By using familiar concepts from classical measurement methods and basic statistics, this book introduces the basics of item response theory irt and explains the application of irt methods to problems in test construction, identification of potentially biased test items, test equating and computerizedadaptive testing. While the basic concepts of item response theory were, and are, straightforward, the underlying mathematics was somewhat advanced compared to that of classical test theory. Item response theory is the study of test and item scores based on assumptions concerning the mathematical relationship between abilities or other hypothesized traits and item responses. This first volume in a threevolume set covers many model developments that have occurred in item response theory irt during the last 20 years. The theory and practice of item response theory by r. Ideal for clinical, industrial, counseling, educational, and.
Drawing on the work of internationally acclaimed experts in the field, handbook of item response theory, volume 3. Item response theory irt is widely used in education and psychology and is expanding its applications to other social science areas, medical research, and business as well. The first edition, with its accompanying software, was designed to give the reader access to the basic concepts of item response theory without having to do the tedious mathematics. Item response theory an overview sciencedirect topics. Using r for item response theory model applications 1st. Item response theory irt the first hints of item response theory, also called latenttrait analysis and item characteristic curve theory, emerged in the mid1950s and late 1940s. Designed for researchers, psychometric professionals, and advanced students, this book.
Using python, i was able to successfully program most of the algorithms in the book with the exception of marginal maximum likelihood, which somehow yields biased estimates of a parameters. Item response theory irt has moved beyond the confines of educational measurement into assessment domains such as personality. When frank baker wrote his classic the basics of item response theory in 1985, the field of educational assessment was dominated by classical test theory based on test scores. Based upon items rather than test scores, the new approach was known as item response theory. It covered basic concepts, comparison to ctt methods, relative efficiency, optimal number of choices per item, flexilevel tests, multistage tests, tailored testing. A really great book that provides detailed and step by step derivations and programmings of item response theory parameter estimation techniques.
It provides a powerful means to study individual responses to a variety of stimuli, and the methodology has been extended and developed to cover many different models of interaction. This book is combined with a web site to allow the reader to acquire the basic concepts of item response theory without becoming enmeshed in the underlying mathematical and computational complexities. The book also includes a thorough discussion of alternative procedures for estimating irt parameters, such as maximum likelihood estimation, marginal. It surveys contemporary irt models, estimation methods, and computer programs.
Item response theory irt comprises a set of generalized latent variable models. Using familiar concepts from classical measurement methods and basic statistics, hambleton and colleagues introduce the basics of item response theory irt and explain the application of irt methods to problems in test construction, identification of potentially biased test items, test equating, and computerizedadaptive testing. It is widely used in education to calibrate and evaluate items in. Extensively revised and expanded, this edition offers three new chapters discussing parameter estimation with multiple groups, parameter estimation for a test with mixed item. This volume presents a wideranging handbook to item response theory and its applications to educational and psychological testing.
Lords book, applications of item response theory to practical testing problems, presented much of the current irt theory in language easily understood by many practitioners. While item response theory may be known primarily for its advances in theoretical modeling of responses to test items, equal progress has been made in its providing innovative solutions to daily testing problems. Applications presents applications of item response theory to practical testing problems. Fundamentals of item response theory download ebook pdf. This book provides a thorough overview of item response theory methodology, with a nice blend of theoretical psychometrics and practical applications. Chapter 8 the new psychometrics item response theory. Polytomous irt models are given central coverage since many psychological tests use rating scales. While item response theory may be known primarily for its advances in theoretical modeling of responses to test items, equal progress has been made in its providing. For me, the outstanding part is the one that clearly distinguish the rasch family from the. Using r for item response theory model applications is a practical guide for students, instructors, practitioners, and applie. It is not the only modern test theory, but it is the most popular one and is currently an area of active research. The theory and practice of item response theory methodology in. Well written, very accessible, and at some points, kind of fun to read i just declared my nerd status. Irt models describe the relationship between a persons response to a survey question and his or her standing on a latent i.
