VALIDATION OF A SCALE OF ATTITUDES TOWARD SCIENCE ACROSS COUNTRIES USING RASCH MODEL: FINDINGS FROM TIMSS

TitleVALIDATION OF A SCALE OF ATTITUDES TOWARD SCIENCE ACROSS COUNTRIES USING RASCH MODEL: FINDINGS FROM TIMSS
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2013
AuthorsSabah, S, Hammouri, H, Akour, M
JournalJournal of Baltic Science Education
Volume12
Issue5
Start Page692-702
PaginationContinuous
Date PublishedOctober/2013
Type of ArticleOriginal article
ISSN1648-3898
Other NumbersICID: 1075987
Keywordsattitudes toward science, Rasch measurement, science education, validity
Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to validate a scale of attitudes toward science based on items and data of TIMSS 2007. The present research introduces several implications and recommendations for science education researchers who are interested in validating and using instruments to measure attitudes toward science. This research examined, from Rasch measurement perspectives, to what extent the scale was valid across diverse participating countries from Rasch measurement perspectives. The data of the highest three achieving countries (Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan), the lowest three achieving countries (Qatar, Botswana, and Ghana), and three average achieving countries (Australia, Scotland, and Italy) were analyzed using WINSTEPS software. Several Rasch analyses (e.g, fit statistics, PCA, and person/item map reliability analysis) were performed to validate the scale. Although most of the item fit the Rasch model, a few items were found to be misfitting. Then, the misfitting items were eliminated and a second analysis for the fitting eight items was performed to check on the validity of the scale. The results provided evidences that support the validity of the scale based on Rasch measurement.

URLhttp://oaji.net/articles/2015/987-1425810820.pdf
DOI10.33225/jbse/13.12.692
Refereed DesignationRefereed
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