Wim J. van der Linden Knihy

The book delves into the evolution of psychometric methods over four decades, highlighting significant advancements in educational and psychological measurement. It discusses the emergence of criterion-referenced assessment, which prioritizes individual performance against defined knowledge and skills, and contrasts this with traditional norm-referenced approaches. Additionally, the introduction of item response theory (IRT) is examined, showcasing its advantages over classical test theory, particularly in enhancing measurement practices and addressing previous limitations in test development and evaluation.

Item response theory has become an essential component in the toolkit of every researcher in the behavioral sciences. It provides a powerful means to study individual responses to a variety of stimuli, and the methodology has been extended and developed to cover many different models of interaction. This volume presents a wide-ranging handbook to item response theory - and its applications to educational and psychological testing. It will serve as both an introduction to the subject and also as a comprehensive reference volume for practitioners and researchers. It is organized into six major the nominal categories model, models for response time or multiple attempts on items, models for multiple abilities or cognitive components, nonparametric models, models for nonmonotone items, and models with special assumptions. Each chapter in the book has been written by an expert of that particular topic, and the chapters have been carefully edited to ensure that a uniform style of notation and presentation is used throughout. As a result, all researchers whose work uses item response theory will find this an indispensable companion to their work and it will be the subject's reference volume for many years to come.