TITLE:
Improving the Likert Scale of the Children’s Social Skills Test by Means of Rasch Model
AUTHORS:
Daniel Bartholomeu, Marjorie C. Rocha da Silva, José Maria Montiel
KEYWORDS:
Item Response Theory, Social Skills, Children, Rating Scale
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.7 No.6,
June
14,
2016
ABSTRACT: This study addressed the psychometric
properties of the Children’s Social Skills Test (THAS-C). Results were divided
into two parts. Initial studies investigated 257 children attending Grades 2 to
4 in public schools of two cities in the countryside of the state of São Paulo.
Study 2 assessed 1381 children and adolescents aged 7 to 15 years from public
and private schools in cities located in the countryside of the state of São
Paulo. Infit and outfit indexes showed adequate fit for both items and people.
A progression analysis using Rasch measurement model showed greater people’s
ability in function of response categories. On the other hand, the outfit index
suggested good fit in all categories. These data show relevance for the
structure of three analysis categories. Few items showed DIF. Precision data
obtained with these two methods showed satisfactory indexes. These data enable
validity evidences based on the internal structure. Such findings may
facilitate the assessment process and planning of interventions that are more
focused on individual needs.