Global Rasch Fit Statistic
Question: A Journal Editor insists I include a global statistic for fit of the Rasch model to my data. What do you recommend?
Answer: The Editor misunderstands the Rasch model, but this is not the moment to rectify that. Numerous global fit tests have been proposed reflecting the different ways in which the data can misfit the unattainable ideal of the Rasch model. Here's a practical approach. For each observation, there is a standardized residual and a model probability. So we can always compute usefully approximate chi-square statistics, regardless of missing data:
1. Pearson chi-square = sum of squared standardized residuals for all observations.
2. Log-likelihood chi-square = -2 * sum of the natural logarithms of the model probabilities for all observations. In practice, these values will differ. So we can choose the value better fitting our intentions, as is usually done in statistical modeling, or report both statistics. In both cases, the degrees of freedom for dichotomous data approximate:
d.f. = data point count - (person count + item count)
Omit items and persons with zero or perfect scores before doing these computations. For polytomies, also deduct from the d.f. the number of active categories (less 2) for each polytomous scale.
Since the expectation of a chi-square statistic is its d.f., you can obtain a more accurate estimate of the d.f. by simulating multiple sets of data with the same measurement structure as your data, and then using the average of their chi-square values as the reported d.f. for your chi-square.
Global Rasch Fit Statistic Rasch Measurement Transactions, 2007, 21:2 p. 1103
Forum | Rasch Measurement Forum to discuss any Rasch-related topic |
Go to Top of Page
Go to index of all Rasch Measurement Transactions
AERA members: Join the Rasch Measurement SIG and receive the printed version of RMT
Some back issues of RMT are available as bound volumes
Subscribe to Journal of Applied Measurement
Go to Institute for Objective Measurement Home Page. The Rasch Measurement SIG (AERA) thanks the Institute for Objective Measurement for inviting the publication of Rasch Measurement Transactions on the Institute's website, www.rasch.org.
Coming Rasch-related Events | |
---|---|
Oct. 4 - Nov. 8, 2024, Fri.-Fri. | On-line workshop: Rasch Measurement - Core Topics (E. Smith, Winsteps), www.statistics.com |
Jan. 17 - Feb. 21, 2025, Fri.-Fri. | On-line workshop: Rasch Measurement - Core Topics (E. Smith, Winsteps), www.statistics.com |
May 16 - June 20, 2025, Fri.-Fri. | On-line workshop: Rasch Measurement - Core Topics (E. Smith, Winsteps), www.statistics.com |
June 20 - July 18, 2025, Fri.-Fri. | On-line workshop: Rasch Measurement - Further Topics (E. Smith, Facets), www.statistics.com |
Oct. 3 - Nov. 7, 2025, Fri.-Fri. | On-line workshop: Rasch Measurement - Core Topics (E. Smith, Winsteps), www.statistics.com |
The URL of this page is www.rasch.org/rmt/rmt212e.htm
Website: www.rasch.org/rmt/contents.htm