Description
This book presents complex concepts in a way that helps students to understand the logic underlying the creation, use, and evaluation of measurement instruments and to develop a more intuitive feel for how scales work. Robert DeVellis demystifies measurement by relating it to familiar experiences and by emphasizing a conceptual rather than a strictly mathematical understanding. Students' attention is drawn to important concepts that are foundational for subsequent topics, with opportunities provided to test understanding through chapter summaries and exercises.
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This text for student researchers in the social sciences presents an intuitive treatment of measurement instruments, relating measurements to students' familiar experiences. The goal of the text is for students to develop a conceptual rather than mathematical understanding through the use of analogies, b&w figures and illustrations, and examples. Coverage progresses from latent variables through reliability, validity, scale development, factor analysis, item response theory, and measurement in the broader research context. This third edition offers expanded coverage of item response theory and new coverage of the historical context of the field, plus new material on reliability and an expanded discussion of how factor analysis relates to scale development. DeVellis is research professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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