A course in item response theory and modeling with stata. Basics of classical test theory california state university. As a result, many of the issues that have arisen in the past 20 years are not treated in the book. The conceptual foundations, assumptions, and extensions of the basic premises of ctt have allowed for the development of some excellent psychometrically sound scales. Item response theory irt is a body of related psychometric theory that provides a foundation for scaling persons and items based on responses to assessment items. Jul 15, 2015 classical test theory and item response theory 1. There are welldefined theoretical differences between the classical test theory ctt and item response theory irt frameworks. An empirical comparison of item response theory and classical test theory spela progar1 and gregor socan2 1mirna pec, slovenija 2university of ljubljana, department of psychology, ljubljana, slovenia abstract. Comparison of classical test theory and item response. Item analysis classical latent trait models rasch item response theory irt1 irt2 irt3 irt4 classical test theory classical analysis is the easiest and most widely used form of analysis. Item response theory irt, also known as latent trait theory or modern mental test theory.
Mar 25, 2010 patientsreported outcomes pro are increasingly used in clinical and epidemiological research. It is a theory of testing based on the relationship between individuals performances on a test item and. Demonstrating the difference between classical test theory. Marcoulides, is a comprehensive introduction to the concepts of irt that includes numerous examples using statas powerful suite of irt commands. A course in item response theory and modeling with stata, by tenko raykov and george a.
The concept of the biomarker discriminating power is closely related to the item reliability index in classical test theory. In psychometrics, the theory has been superseded by the more sophisticated models in item response theory irt and generalizability theory gtheory. It is based on the application of related mathematical models to testing data. The entire educational system is today highly concerned with the. Whereas classical test theory focuses on the test as a whole, item response theory shifts its focus to the individual items questions themselves. Classical test theory classical test theory, just like item response theory, is an attempt to explain measurement error. Using classical test theory, item response theory, and rasch. The ctt and irt were compared across two samples and two forms of test on their item difficulty, internal consistency, and measurement errors.
Item response theory is a general statistical theory about examinee item and test performance and how performance relates to the abilities that are measured by the items in the test. The fact that ctt was developed before irt does not mean that ctt is outdated or replaced by irt. T or f item response theory has the advantage over classical test theory in that it provides more detailed information regarding each item on a test. In psychometrics, the theory has been superseded by the more sophisticated models in item response theory irt and generalizability theory g theory. This study empirically examined the behaviors of the item and person statistics derived from these two measurement frameworks. Irt is an example of what psychologists call a latent trait.
A comparison of classical and item response theory edit. Eric ed466779 classical test theory and item response. Classical test theory and item response theory in automated assembly of parallel test forms the journal of technology, learning, and assessment volume 6, number 8 april 2008 a publication of the technology and assessment study collaborative caroline a. It is sometimes referred to as the strong true score theory or modern mental test theory because irt is a more recent body of theory and makes stronger assumptions as compared to classical test theory. Classical test theory vs item response theory prezi.
This study compared classical test theory ctt and item response theory irt. Classical test theory and item response theory lrt will be described in relation to approaches to measure the validity and reliability. An empirical comparison of item response theory and classical. A comparative study of classical theory ct and item. An ncme instructional module on comparison of classical. The theory and practice of item response theory rafael. Comparisons between classical test theory and item response.
The most important goal has been to compare the 1pl, 2pl and the 3pl models in order to find the model which is most suitable for modeling the items. Item response theory irt has its roots in thurstones work to scale tests of mental development in the 1920s. The behavior of the item and person statistics derived from these two measurement frameworks was examined analytically and empirically using a data set obtained from bilog r. Another branch of psychometric theory is the item response theory irt. Comparison of classical test theory and item response theory and their applications to test development ronald k. In psychometrics, item response theory irt also known as latent trait theory, strong true score theory, or modern mental test theory is a paradigm for the design, analysis, and scoring of tests, questionnaires, and similar instruments measuring abilities, attitudes, or other variables. Itemresponse theory irt appears to be the currently prevailing paradigm within the psychometric theory. An ncme instructional module on comparison of classical test. Implementation of item response theory for analysis of test. A comparison of classical test theory and item response theory in the construction of scales from student surveys. In this study, the authors compared the ctt and irt methods with respect to. The purposes of this instructional module are a to focus attention on the similarities and differences between classical test theory and item response theory and related. Silvestre tipay, item response theory and classical test theory.
An empirical comparison of item response theory and classical test. Comparison of classical test theory and item response theory and their applications to test development. Despite theoretical differences between item response theory irt and classical test theory ctt, there is a lack of empirical knowledge about how, and to what extent, the irt and cttbased item and person statistics behave differently. Popular answers 1 classical test theory ctt and item response theory irt are widely perceived as representing two very different measurement frameworks. The practice of testing has become increasingly common and the reliance on information gained from test scores to make decision has made an indelible mark on our culture. To provide comparisons and a worked example of item and scalelevel evaluations based on. An introduction to item response theory and rasch analysis. Distinguishing differences compare and contrast topics from the lesson, such as classical test theory and item response theory making connections use understanding to explain the concept of. Use of item response theory in medical surgical nursing. Irt, on the other hand, is more theory grounded and models. The central feature of irt models is that they relate item responses to characteristics of individual persons and assessment items. Educational and psychological measurem june 1998 v58 n3. 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. Emons, and klaas sijtsma applied psychological measurement 2016 40.
