TY - JOUR T1 - Deterioro de parámetros de los ítems en tests adaptativos informatizados: estudio con eCAT [Item parameter drift in computerized adaptive testing: Study with eCAT] JF - Psicothema Y1 - 2010 A1 - Abad, F. J. A1 - Olea, J. A1 - Aguado, D. A1 - Ponsoda, V. A1 - Barrada, J KW - *Software KW - Educational Measurement/*methods/*statistics & numerical data KW - Humans KW - Language AB -

En el presente trabajo se muestra el análisis realizado sobre un Test Adaptativo Informatizado (TAI) diseñado para la evaluación del nivel de inglés, denominado eCAT, con el objetivo de estudiar el deterioro de parámetros (parameter drift) producido desde la calibración inicial del banco de ítems. Se ha comparado la calibración original desarrollada para la puesta en servicio del TAI (N= 3224) y la calibración actual obtenida con las aplicaciones reales del TAI (N= 7254). Se ha analizado el Funcionamiento Diferencial de los Ítems (FDI) en función de los parámetros utilizados y se ha simulado el impacto que sobre el nivel de rasgo estimado tiene la variación en los parámetros. Los resultados muestran que se produce especialmente un deterioro de los parámetros a y c, que hay unimportante número de ítems del banco para los que existe FDI y que la variación de los parámetros produce un impacto moderado en la estimación de θ de los evaluados con nivel de inglés alto. Se concluye que los parámetros de los ítems se han deteriorado y deben ser actualizados.Item parameter drift in computerized adaptive testing: Study with eCAT. This study describes the parameter drift analysis conducted on eCAT (a Computerized Adaptive Test to assess the written English level of Spanish speakers). The original calibration of the item bank (N = 3224) was compared to a new calibration obtained from the data provided by most eCAT operative administrations (N =7254). A Differential Item Functioning (DIF) study was conducted between the original and the new calibrations. The impact that the new parameters have on the trait level estimates was obtained by simulation. Results show that parameter drift is found especially for a and c parameters, an important number of bank items show DIF, and the parameter change has a moderate impact on high-level-English θ estimates. It is then recommended to replace the original estimates by the new set. by the new set.

VL - 22 SN - 0214-9915 (Print)0214-9915 (Linking) N1 - Abad, Francisco JOlea, JulioAguado, DavidPonsoda, VicenteBarrada, Juan REnglish AbstractSpainPsicothemaPsicothema. 2010 May;22(2):340-7. ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Computerized adaptive testing of diabetes impact: a feasibility study of Hispanics and non-Hispanics in an active clinic population JF - Quality of Life Research Y1 - 2006 A1 - Schwartz, C. A1 - Welch, G. A1 - Santiago-Kelley, P. A1 - Bode, R. A1 - Sun, X. KW - *Computers KW - *Hispanic Americans KW - *Quality of Life KW - Adult KW - Aged KW - Data Collection/*methods KW - Diabetes Mellitus/*psychology KW - Feasibility Studies KW - Female KW - Humans KW - Language KW - Male KW - Middle Aged AB - BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a leading cause of death and disability in the US and is twice as common among Hispanic Americans as non-Hispanics. The societal costs of diabetes provide an impetus for developing tools that can improve patient care and delay or prevent diabetes complications. METHODS: We implemented a feasibility study of a Computerized Adaptive Test (CAT) to measure diabetes impact using a sample of 103 English- and 97 Spanish-speaking patients (mean age = 56.5, 66.5% female) in a community medical center with a high proportion of minority patients (28% African-American). The 37 items of the Diabetes Impact Survey were translated using forward-backward translation and cognitive debriefing. Participants were randomized to receive either the full-length tool or the Diabetes-CAT first, in the patient's native language. RESULTS: The number of items and the amount of time to complete the survey for the CAT was reduced to one-sixth the amount for the full-length tool in both languages, across disease severity. Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed that the Diabetes Impact Survey is unidimensional. The Diabetes-CAT demonstrated acceptable internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and discriminant validity in the overall sample, although subgroup analyses suggested that the English sample data evidenced higher levels of reliability and validity than the Spanish sample and issues with discriminant validity in the Spanish sample. Differential Item Function analysis revealed differences in responses tendencies by language group in 3 of the 37 items. Participant interviews suggested that the Spanish-speaking patients generally preferred the paper survey to the computer-assisted tool, and were twice as likely to experience difficulties understanding the items. CONCLUSIONS: While the Diabetes-CAT demonstrated clear advantages in reducing respondent burden as compared to the full-length tool, simplifying the item bank will be necessary for enhancing the feasibility of the Diabetes-CAT for use with low literacy patients. VL - 15 SN - 0962-9343 (Print) N1 - Schwartz, CarolynWelch, GarrySantiago-Kelley, PaulaBode, RitaSun, Xiaowu1 r43 dk066874-01/dk/niddkResearch Support, N.I.H., ExtramuralNetherlandsQuality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitationQual Life Res. 2006 Nov;15(9):1503-18. Epub 2006 Sep 26. ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Advances in quality of life measurements in oncology patients JF - Seminars in Oncology Y1 - 2002 A1 - Cella, D. A1 - Chang, C-H. A1 - Lai, J. S. A1 - Webster, K. KW - *Quality of Life KW - *Sickness Impact Profile KW - Cross-Cultural Comparison KW - Culture KW - Humans KW - Language KW - Neoplasms/*physiopathology KW - Questionnaires AB - Accurate assessment of the quality of life (QOL) of patients can provide important clinical information to physicians, especially in the area of oncology. Changes in QOL are important indicators of the impact of a new cytotoxic therapy, can affect a patient's willingness to continue treatment, and may aid in defining response in the absence of quantifiable endpoints such as tumor regression. Because QOL is becoming an increasingly important aspect in the management of patients with malignant disease, it is vital that the instruments used to measure QOL are reliable and accurate. Assessment of QOL involves a multidimensional approach that includes physical, functional, social, and emotional well-being, and the most comprehensive instruments measure at least three of these domains. Instruments to measure QOL can be generic (eg, the Nottingham Health Profile), targeted toward specific illnesses (eg, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Lung), or be a combination of generic and targeted. Two of the most widely used examples of the combination, or hybrid, instruments are the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 Items and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy. A consequence of the increasing international collaboration in clinical trials has been the growing necessity for instruments that are valid across languages and cultures. To assure the continuing reliability and validity of QOL instruments in this regard, item response theory can be applied. Techniques such as item response theory may be used in the future to construct QOL item banks containing large sets of validated questions that represent various levels of QOL domains. As QOL becomes increasingly important in understanding and approaching the overall management of cancer patients, the tools available to clinicians and researchers to assess QOL will continue to evolve. While the instruments currently available provide reliable and valid measurement, further improvements in precision and application are anticipated. VL - 29 N1 - 0093-7754 (Print)Journal ArticleReview ER -