EDC 506 Chapter 10 - Scale Construction Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, types of validity, psychometric properties, steps, and myths of scale construction from EDC 506 Chapter 10.

Criterion-Referenced Instrument

An assessment tool designed to measure individual performance against a fixed standard, criterion, or specific outcome.

Norm-Referenced Instrument

An assessment tool designed to evaluate individual performance by comparing it to the performance of a normative group.

Content Validity

The degree to which a scale's items accurately represent the construct of interest, which can be increased through literature review and content analysis.

Convergent Validity

A form of validity that examines whether two separate measures that are supposed to measure the same construct yield similar results.

Concurrent Validity

A form of validity focusing on the power of a measure to predict outcomes on another test or outcome variable assessed at the same time.

Discriminant Validity

A form of validity showing that a scale does not strongly correlate with measures of distinct or unrelated constructs.

Myths of Scale Construction

False assumptions including: it can be done quickly, items can be constructed without much literature review, convenience samples are fine, factor analysis alone proves validity, Western scales are universally valid, literal translation ensures cultural equivalence, and structural elements like Likert scales are universal.

Conceptualizing and Operationalizing a Construct

The foundational step in scale construction that involves defining the specific theoretical concept of interest and specifying how it will be measured.

Translating and Back-Translating

A scale adaptation process where items are translated into a target language and then re-translated into the original language to evaluate semantic accuracy and cultural equivalence beyond literal translation.

Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Statistical procedures used during scale development to examine, evaluate, and confirm the underlying factor structure and dimensionality of scale items.

Internal Consistency

A psychometric property that assesses the extent to which all items on a scale measure the same concept consistently.

Test-Retest Reliability

A psychometric property that measures the temporal stability and consistency of scale scores across multiple administrations over time.

Incremental Validity

A psychometric property evaluating whether a new scale adds unique predictive power or explanatory value beyond existing established measures.

Item Response Theory (IRT)

An advanced statistical measurement framework used for item evaluation and refinement to optimize scale performance and length.