I suggest looking at denny borsbooms book, measuring the mind. Classical test theory ctt and irt are largely concerned with the same problems but are different bodies of theory and therefore entail different methods. Comparing classical test theory and item response theory. Item response theory is a newer theory with a focus on test items that adds more tools for solving measurement problems in psychology test bias adaptive testing item selection ctt focuses more on the total score of a scale or subscale. An empirical comparison of item person statistics in biological science test, the international journal of educational and psychological assessment, vol. Designed for researchers, psychometric professionals, and advanced students, this book clearly presents both the howto and the why of irt. Comparative study of classical test theory and item response. An introduction to item response theory and rasch analysis of. True t or f cross cultural fairness in testing has always been a critical factor in the development of tests. These properties of irt are also the main theoretical advantages of. Empirical evidence, however, often failed to discover. Overview of classical test theory and item response theory. This isnt a big problem on the classical test theory chapters, but more modern chapters such as the item response theory chapter need updating.
In classical test theory, the model of measurement error is based on the correlation coefficient. May 31, 2015 classical test theory ctt and item response theory irt classical test theory ctt and item response theory irt are testing item assessment approaches. Based on nonlinear models between the measured latent variable and the item response. Item response theory irt is used to evaluate the relationship between a latent trait, such as mathematical ability, quality of life, or patient satisfaction, and the test questions or items intended to measure that trait. Download limit exceeded you have exceeded your daily download allowance. The term classical is used in contrast to modern test theory which usually refers to item response theory irt. Classical test theory assumptions, equations, limitations, and item analyses c lassical test theory ctt has been the foundation for measurement theory for over 80 years. Classical test theory ctt and itemresponse theory irt classical test theory ctt and itemresponse theory irt are testing item assessment approaches. Using classical test theory, item response theory, and. Basics of classical test theory theory and assumptions types of reliability example classical test theory classical test theory ctt often called the true score model called classic relative to item response theory irt which is a more modern approach ctt describes a set of psychometric procedures used to test items and scales.
It is in the statistical analyses underlying each theory that the differences are most evident. Implementation of item response theory for analysis of. Comparisons between classical test theory and item. Item response theory irt vs classical test theory ctt. Irt has been vigorously researched by psychometricians, and numerous books and articles. Educational and psychological measurem june 1998 v58 n3 p357. However, few studies have empirically examined the. Model linear non linear level test item assumption weak i. A comparison of the approaches of generalizability theory and item response theory in estimating the reliability of test scores for testletcomposed tests lee, guemin. Using 2008 your first college year yfcy survey data from the cooperative institutional research program at the higher education research institute at ucla, two scales are built and testedone measuring social. Irt may be regarded as roughly synonymous with latent trait theory. Among the greatest advantages of the item response theory over the classic measurement theory are.
To provide comparisons and a worked example of item and scalelevel evaluations based on three psychometric methods used in patientreported outcome developmentclassical test theory ctt, item response theory irt, and rasch measurement theory rmtin an analysis of the national eye institute visual functioning questionnaire vfq25. Patientsreported outcomes pro are increasingly used in clinical and epidemiological research. The following demonstrates a simulated dataset of 20 students true scores and their raw scores on a 10item test. Classical test theory vs item response theory by chris. Classical test theory ctt and item response theory irt are widely perceived as representing two very different measurement frameworks. Methodological issues regarding power of classical test. Bayesian item response theory for cancer biomarker. It is understood that in the ctt framework, person and item. Nov 30, 2010 this study compares the psychometric utility of classical test theory ctt and item response theory irt for scale construction with data from higher education student surveys. However, this is only partially reflected in the psychometric practice. The intent of this module is to provide a comparison of classical theory and item response theory. For many assessment specialists today, item response theory irt has replaced classical measurement theory as a framework for test development, scale construction, score reporting, and test evaluation. Item response theory irt is all about your performance on an exam, and how it relates to individual items or questions on a test. This study compares the psychometric utility of classical test theory ctt and item response theory irt for scale construction with data from higher education student surveys.
The statistics can be computed by generic statistical packages or at a push by hand and need no specialist software. Using 2008 your first college year yfcy survey data from the cooperative institutional research program at the higher education research institute at ucla, two scales are built and testedone measuring. An empirical comparison of item response theory and. Part ii, comparison between item analysis based on irt and ctt, is a. Classical test theory is an influential theory of test scores in the social sciences. In psychometrics, item response theory irt also known as latent trait theory, strong true score theory, or modern mental test theory, is a paradigm for the design, analysis, and scoring of tests, questionnaires, and similar instruments measuring abilities, attitudes, or other variables. Two main types of analytical strategies can be found for these data.
The present report demonstrates the difference between classical test theory ctt and item response theory irt approach using an actual test data for chemistry junior high school students. It is a theory of testing based on the relationship. Measurement theory and practice have changed considerably in the last 25 years. Bayesian item response theory for cancer biomarker discovery. The authors development of irt builds on the foundations of classical test theory, nonlinear factor analysis, and generalized linear models. Irt, on the other hand, is more theory grounded and models the probabilistic distribution of examinees success at the item level. Although the two paradigms are generally consistent and complementary, there are a number of points of difference. Using these foundational concepts, the authors then explain irt models, estimation via maximum likelihood, item characteristic curves, and information functions. Comparison of classical test theory and item response theory and their.
However, whether irt or ctt would be the most appropriate method to analyse pro data remains unknown. Here is two empirical example of comparison between these two methods. Hambleton professor of education and psychology at the university of massachusetts, hills south, room 152, amherst, ma 01003. The example was a 15item test with a sample size of 600 examinees eighthgrade level. Request pdf an empirical comparison of item response theory and classical test theory itemperson statistics in the theory of measurement. The theory and practice of item response theory by r. Comparison of classical test theory and item response theory in individual change assessment.
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