The audience of the book is targeted toward those who want to further develop models around item response theory. Over the past twenty years there has been explosive growth in programs that can do irt, and within r there are at least four very powerful packages. Fundamentals of item response theory sage publications inc. In fact, the term item characteristic curve, which is one of the main irt concepts, can be attributed to ledyard tucker in 1946. Classical test theory is concerned with the reliability of a test and assumes that the items within the test are sampled at random from a domain of relevant items. It provides a powerful means to study individual responses to a variety of stimuli, and the methodology has been extended and developed to. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. Many books have been written that address item response theory or contain irt or irtlike models. Item response theory has become an essential component in the toolkit of every researcher in the behavioral sciences. Item response theory irt is not only the psychometric theory underlying many major tests today, but it has many important research applications. This is the first in a series of 6 modules that introduces item response theory irt.
Fundamentals of item response theory sage publications. Item response theory irt is an approach used for survey development, evaluation, and scoring. It is used for statistical analysis and development of assessments, often for high stakes tests such as the graduate record examination. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. In it the differences in irt and classical approaches are introduced, specifically the differences in their. This is book is awesome at explaining the irt model in plain english. In the decade of the 1970s, item response theory became the dominant topic for study by measurement specialists. By the 1970s, irt had come to predominate in the work of measurement specialists.
The purpose of this book is to explain the new measurement theory to a primarily psychological audience. This book describes various item response theory models and furnishes detailed explanations of algorithms that can be used to estimate the item and ability parameters. This book develops an intuitive understanding of irt principles through the use of graphical displays and analogies to familiar psychological principles. This is a modern test theory as opposed to classical test theory. Item response theory is used to describe the application of mathematical models to data from questionnaires and tests as a basis for measuring abilities, attitudes, or other variables.
Item response theory clearly describes the most recently developed irt models and furnishes detailed explanations of algorithms that can be used to estimate the item or ability parameters under various irt models. Item response theory multivariate applications series currently unavailable. The theory and practice of item response theory methodology in the social sciences. The modern in the title of the book is indeed reflected in new developments such as nonparametric models and mixture models. It it not full of esoteric jargon, and it allows the reader to clearly grasp the fundamentals of irt. The coverage is quite complete, including the standard dichotomous and polytomous unidimensional models as well as multidimensional models. The theory and practice of item response theory rafael. Using r for item response theory model applications ebook. This course introduces item response theory irt applied to both dichotomous twooutcome data and polytomous multiple outcome data. Click download or read online button to get fundamentals of item response theory book now. Reliability is seen as a characteristic of the test and of the variance of the trait it.
Designed for researchers, psychometric professionals, and advanced students, this book clearly presents both the howto and the why of irt. This volume presents a wideranging handbook to item response theory and its applications to. In fact, the term item characteristic curve, which is one of the main irt. Drawing on the work of internationally acclaimed experts in the field, handbook of item response theory, volume one. Item response theory irt is a latent variable modeling approach used to minimize bias and optimize the measurement power of educational and psychological tests and other psychometric applications. In psychometrics, item response theory irt is a paradigm for the design, analysis, and scoring. Irt is the statistical basis for analyzing multiplechoice survey or test data for researchers, social scientists, and others who want to. Item response theory aka irt is also sometimes called latent trait theory. Its a theory of measurement, more precisely a psychometric theory. But, the genesis of item response theory irt can be traced back to the midthirties and early forties. Three volume set crc press book drawing on the work of 75 internationally acclaimed experts in the field, handbook of item response theory, threevolume set presents all major item response models, classical and modern statistical tools used in item response theory irt, and major areas of applications of. I think this is an excellent resource for learning more about item response theory and i would honestly buy it rather than rent it. Other names and subsets include item characteristic curve theory, latent trait theory, rasch model, 2pl model, 3pl model and the birnbaum model. Handbook of modern item response theory springerlink.
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