The Basics of Item Response Theory Using R

by Frank B. Baker, Seock-Ho Kim

This graduate-level textbook is a tutorial for item response theory that covers both the basics of item response theory and the use of R for preparing graphical presentation in writings about the theory. Item response theory has become one of the most powerful tools used in test construction, yet one of the barriers to learning and applying it is the considerable amount of sophisticated computational effort required to illustrate even the simplest concepts. This text provides the reader access to the basic concepts of item response theory freed of the tedious underlying calculations. It is intended for those who possess limited knowledge of educational measurement and psychometrics.
Rather than presenting the full scope of item response theory, this textbook is concise and practical and presents basic concepts without becoming enmeshed in underlying mathematical and computational complexities. Clearly written text and succinct R code allow anyone familiar with statistical concepts to explore and apply item response theory in a practical way. In addition to students of educational measurement, this text will be valuable to measurement specialists working in testing programs at any level and who need an understanding of item response theory in order to evaluate its potential in their settings.

188 pages, Hardcover

Published May 18, 2017

Reviews

[Delbert Yip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I'm not a statistician in any way, nor do I have any experience in the social or behavioural sciences.

As someone who has taken many standardized tests in my life, I've always wondered how these tests are designed and calibrated. I found this text to be a very clear introduction to the field of item response theory, with minimal mathematical detail. The R code is intuitive and adds to the practicality of the text. I think I'll look for a more advanced text, or at least something that discusses more involved examples.