Handbook of Item Response Theory, Volume One: Models

Drawing on the work of internationally acclaimed experts in the field, Handbook of Item Response Theory, Volume One: Models presents all major item response models. This first volume in a three-volume set covers many model developments that have occurred in item response theory (IRT) during the last 20 years. It describes models for different response formats or response processes, the need of deeper parameterization due to a multilevel or hierarchical structure of the response data, and other extensions and insights.

In Volume One, all chapters have a common format with each chapter focusing on one family of models or modeling approach. An introductory section in every chapter includes some history of the model and a motivation of its relevance. Subsequent sections present the model more formally, treat the estimation of its parameters, show how to evaluate its fit to empirical data, illustrate the use of the model through an empirical example, and discuss further applications and remaining research issues.

Wim J. van der Linden is a distinguished scientist and director of research innovation at Pacific Metrics Corporation. He is also a professor emeritus of measurement and data analysis at the University of Twente. He is a past president of the Psychometric Society and National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) and a recipient of career achievement awards from NCME, Association of Test Publishers (ATP), and American Educational Research Association (AERA). His research interests include test theory, computerized adaptive testing, optimal test assembly, parameter linking, test equating, and response-time modeling as well as decision theory and its application to problems of educational decision making. Dr. van der Linden earned a PhD in psychometrics from the University of Amsterdam.