Higher Education End-of-Course Evaluations: Assessing the Psychometric Properties Utilizing Exploratory Factor Analysis and Rasch Modeling Approaches
Journal Title: International Journal of Assessment Tools in Education - Year 2016, Vol 3, Issue 1
Abstract
This paper offers a critical assessment of the psychometric properties of a standard higher education end-of-course evaluation. Using both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and Rasch modeling, the authors investigate the (a) an overall assessment of dimensionality using EFA, (b) a secondary assessment of dimensionality using a principal components analysis (PCA) of the residuals when the items are fit to the Rasch model, and (c) an assessment of item-level properties using item-level statistics provided when the items are fit to the Rasch model. The results support the usage of the scale as a supplement to high-stakes decision making such as tenure. However, the lack of precise targeting of item difficulty to person ability combined with the low person separation index renders rank-ordering professors according to minuscule differences in overall subscale scores a highly questionable practice.
Authors and Affiliations
Kelly D. Bradley, Eric M. Snyder, Angela K. Tombari
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP174026
- DOI -
- Views 152
- Downloads 0
Use of Full Hierarchy Consistency Index to Assess Response Consistency
Measurement models need to properly delineate the real aspect of examinees’ response processes for measurement accuracy purposes. To avoid invalid inferences, fit of examinees’ response data to the model is studied throu...
Prospective Teachers’ Tendencies to Utilize From the Facilities of Contemporary Educational Technology
In terms of effectiveness and efficiency, it is important to determine the views of prospective teachers related to taking advantage of the facilities of contemporary educational technology. This study which aims to iden...
Inquiry Based Learning and Its Effectiveness
The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the inquiry based learning on the skills of the prospective teachers for the laboratory applications I course activities related to the developed chemistry exp...
The Development Study of Thoughts Scale Towards Measurement and Assessment Course on High Education
Considering that measurement and assessment, the most critical component of the education process, should be properly carried out by educators, it is necessary to make sure that education faculties deliver the measuremen...
Exploring Teachers’ Assessment Practices and Skills
The need for increased use of test results to improve educational outcomes is urgent; yet, there is little understanding in the research literature of practitioners’ knowledge and skills in interpreting and using educati...