Scale Development: Theory and Applications

by Robert F. DeVellis, Carolyn T. Thorpe

Overview

Scale Development: Theory and Applications, by Robert F. De Vellis and new co-author Carolyn T. Thorpe, demystifies measurement by emphasizing a logical rather than strictly mathematical understanding of concepts. The Fifth Edition includes a new chapter that lays out the key concepts that distinguish indices from scales, contrasts various types of indices, suggests approaches for developing them, reviews validity and reliability issues, and discusses in broad terms some analytic approaches. All chapters have been updated, and the book strikes a balance between including relevant topics and highlighting recent developments in measurement while retaining an accessible, user-friendly approach to the material covered.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781544379340
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	11/13/2021
Series:	Applied Social Research Methods
Edition description:	Fifth Edition
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Robert F. De Vellis is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Health Behavior (Gillings School of Global Public Health) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. De Vellis has more than 40 years of experience in the measurement of psychological and social variables. He served as the first domain chair for Social Outcomes of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) consortium, a multisite National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap initiative directed at identifying, modifying, testing, and disseminating outcome measures for use by NIH investigators. He has served on the Board of Directors for the American Psychological Association’s Division of Health Psychology (38), on the Arthritis Foundation’s Clinical/Outcomes/Therapeutics Research Study Section, and on the Advisory Board of the Veterans Affairs Measurement Excellence Initiative. He is the recipient of the 2005 Distinguished Scholar Award from the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals and is an associate editor of Arthritis Care and Research. In addition, he has served as guest editor, guest associate editor, or reviewer for more than two dozen other journals. He has served as principal investigator or co-investigator since the early 1980s on a series of research projects funded by the federal government and private foundations.

Carolyn T. Thorpe, Ph D, MPH, is a tenured Associate Professor in the Division of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy at the University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy. She holds a joint appointment as a Research Health Scientist and Core Investigator in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Pittsburgh Healthcare System’s Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP), and serves as Co-Director of the Department of Veteran’s Affairs Postdoctoral Pharmacy Fellowship in Medication Safety and Pharmacy Outcomes. She has served on study sections for the National Institutes of Health and Department of Veterans Affairs, as an Associate Editor for the journal Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, and as a reviewer for a diverse range of peer-reviewed journals at the intersection of public health, medicine, and social science. Over the past two decades, Dr. Thorpe has led a federally-funded research program that aims to improve the health of older adults managing complex chronic conditions and has published over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Her research interests lie in measuring and examining psychological, social, and behavioral factors related to the safe and appropriate use of medications in older adults, and she has specific expertise in developing and evaluating measures of patient illness self-management behavior and medication nonadherence. She enjoys teaching principles of study design and measurement to professional pharmacy and graduate students and serving as an active research mentor of trainees at all levels.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Chapter 1 • Overview
General Perspectives on Measurement
Historical Origins of Measurement in Social  Science
Later Developments in Measurement
The Role of Measurement in the Social Sciences
Summary and Preview
Exercises
Chapter 2 • Understanding the Latent Variable
Constructs Versus Measures
Latent Variable as the Presumed Cause of Scale Item Values
Path Diagrams
Further Elaboration of the Measurement  Model
Parallel Tests
Alternative Models
Choosing a Causal Model
Exercises
Note
Chapter 3 • Scale Reliability
Methods Based on the Analysis of Variance
Continuous Versus Dichotomous Items
Internal Consistency
Coefficient Alpha
Remedies to Alpha’s Limitations
Coefficient Omega (?)
Reliability Based on Correlations Between Scale Scores
Reliability and Statistical Power
Generalizability Theory
Summary
Exercises
Notes
Chapter 4 • Scale Validity
Content Validity
Criterion-Related Validity
Construct Validity
What About Face Validity?
Exercises
Chapter 5 • Guidelines in Scale Development
Step 1: Determine Clearly What It Is You Want to Measure
Step 2: Generate an Item Pool
Step 3: Determine the Format for Measurement
Step 4: Have Initial Item Pool Reviewed by  Experts
Step 5: Cognitive Interviewing
Step 6: Consider Inclusion of Validation  Items
Step 7: Administer Items to a Development  Sample
Step 8: Evaluate the Items
Step 9: Optimize Scale Length
Exercises
Note
Chapter 6 • Factor Analysis
Overview of Factor Analysis
Conceptual Description of Factor Analysis
Bifactor and Hierarchical Factor Models
Interpreting Factors
Principal Components Versus Common  Factors
Confirmatory Factor Analysis
Using Factor Analysis in Scale Development
Sample Size
Conclusion
Exercises
Chapter 7 • The Index
How an Index Differs From a Scale
Rules of Thumb for Differentiating an Index From a Scale
Is It a Scale or an Index? Formal Methods for Distinguishing Effect and Causal Indicators
Steps in Developing and Evaluating an  Index
Hybrid Measures
Methods Based on Structural Equation Modeling
Criticisms of Index Composites
Exercises
Note
Chapter 8 • An Overview of Item Response Theory
Item Difficulty
Item Discrimination
Guessing, or False Positives
Item-Characteristic Curves
IRT Applied to Multiresponse Items
Exercises
Chapter 9 • Measurement in the Broader Research Context
Before Scale Development
After Scale Administration
Final Thoughts
Exercise
References

Editorial Reviews

Scale Development is readable, concise, and affordable. Students like the book. It presents formulas but doesn’t emphasize them but rather emphasizes utility, and the book is well-suited for an audience with applied interests.

Kathy E. Green

This is the foremost text on scale development for both the experienced and novice researcher alike.

Richard Conti

The Fourth Edition captures the recent development in measurement (e.g., alternatives to Alpha, bifactor model, hierarchical factor model, and available tools in R) by explaining concepts using accessible languages and examples.

Shuyan Sun

PRAISE FOR THE PREVIOUS EDITION

“The key strength of this text is its ability to present the basic and necessary background on scale construction and measurement for the subsequent material, either in the context of the same first-year graduate course or in future courses during a masters and Ph D program.

René Bautista

This book does an excellent job in explaining complicated topics in test construction at a level that students can understand. The use of specific examples that demonstrate key points is very effective.

Jonathan Feldman

"Robert De Vellis has written a short primer on multi-item scales that will be of value to any researcher seeking to develop his or her own scale, to evaluate an existing scale, or just to understand more about scale development."

Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science

The author has a very nice writing style that makes reasonably complicated technical concepts clear to students who are accessing them for the first time.

Catherine Horn

"Some readers prefer computational illustration while others are more comfortable with verbal explanations. Robert De Vellis provides both."

Family Medicine

The Fourth Edition of Scale Development incorporates practical examples and exercises to aid in student learning and understanding the fundamentals of measurement. The text continues to be a go-to resource for scholars and students alike.

Stephen W. Dittmore

PRAISE FOR THE PREVIOUS EDITION



“The key strength of this text is its ability to present the basic and necessary background on scale construction and measurement for the subsequent material, either in the context of the same first-year graduate course or in future courses during a masters and Ph D program.

René Bautista

"The key strength of this text is its ability to present the basic and necessary background on scale construction and measurement for the subsequent material, either in the context of the same first-year graduate course or in future courses during a masters and Ph D program.

Rene Bautista