The DIAL Lives On!

Textbook examples are often far from the practitioner's reality, but Chapter 9 of Rating Scale Analysis (Wright & Masters, 1982, pp.180- 198) contains a discussion of the DIAL, which is truly an example from the front lines. The 1990 revision of this useful test has just been published by American Guidance Service.

"Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning - Revised (DIAL-R) is an individually administered screening test designed to identify young children in need of further diagnostic assessment or curricular modification" (DIAL-R Manual 1990 p.1)

"The Rasch partial credit model (Wright & Masters, 1982) was used to analyze the DIAL-R items. The advantage of using Rasch measurement models for item analyses is that the models share the possibility of sample-free item calibration and item-free person measurement. In addition, the partial credit model provides probability curves for each item, which give the size of the steps with each item. The person-fit statistics were used to inspect record booklets of children who do not fit the model. These analyses were conducted at the University of chicago by Professor Benjamin Wright. Professor Wright had also conducted the Rasch analyses on the original DIAL items. The results of DIAL item calibration were presented as examples in his book Rating Scale Analysis." (p.54)

The DIAL-R manual is authored by
Carol Mardell-Czunowski, Northern Illinois University
Dorothea S. Goldenberg, De Paul University

Figure. Map of DIAL variable. From Rating Scale Analysis, Wright & Masters, 1982, p. 186

The DIAL Lives On!, B Wright … Rasch Measurement Transactions, 1990, 4:3 p. 117

Rasch Publications
Rasch Measurement Transactions (free, online)	Rasch Measurement research papers (free, online)	Probabilistic Models for Some Intelligence and Attainment Tests, Georg Rasch	Applying the Rasch Model 3rd. Ed., Bond & Fox	Best Test Design, Wright & Stone
Rating Scale Analysis, Wright & Masters	Introduction to Rasch Measurement, E. Smith & R. Smith	Introduction to Many-Facet Rasch Measurement, Thomas Eckes	Invariant Measurement: Using Rasch Models in the Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, George Engelhard, Jr.	Statistical Analyses for Language Testers, Rita Green
Rasch Models: Foundations, Recent Developments, and Applications, Fischer & Molenaar	Journal of Applied Measurement	Rasch models for measurement, David Andrich	Constructing Measures, Mark Wilson	Rasch Analysis in the Human Sciences, Boone, Stave, Yale
in Spanish:	Análisis de Rasch para todos, Agustín Tristán		Mediciones, Posicionamientos y Diagnósticos Competitivos, Juan Ramón Oreja Rodríguez

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.

The URL of this page is www.rasch.org/rmt/rmt43h.htm

Website: www.rasch.org/rmt/contents.htm