prominent in the area of educational testing. There are hundreds of computer-based credentialing exams in areas such as accounting, real estate, nursing, and securities, as well as the well-known admissions exams for college, graduate school, medical school, and law school - there is great need on the theory of testing. This book presents the statistical theory and practice behind constructing good tests e.g., how is the first test item selected, how are the next items selected, and when do you have enough items.

Psychological Testing

Psychological Testing PDF

Author: Theresa J.B. Kline

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Published: 2005-02-15

Total Pages: 369

ISBN-13: 1506315941

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"Psychological Testing by Theresa J. B. Kline is an accessible, easy-to-read book that effectively communicates the current concepts, trends, and controversies in the field of psychological testing. Readers are provided with an in-depth analysis of psychometrics in a format that will keep their attention and that they will be able to relate to the significance of psychological testing across numerous areas such as schools, businesses, clinical settings, military, or government." -Todd L. Chmielewski, PsycCRITIQUES, December 7, 2005 VOL. 50, NO. 49, ARTICLE 12 Psychological Testing: A Practical Approach to Design and Evaluation offers a fresh and innovative approach to students and faculty in the fields of testing, measurement, psychometrics, research design, and related areas of study. Author Theresa J.B. Kline guides readers through the process of designing and evaluating a test, while ensuring that the test meets the highest professional standards. The author uses simple, clear examples throughout and fully details the required statistical analyses. Topics include—but are not limited to—design of item stems and responses; sampling strategies; classical and modern test theory; IRT program examples; reliability of tests and raters; validation using content, criterion-related, and factor analytic approaches; test and item bias; and professional and ethical issues in testing. With the student in mind, Kline has created features that ease them into more difficult ideas, always stressing the practical use of theoretical concepts. Features include A step-by-step approach to designing a test, including construct identification, construct operationalization, collecting data, item assessment, and reliability and validity techniques Examples of data analyses with printouts and interpretation Up-to-date coverage of psychometric topics, such as difference scores, change scores, translation, computer adaptive testing, reliability and validity generalization, professional and ethical guidelines, and references IRT program outputs (dichotomous and multiple response) Coverage of traditional topics in the context of how they would be used, such as standard errors and confidence intervals Sampling approaches and their strengths and weaknesses, as well as response rates and missing data management Psychological Testing is perfectly suited as a main text for upper-level undergraduate and graduate Testing or Psychometrics courses in departments of Psychology, Education, Sociology, Management, and in the Human Services disciplines. Professional researchers, educators, and consultants will also want to add this to their libraries for up-to-date coverage of test design and evaluation techniques. "Professor Kline′s attempts to de-mystify complex measurement concepts are beautifully simplified and illustrated in her countless illustrations of practical and relevant problems for the mathematically-challenged student. This book is also a must-have for those who simply do not have the desire for the theoretical jargon used in similar textbooks but are interested in the important conceptual and practical aspects of measurement as they apply in their disciplines." —Arturo Olivarez, Jr., Texas Tech University "Kline′s Psychological Testing provides a well-written treatment of the critical issues in designing and evaluating psychometric instruments. This book will be very useful to advanced undergraduate students, graduate students, and researchers." —Richard Block, Montana State University