Straat, Hendrik
Higher measurement quality of tests and questionnaires by means of more powerful statistics
Hendrik Straat (PhD student)
MTO, Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Tilburg University
P.O. Box 90153
5000 LE Tilburg
Phone: +31 13 466 8046 / 2544 (secretary)
E-mail: Hendrik Straat
Project: Project financed by Tilburg University
Project running from:1 September 2008 – 1 September 2012
Supervisors:
- Dr L.A. Van der Ark, Tilburg University
- Prof. dr K. Sijtsma, Tilburg University
- Prof. dr B.W. Junker, Carnegie Mellon University
Summary
Tests or questionnaires are often used to measure personality traits, attitudes, opinions, skills, and abilities. A measurement model transforms the respondents’ item scores into a meaningful measurement value. Using a measurement model that does not fit the data may lead to incorrect conclusions with possibly severe consequences: e.g., a wrong diagnosis of a mental patient or an incorrect educational placement. For nonparametric item response theory models—a very general class of measurement models—the available methods to assess fit are insufficient to allow good test construction. In this project better methods are developed that have more power.
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