Title: Investigation of the optimal response scale for personality measurement : computer–based testing
Abstract:The general objective of this study was to determine which response scale, polytomous or dichotomous, would be best to use within computer-based testing when using a personality measurement. The sampl...The general objective of this study was to determine which response scale, polytomous or dichotomous, would be best to use within computer-based testing when using a personality measurement. The sample (N = 724) consisted of undergraduate and post-graduate students from a tertiary institution in South Africa. The measuring scale instrument that was used was an adapted version of the Soft-Heartedness questionnaire from the SAPI project. When looking at the skewness and kurtosis rating of the two response scale versions it was found that very few items from the computer-based dichotomous response scale version were normally distributed; however, all the items from the computer-based polytomous response scale version showed normal distribution. It was also found that although both versions of the response scales showed an average factor loading above 0,30, the polytomous response scale had a general higher average factor loading (0,57) than the dichotomous response scale (0,50). The polytomous response scale also showed a higher internal consistency than that of the dichotomous response scale, which was eminent from the Cronbach Alpha coefficients (α) being α = 0,88 and α = 0,58 respectively. Only the Cronbach Alpha coefficient of the polytomous response scale adhered to the general guideline of a score of α > 0,70.Read More
Publication Year: 2011
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Language: en
Type: dissertation
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Cited By Count: 1
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