extended · article · 2023

Interpreting results from Rasch analysis 1. The “most likely” measures coming from the model

Luigi Tesio; Antonio Caronni; Dinesh Kumbhare; Stefano Scarano; Mark Wilson

Through Rasch's theory and statistical analysis, scores are transformed and tested for their capacity to respect fundamental measurement axioms. Rasch analysis returns the linear measure of the person's property ("ability") and the item's calibrations ("difficulty"), concealed by the raw scores. The difference between a person's ability and item difficulty determines the probability that a "pass" response is observed. The discrepancy between observed scores and the ideal measures (i.e., the residual) invites diagnostic reasoning. In a companion article, advanced applications of Rasch modelling are illustrated. Implications for rehabilitationQuestionnaires' ordinal scores are poor approximations of measures. The Rasch analysis turns questionnaires' scores into interval measures, provided that its assumptions are respected.Thanks to the Rasch analysis, accurate measures of independence, pa...