Using Rasch measurement for educational research

The use of Rasch measurement in the high-stakes testing of educational achievement increases at an outstanding rate. It provides the psychometric background for system-wide examinations in Hong Kong, Australian national beachmarking testing and many educational systems in the US. Its use in Computer Adaptive Testing is fundamental to the in-school assessment systems provided by NWEA in the US and the CEM Centre in the UK. More important for APERA delegates is the growing use of Rasch measurement for small and large scale educational research projects conducted in schools and universities by academic researchers. The development of sample independent invariant measures for educational research allows researchers to address problems that remained intractable under previous analytical methods. Presenters in this symposium will provide an international perspective on the use of Rasch scales in projects including student feedback about teaching, gifted students, mathematics education, self-efficacy, dyslexia in Chinese language and readiness for early school learning.