Scale Development: Theory and Applications, by Robert F. De Vellis and new co-author Carolyn T. Thorpe, demystifies measurement by emphasizing a logical rather than strictly mathematical understanding of concepts. The
Fifth Edition includes a new chapter that lays out the key concepts that distinguish indices from scales, contrasts various types of indices, suggests approaches for developing them, reviews validity and reliability issues, and discusses in broad terms some analytic approaches. All chapters have been updated, and the book strikes a balance between including relevant topics and highlighting recent developments in measurement while retaining an accessible, user-friendly approach to the material covered.
Содержание
Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Chapter 1 • Overview
General Perspectives on Measurement
Historical Origins of Measurement in Social Science
Later Developments in Measurement
The Role of Measurement in the Social Sciences
Summary and Preview
Exercises
Chapter 2 • Understanding the Latent Variable
Constructs Versus Measures
Latent Variable as the Presumed Cause of Scale Item Values
Path Diagrams
Further Elaboration of the Measurement Model
Parallel Tests
Alternative Models
Choosing a Causal Model
Exercises
Note
Chapter 3 • Scale Reliability
Methods Based on the Analysis of Variance
Continuous Versus Dichotomous Items
Internal Consistency
Coefficient Alpha
Remedies to Alpha’s Limitations
Coefficient Omega (?)
Reliability Based on Correlations Between Scale Scores
Reliability and Statistical Power
Generalizability Theory
Summary
Exercises
Notes
Chapter 4 • Scale Validity
Content Validity
Criterion-Related Validity
Construct Validity
What About Face Validity?
Exercises
Chapter 5 • Guidelines in Scale Development
Step 1: Determine Clearly What It Is You Want to Measure
Step 2: Generate an Item Pool
Step 3: Determine the Format for Measurement
Step 4: Have Initial Item Pool Reviewed by Experts
Step 5: Cognitive Interviewing
Step 6: Consider Inclusion of Validation Items
Step 7: Administer Items to a Development Sample
Step 8: Evaluate the Items
Step 9: Optimize Scale Length
Exercises
Note
Chapter 6 • Factor Analysis
Overview of Factor Analysis
Conceptual Description of Factor Analysis
Bifactor and Hierarchical Factor Models
Interpreting Factors
Principal Components Versus Common Factors
Confirmatory Factor Analysis
Using Factor Analysis in Scale Development
Sample Size
Conclusion
Exercises
Chapter 7 • The Index
How an Index Differs From a Scale
Rules of Thumb for Differentiating an Index From a Scale
Is It a Scale or an Index? Formal Methods for Distinguishing Effect and Causal Indicators
Steps in Developing and Evaluating an Index
Hybrid Measures
Methods Based on Structural Equation Modeling
Criticisms of Index Composites
Exercises
Note
Chapter 8 • An Overview of Item Response Theory
Item Difficulty
Item Discrimination
Guessing, or False Positives
Item-Characteristic Curves
IRT Applied to Multiresponse Items
Exercises
Chapter 9 • Measurement in the Broader Research Context
Before Scale Development
After Scale Administration
Final Thoughts
Exercise
References
Об авторе
Carolyn T. Thorpe, Ph D, MPH, is a tenured Associate Professor in the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy at the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She holds a joint appointment as a Research Health Scientist and Core Investigator in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Pittsburgh Healthcare System’s Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP), and serves as Co-Director of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs Postdoctoral Pharmacy Fellowship in Medication Safety and Pharmacy Outcomes. She has served on study sections for the National Institutes of Health and Department of Veterans Affairs, as an Associate Editor for the journal Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, and as a reviewer for a diverse range of peer-reviewed journals at the intersection of public health, medicine, and social science. Over the past two decades, Dr. Thorpe has led a federally-funded research program that aims to improve the health of older adults managing complex chronic conditions and has published over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Her research interests lie in measuring and examining psychological, social, and behavioral factors related to the safe and appropriate use of medications in older adults, and she has specific expertise in developing and evaluating measures of patient illness self-management behavior and medication nonadherence. She enjoys teaching principles of study design and measurement to professional pharmacy and graduate students and serving as an active research mentor of trainees at all levels.