Comparing Classical and Contemporary Analyses and Rasch Measurement

Abstract

Four sets of analyses were conducted on the 1996 Course Experience Questionnaire data. Conventional item analysis, exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were used, Finally, the Rasch measurement model was applied to this data set. This study was undertaken in order to compare conventional analytic techniques with techniques that explicitly set out to implement genuine measurement of perceived course quality. Although conventional analytic techniques are informative, both confirmatory factor analysis and in particular the Rasch measurement model reveal much more about the data set, and about the construct being measured. Meaningful estimates of individual students’ perceptions of course quality are available through the use of the Rasch measurement model. The study indicates that the perceived course quality construct is measured by a subset of the items included in the CEQ and that seven of the items of the original instrument do not contribute to the measurement of that construct. The analyses of this data set indicate that a range of analytical approaches provide different levels of information about the construct. In practice, the analysis of data arising from the administration of instruments like the CEQ would be better undertaken using the Rasch measurement model.