Doctoral Degree: The Psychometric Methods, Educational Statistics and Research Methods Concentration
Testing and assessment are very prominent in today's society. They are used in instruction, diagnosis, placement, promotions, credentialing, and selection decisions, and in educational research and evaluation. Furthermore, the No Child Left Behind legislation has led to a substantial increase in testing in the public school system. Persons trained to develop instruments such as tests, assessments, and questionnaires, to use new models and methods for data collection and analysis (such as item response theory and structural equation models), design sampling frameworks, collect and analyze data, and conduct research and evaluation studies, play vital roles in education.
The Psychometric Methods, Educational Statistics and Research Methods doctoral concentration offers a graduate level program for the training of persons with specialized skills in the areas of psychometric methods (e.g., item response theory, classical test theory, and scaling), statistics, instrument development, and data analysis. Most students admitted into the Program are provided with full research assistantships and tuition waivers. The assistantships provide students with opportunities to develop practical skills, and carry out research studies. Summer internships are also a part of the graduate student training experience, and so the faculty work closely with students to create these important training opportunities. The concentration) has close connections with many testing agencies around the country that provide these summer internship experiences.
Concentration Goals and Emphases
The Psychometric Methods, Educational Statistics and Research Methods concentration emphasizes the training of persons in the areas of (1) educational test development (2) psychometric models, methods, and practices, (3) educational statistics, and (4) research and evaluation methods. Graduates are trained to carry out the design of research and evaluation studies, to apply modern psychometric models and methods (such as those associated with item response theory, structural equation modeling, and performance-based assessment), to develop and validate a wide variety of instruments, and to analyze data in such diverse settings as the public schools, state and federal agencies, industry, the armed services, and medical and allied-health organizations. Our special focus is on the training of program graduates with both theoretical training as well as a wide range of practical experiences. Students with such training have no difficulty finding suitable positions upon graduation. We also work with universities and testing agencies throughout the world.
Courses
The Psychometric Methods, Educational Statistics and Research Methods concentration offers the following courses:
EDUC 501 Classroom Assessment
EDUC 553 Construction, Validation, and Uses of Criterion-Referenced Tests
EDUC 555 Introduction to Statistics & Computer Analysis I
EDUC 632 Principles of Educational & Psychological Testing
EDUC 637 Non-Parametric Statistics Analysis
EDUC 656 Introduction to Statistical & Computer Analysis II
EDUC 661 Educational Research Methods I
EDUC 727 Scale and Instrument Development
EDUC 731 Structural Equation Modeling
EDUC 735 Advanced Theory & Practice of Testing I
EDUC 736 Advanced Theory & Practice of Testing II
EDUC 771 Application of Applied Multivariate Statistics I
EDUC 772 Application of Applied Multivariate Statistics II
EDUC 821 Advanced Validity Theory & Test Validation
In addition, students regularly take related graduate-level courses in the Schools of Education and Public Health, and Departments of Psychology and Statistics.
Contact Information
Please visit the Psychometric Methods site for more information.
Concentration Coordinator: Craig Wells (Associate Professor)
Associated Faculty
Lisa A. Keller (Assistant Professor), Jennifer Randall (Assistant Professor), Stephen G. Sireci (Professor), Craig Wells (Associate Professor), Ronald K. Hambleton (Distinguished University Professor).
