Measurement Theory (measurement + theory)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Developing Measurement Theory for Classroom Assessment Purposes and Uses

EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT: ISSUES AND PRACTICE, Issue 4 2003
Susan M. Brookhart
In many fields of inquiry, the need for new theoretical developments is often best seen in areas of strain, and strain is apparent in several areas in which the conventions of measurement theory do not quite "fit" classroom assessment. Three areas of strain are analyzed in order to suggest how theoretical development might focus directly on information quality in the classroom assessment context. This article describes the context dependence of classroom assessment, its inextricable relationship with instruction, and its simultaneous formative and summative functions. Thus a case is made for new theoretical developments in the area of measurement in the classroom. [source]


Current Concerns in Validity Theory

JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT, Issue 4 2001
Michael T. Kane
We are at the end of the first century of work on models of educational and psychological measurement and into a new millennium. This certainly seems like an appropriate time for looking backward and looking forward in assessment. Furthermore, a new edition of the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA, APA, & NCME, 1999) has been published, and the previous editions of the Standards have served as benchmarks in the development of measurement theory. This backward glance will be just that, a glance. After a brief historical review focusing mainly on construct validity, the current state of validity theory will be summarized, with an emphasis on the role of arguments in validation. Then how an argument-based approach might be applied will be examined in regards to two issues in validity theory: the distinction between performance-based and theory-based interpretations, and the role of consequences in validation. [source]


Theoretical study of wetting behavior of nanoparticles at fluid interfaces

AICHE JOURNAL, Issue 3 2009
Jianguo Mi
Abstract In this work, a theoretical model was developed to describe the wetting behavior of nanoparticles at liquid-vapor interface by the integration of the renormalization group transformation, the cell theory, and the modified fundamental measurement theory with the first-order mean spherical approximation method. The results show that the new model can be used to investigate the global behavior and surface tensions of nanoparticle/fluid systems. Particularly, the nanoparticle's wetting behavior inside critical region was discussed systematically. More important, this work proposed a methodology for calculating line tension and contact angle, showing that line tension has considerable influence on wetting properties for small nanoparticles, whereas it is negligible for large nanoparticles. Therefore, this work provides a general method for studying the wetting behavior of nanoparticles that may find wide applications in the field of chemical engineering. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2009 [source]


Measurement and decision making at the University of Michigan in the 1950s and 1960s

JOURNAL OF THE HISTORY OF THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, Issue 2 2010
Floris Heukelom
This article explores the emergence of Clyde Coombs' mathematical psychology and Ward Edwards' behavioral decision research at the University of Michigan in the 1950s and 1960s. It shows why and how the mathematical psychological focus on the mathematics of measurement neatly complemented the experimental work on rational human decision making of the behavioral decision researchers. Both understood measurement as the rational decision of a human being between two or more stimuli, or values, and viewed the experimental measurement of actual human decision behavior as a key objective of psychology. For both "measurement theory in psychology [was] behavior theory." © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Item response theory: applications of modern test theory in medical education

MEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 8 2003
Steven M Downing
Context Item response theory (IRT) measurement models are discussed in the context of their potential usefulness in various medical education settings such as assessment of achievement and evaluation of clinical performance. Purpose The purpose of this article is to compare and contrast IRT measurement with the more familiar classical measurement theory (CMT) and to explore the benefits of IRT applications in typical medical education settings. Summary CMT, the more common measurement model used in medical education, is straightforward and intuitive. Its limitation is that it is sample-dependent, in that all statistics are confounded with the particular sample of examinees who completed the assessment. Examinee scores from IRT are independent of the particular sample of test questions or assessment stimuli. Also, item characteristics, such as item difficulty, are independent of the particular sample of examinees. The IRT characteristic of invariance permits easy equating of examination scores, which places scores on a constant measurement scale and permits the legitimate comparison of student ability change over time. Three common IRT models and their statistical assumptions are discussed. IRT applications in computer-adaptive testing and as a method useful for adjusting rater error in clinical performance assessments are overviewed. Conclusions IRT measurement is a powerful tool used to solve a major problem of CMT, that is, the confounding of examinee ability with item characteristics. IRT measurement addresses important issues in medical education, such as eliminating rater error from performance assessments. [source]


Recent advances in measurement theory and the use of sociometric techniques

NEW DIRECTIONS FOR CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT, Issue 88 2000
Robert Terry Assistant ProfessorArticle first published online: 1 MAR 200
Perctiver characteristics need to be modeled in sociometric measurement. The author accomplishes this with a latent trait model of sociometric choice that is especially successful when unlimited nominations are collected. [source]