Application of Rasch Measurement Model in Establishing Roles Hierarchy for Malaysian Building Surveying Graduates

Despite the rising demand for the building surveying services in the current market, the function of this profession is generally still misunderstood. Hence, this paper attempts to identify the hierarchy and potential roles that can be offered by building surveying graduates in order to provide the acceptable roles in the Malaysian construction industry. A quantitative research approach has been adopted to achieve this study’s objective with close-ended questionnaires have been developed and administered to 136 professional building surveyors who are registered with the Building Surveying Division, Royal Institution of Surveyor Malaysia. The retrieved data were analysed using the IBM SPSS Statistic for the respondents’ demographic data and the Rasch measurement model that applied the Winsteps version 3.70 software in order to analyse the data on reliability, item fit, and item measure for roles hierarchy. The result of the study shows that the roles hierarchy consisted of 29 essential tasks a graduate should deal with in order to thrive in the labour market after graduation. Correspondingly, building maintenance and conservation, building control administration, building inspection, risk management and building audit, building works and quality, and building insurance are the essential roles there are based on the hierarchy level that has been extracted by the six components. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in the Malaysia context, in particular for the general international building surveying community as it reveals a roles hierarchy that graduates are required to perform, and where it will provide awareness on the existence of the building surveying vocation among other the non-allied construction professionals in Malaysia.

Establishing the Validity and Reliability of the Malaysian English Language Textbook Evaluation Checklist (MELTEC) Using Rasch Measurement Model (RRM)

A textbook is an important teaching and learning material. Evaluating a textbook is essential to ensure educational goals are met. In the present study, the Malaysian English Language Textbook Evaluation Checklist (MELTEC) is developed for the purpose of materials adaptation. The lack of validity and reliability of previous textbook evaluation checklists reported by researchers in the field of ELT textbook evaluation has resulted in the need to establish the validity and reliability of the checklist developed in this study using the Rasch Measurement Model (RRM). One hundred and ten ESL secondary school teachers from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, had participated in this study. Rasch analysis was used to examine the item fit, polarity, reliability, separation index, and unidimensionality of the checklist. As a result, the finalised version of MELTEC comprises of 78 items. A total of 63 items were dropped as these items were not deemed to be suitable. The analysis performed using Rasch Measurement Model proved that the checklist has high validity and reliability. The checklist is found to be suitable to evaluate ELT secondary school textbooks in Malaysia. On that account, future researchers can consider using Rasch Measurement Model to establish the validity and reliability of the instruments developed to ensure their integrity and quality.

ASSESSING THE VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY OF SCIENCE MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST USING RASCH DICHOTOMOUS MEASUREMENT MODEL

Multiple choice tests are widely applied to assess students’ knowledge in science education. This study aimed at assessing the validity and reliability of Science Multiple-choice Test in Malaysia. The items for this test were formulated by the researcher together with a panel of science teachers and the head of the science department with close reference to Secondary School Standard Curriculum (KSSM) syllabus. The test consists of 50 multiple-choice items with four options. Rasch measurement model was adopted to evaluate the quality of the Science Multiple-choice Test in terms of reliability analysis, item polarity analysis (PTMEA-CORR), item fit analysis and Principal Component Analysis of Residuals (PCAR). The reliability analysis was performed using Cronbach’s Alpha, and the results of reliability and separation index respectively indicated good reliability level of the test items. In order to improve the validity of the test, two negatively worded items (Q39 and Q40) were removed. Lastly, the PCAR analysis showed the unexplained variance in the 1st contrast (5.4%) was found to be well controlled and was below the ceiling value of one-third of the variance explained by the item (18.7%). However, the positive value of the disattenuated correlations indicate no evidence of the presence of secondary dimension. Keywords: multiple-choice test, Rasch measurement model, reliability and validity, science subject, secondary school standard curriculum

Structural validity of the Arabic version of the disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) using Rasch measurement model

Background The disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) is a commonly used region-specific patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) that quantify upper extremity function (activity limitation) and symptoms. Current evidence suggests that measurement properties of the adapted versions of the DASH are not sufficiently examined. The Arabic DASH has evidence supporting its internal consistency, test–retest reliability, construct validity and responsiveness. On the other hand, the validity of the assumed unidimensionality of the Arabic DASH has not been examined previously. The aim of this study was to examine the structural validity of the Arabic DASH in patients with upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders using Rasch measurement model. Methods Patients with upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders were recruited and were asked to complete the Arabic DASH at their initial visit to physical therapy departments. The overall fit of the Arabic DASH to the requirement of the Rasch measurement model was examined using chi-square statistics for item-trait interaction, mean item and person fit residuals. The fit of individual items, thresholds ordering, local dependency, differential item functioning (DIF), and unidimensionality using the t-test approach were also examined. Results The Arabic DASH did not fit the Rasch measurement model initially (χ2 = 179.04, p < 0.001) with major breach of local item independence and a pattern of high residual correlations among the activity-related items and among the impairment-related items. Combining items into activity-limitation and impairment testlets accommodated the local dependency and led to satisfactory fit of the Arabic DASH to the requirement of the Rasch measurement model (χ2 = 3.99, p = 0.41). Conclusions Rasch measurement model supports the structural validity of the Arabic DASH as a unidimensional measure after the accommodation of local dependency.