Conducting Measurement Invariance Tests with Ordinal Data: A Guide for Social Work Researchers
Conducting Measurement Invariance Tests with Ordinal Data: A Guide for Social Work Researchers
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DOI：
10.1086/681607
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发表时间：
2015-06-01
影响因子：
1.8
通讯作者：
Masa, Rainier D.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Bowen, Natasha K.;Masa, Rainier D.
目的：跨群体测量的有效性是社会工作研究者和从业人员关注的主要问题。许多社会工作者使用量表，或一系列问卷项目，有顺序的回答选项。然而，对社会工作文献的回顾表明，在测量不变性检验中对有序数据的适当处理是罕见的；在过去12年中，26家社会工作期刊上发表的57篇文章中，只有3篇使用了适当的测试程序。本文综合了文献中的信息，并对有序数据的测量不变性程序提供了建议。方法：我们使用宿务纵向健康和营养调查的数据来证明对有序数据的不变性检验的应用。使用稳健加权最小二乘估计和多元相关矩阵，我们检验了10项感知压力量表（PSS）在两个由健康状况定义的年轻人群体中的不变性。我们描述了两种相互竞争的方法：一种4步方法，其中因素负荷和阈值分别进行测试和约束；还有一个三步走的方法，即负载和阈值同时进行测试和约束。结果：两种方法都得出了相同的结论，即PSS的两个维度在不同的健康状况下是不不变的。在不存在不变性的情况下，PSS因子的平均得分不能在组间进行有效比较，也不应该在两组间的假设检验中使用潜在变量。读者被引导到网上资源。结论：仔细检查社会工作量表可能会揭示一些群体的适合性或非不变性问题。使用适当的方法进行不变性检验将减少在实践中对措施的滥用，并提高社会工作出版物的严谨性和质量。
Objective: The validity of measures across groups is a major concern for social work researchers and practitioners. Many social workers use scales, or sets of questionnaire items, with ordinal response options. However, a review of social work literature indicates the appropriate treatment of ordinal data in measurement invariance tests is rare; only 3 of 57 articles published in 26 social work journals over the past 12 years used proper testing procedures. This article synthesizes information from the literature and provides recommendations for appropriate measurement invariance procedures with ordinal data. Method: We use data from the Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey to demonstrate applications of invariance testing with ordinal data. Using a robust weighted least squares estimator and polychoric correlation matrix, we examine invariance of a 10-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) across 2 young adult groups defined by health status. We describe 2 competing approaches: a 4-step approach, in which factor loadings and thresholds are tested and constrained separately; and a 3-step approach, in which loadings and thresholds are tested and constrained in tandem. Results: Both approaches lead to the same conclusion that the 2 dimensions of the PSS are noninvariant across health status. In the absence of invariance, mean scores on the PSS factors cannot be validly compared across groups, nor should latent variables be used in the hypothesis testing across the 2 groups. Readers are directed to online resources. Conclusions: Careful examination of social work scales is likely to reveal fit or noninvariance problems across some groups. Use of appropriate methods for invariance testing will reduce misuse of measures in practice and improve the rigor and quality of social work publications.