Measuring Parent Receptivity towards the Classroom Environment Using the "Rasch" Measurement Model

Document Type

Journal Article

Publisher

Kluwer Academic Publishers

Faculty

Faculty of Community Services, Education and Social Sciences

School

School of Education

RAS ID

1165

Comments

Waugh, R. F., & Cavanagh, R. (2002). Measuring Parent Receptivity towards the classroom environment using the "Rasch" measurement model. Learning Environments Research, 5(3), 329-352. Available here

Abstract

This study investigated parent-reported receptivity towards the classroom environment and classroom outcomes. Classroom environment was based on a five-aspect model: (1) provision of information from the child; (2) beliefs about the school; (3) provision of information from teachers; (4) teachers' commitment to working with parents; and (5) confidence in communicating with teachers. Classroom outcomes were based on two aspects: (1) educational values (importance of schooling, involved with learning; seeing a future through learning, desire to learn, and importance of learning); and (2) learning outcomes (achieving, and views of child's engagement in school work). For each aspect, items were written in an ordered-by-difficulty pattern so that, for example, Item 2 involved Item 1 and ‘more’, making it conceptually ‘harder’ to agree with Item 2 than with Item 1. There were four Likert response categories (SDA, DA, A, and SA). Using the extended logistic model of Rasch, an interval-level, unidimensional scale was created with item difficulties for classroom environment aspects and classroom outcomes calibrated on the same scale as the receptivity measures. The sample consisted of 518 parents of students from three secondary schools in Western Australia. The item sample was 30. The proportion of observed variance considered true was 0.94. The items for each aspect were found to be ordered from ‘easy’ to ‘hard’ in line with the hypothesised model of receptivity and the data fitted the measurement model well.

DOI

10.1023/A:1021928423858

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Link to publisher version (DOI)

10.1023/A:1021928423858