The Interpretation and Application of Multidimensional Item Response Theory Models; and Computerized Testing in the Instructional Environment

Abstract : This report summarizes the work in the development and evaluation of multidimensional item response theory models (MIRT) and in the evaluation of the use of computerized testing in the instructional environment. The work on MIRT included the definition of descriptive statistics for items that require more than an ability for successful completion, the evaluation of calibration programs, the comparison of competing MIRT models, and the application of MIRT procedures to practical testing problems. The work on computerized testing investigated medium and order effects for classroom achievement tests in a military training setting and the feasibility of computerized adaptive testing in that setting. Multidimensional item response theory (MIRT) is a theoretical framework for describing the interaction between a person and a test item when it is believed that performance on the test item is sensitive to person differences on more than one dimension. (kr)