Course Description:  The course offers a general introduction to psychometric methods primarily emphasizing classical test theory, test construction and validation, and test use.  The emphasis lies with developing a firm understanding of basic psychometric concepts.  This course lays a foundation for more advanced courses in specific topics introduced here. The course understands psychometrics and testing as applying broadly, not just to paper and pencil tests but also to performance assessments, behavioral observations, measured variables in experiments and quasi-experiments, surveys, and other forms of behavioral data collection. However, much of the material will emphasize measurement involving multiple indicators of a common construct.

Course Objectives: The course assumes a foundation in basic statistics and a healthy curiosity but little more. The more you put into the course, the more you will get out of the course. The course design reflects the following objectives.
1. Students will gain a basic understanding of the foundations of test theory that will prepare them to pursue more advanced topics (e.g., item response theory, structural equation modeling).
2. Students will gain the background and confidence to critically read technical manuals and other documentation in conjunction with use of published tests.
3. Students will gain facility with conceptual tools for thinking through issues of validity and reliability as applied to all measures from dependent variables in experiments to large scale testing programs.
4. Students will gain a level of comfort with algebraic representations of test scores and the use of these to think through applied problems related to test use and interpretation.
5. Students will gain an increased sensitivity to the fallibility of educational and psychological tests and the limits to their use and interpretation.
6. Students will gain exposure to the use of statistical software for conducting psychometric analyses and some experience with such analyses.

Text Book:
Bandalos, D. L. (2018). Measurement Theory and Applications for the Social Sciences.  New York:  Guildford. The book will not be available until January 31.  I will provide draft chapters as needed until the book is available.  There are provided for your personal use only and cannot be shared or distributed.

Additional Reading:

I will illustrate psychometric concepts primarily using spreadsheets and R.  Familiarity with the software is not a course requirement. However, learning psychometrics simply by reading about it is akin to learning to swim, ski, or play a musical instrument simply by reading about it. Actual practice is a much more effective method. Whether you use a simple calculator, a spreadsheet, or advanced statistical software, it is a good habit to play around with the material by constructing concrete examples and taking a try-and-see attitude toward the material. If something seems puzzling, make up an example and try it out. If something seems counter-intuitive to you, try to construct a counterexample. The more concrete you make psychometrics, the more comfortable you will feel with the material, the better you will understand it, and the more skills you will develop that you can apply outside of the class. None of the this is required for the course, but it will make it more fun, more interesting, and more valuable at a practical level.

Course Project:

Grading:  The course project is the only graded assignment. The topic is worth 10%, Part 1 25%, Part 2 30% and Part 3 35%.  Letter grades will be assigned as indicated below.