Scale Development: Theory and Applications(v. 26 Applied Social Research Methods)

Written at an accessible level, "Scale Development, Second Edition" guides the reader toward the identification of the latent variable, the generation of an item pool, the format for measurement and the optimization of the scale length. Using exercises to illustrate the concepts, the text also includes advice about factor analytic strategies. For researchers tired of 'off-the-shelf' measurement tools that don't fit their particular situation, this is a must read.

Table of Contents:
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 Chapter 2: Understanding the "Latent Variable" Constructs Versus Measures Latent Variable as the Presumed Cause of Item Values Path Diagrams Further Elaboration of the Measurement Model Parallel "Tests" Alternative Models Exercises Chapter 3: Reliability Continuous Versus Dichotomous Items Internal Consistency Relability Based on Correlations Between Scale Scores Generalizability Theory Summary and Exercises Chapter 4: 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: Consider Inclusion of Validation Items Step 6: Administer Items to a Development Sample Step 7: Evaluate the Items Step 8: Optimize Scale Length Exercises Chapter 6: Factor Analysis Overview of Factor Analysis Conceptual Description of Factor Analysis Interpreting Factors Principal Components vs Common Factors Confirmatory Factor Analysis Using Factor Analysis in Scale Development Sample Size Conclusion Chapter 7: An Overview of Item Response Theory Item Difficulty Item Discrimination False Positives Item Characteristic Curves Complexities of IRT When to Use IRT Conclusions Chapter 8: Measurement in the Broader Research Context Before the Scale Development After the Scale Administration Final Thoughts References Index About the Author

About the Author :
Robert F. DeVellis is Research Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education (School of Public Health), and the Psychology Department (College of Arts and Sciences) at the University of North Carolinaat Chapel Hill. In addition, he is a Core Faculty Member for UNC's Robert Wood Johnson Clinical ScholarsProgram (School of Medicine). Dr. DeVellis is also Director of the Measurement and Methods Core of the UNCCenter on Minority Aging and Associate Director of the UNC Arthritis Multidisciplinary Clinical Research Center,where he also is a member of that center's Methodology Core. He has served on the Board of Directors for theAmerican Psychological Association's Division of Health Psychology (38), on the Arthritis Foundations'Clinical/Outcomes/therapeutics Research Study Section, and on the Advisory Board of the Veterans AffairsMeasurement Excellence Initiative. He has served on the editorial boards of Arthritis Care and Research and HealthEducation Research and as Guest Editor, Guest Associate Editor, or reviewer for more than two dozen otherjournals. His current research interests include examining interpersonal factors that facilitate adaptation to chronicillness and measuring social and behavioral variables related to health and illness. He has served as PrincipalInvestigator or Co-Investigator since the early 1980s on a series of research projects funded by the federalgovernment and private foundations.