This advanced seminar course (offered on a two-year rotation) focuses on a variety of topics and issues related to the practical development of scales and measures in psychology, education, and health. Key topics will include: principles of scale development; principles and guidelines in item writing, scaling and response formats; common method biases and how to control for them; standardization of administration and scoring; the importance and examination of factor structure; analyses used in the evaluation, selection, and revision of items; and advanced topics in reliability and validity. Other related topics (e.g., ethical issues, item weighting, equating, test adaptation, computerized/internet testing) may also be incorporated into the course as time permits and based on student interest.
The course typically centers around a major practical assignment which involves working as part of a team to develop a measure, administer it, score it, examine its psychometric properties, and make recommendations for revision. This course is strongly recommended for anyone planning to pursue applied, clinical, or research studies/careers involving the use or development of tests or measures.
Prerequisites: Successful completion of EPSE 528 or an equivalent advanced measurement course. It is expected that students will also have completed at least an undergraduate statistics course and be familiar with a statistics package such as SPSS.
Credits: 3