Rasch Analysis as a Technique to Examine the Psychometric Properties of a Career Ability Placement Survey Subtest

Rasch analysis offers researchers an innovative method for developing and validating rehabilitation instruments. Despite the increased use of Rasch analysis by allied health researchers, this method continues to be underutilized by rehabilitation counseling professionals. In the rehabilitation couns...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Rehabilitation counseling bulletin 2008-07, Vol.51 (4), p.251-259
Main Authors: Pomeranz, Jamie L., Byers, Katherine L., Moorhouse, Michael D., Velozo, Craig A., Spitznagel, Ronald J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ability Grouping
Accuracy
Careers
College students
Counselors
Data analysis
Evaluators
Florida
Graduate Students
Hierarchies
Item Response Theory
Job Placement
Language Usage
Measurement Techniques
Principal components analysis
Psychometrics
Rating Scales
Rehabilitation Counseling
Reliability
Research methodology
Researchers
Statistics
Studies
Test Theory
Undergraduate Students
Validity
Vocational Evaluation
Vocational rehabilitation
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Summary:Rasch analysis offers researchers an innovative method for developing and validating rehabilitation instruments. Despite the increased use of Rasch analysis by allied health researchers, this method continues to be underutilized by rehabilitation counseling professionals. In the rehabilitation counseling profession, vocational evaluators use various instruments, such as the Career Ability Placement Survey (CAPS), to determine client aptitudes and justify job placement recommendations. The purpose of this article is to introduce Rasch analysis as a method for analyzing vocational assessments by examining the psychometric properties of the Word Knowledge (WK) subtest of the CAPS. University undergraduate and graduate students (n = 227) completed the WK subtest as part of a classroom exercise. The analysis determined item hierarchy, item gaps and redundancies, item-fit statistics (unidimensionality), and person reliability and separation statistics. Although the WK construct demonstrates good psychometric characteristics relating to unidimensionality and to person reliability and separation statistics, several items deviated from the expected ordering pattern. The reordering of items revealed potential item gaps and redundancies as well as poor person—instrument match. Adding and removing items will improve the validity and reliability of the WK subtest psychometrics.
ISSN:0034-3552
1538-4853
DOI:10.1177/0034355208317317