Psychometric Assessment and Reporting Practices

The aim of the current study is twofold: (a) to investigate the rates at which researchers assess and report on the psychometric properties of the measures they use in their research and (b) to examine whether or not researchers appear to be generally employing sound/unsound rationales when it comes to how they conduct test evaluations. Based on a sample of 368 articles published in four journals in the year 2004, the findings suggest that, although evidence bearing on score precision/reliability and the internal structure of item responses remains under-reported, researchers appear to be assessing the relationships between test scores and external variables relatively more frequently than in the past. However, findings also indicate that, all told, very few researchers are assessing and reporting on internal score validity, and score precision/reliability, and external score validity, and in that sequence, suggesting that applied researchers may not always be adopting sound test-evaluative rationales in their psychometric assessments.