The Road to Reason: The Cycle of Instrument Development

There are no pat answers on the road to reason, but there are many satisfying questions. We start from deep within ourselves with Peirce's signs (RMT 11:1 p. 539-40). Our brain cells work as a pack of hounds each searching for the prey (RMT 10:2 p. 501). We abduct in thought, making intuitive leaps, defying logic, as we strive to formulate ideas expressible as words in some thesis. Then we communicate it to ourselves and others, searching for qualitative instances of what might be it.

There is no contradiction or conflict between the qualitative and the quantitative. The qualitative is complex, inscrutable, unique. But to learn from it, utilize it, manipulate it, it must be made simple, obvious, general. The leap from qualitative to quantitative is based on this organizing principle. We want to leave behind the contradiction, chaos and idiosyncrasy of the impractical concrete. We want to build an artificial world based on the practical abstract.

Rasch measurement is our construction tool. In a careful process of deduction, we pile up the qualitative. We compress it. We chip off protuberances, smooth off rough edges. Finally we arrive at an artifact as elegant and hand-crafted as was ever formed from raw material by any craftsman.

But does our artifact have value? Is it a bauble or a gem? We must think. We must analyze. We must induce what greater meaning our artifact embodies. This prompts speculation, new abduction, and we're off to the beginning of a further road to reason.

Benjamin D. Wright

From Social to Science From Purpose to Meaning From Qualitative to Quantitative Pack → Chain → Team .... and back again ....

The Road to Reason: The Cycle of Instrument Development. Wright B.D. … Rasch Measurement Transactions, 1998, 11:4 p. 589.

Rasch Books and Publications
Invariant Measurement: Using Rasch Models in the Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences, 2nd Edn. George Engelhard, Jr. & Jue Wang	Applying the Rasch Model (Winsteps, Facets) 4th Ed., Bond, Yan, Heene	Advances in Rasch Analyses in the Human Sciences (Winsteps, Facets) 1st Ed., Boone, Staver	Advances in Applications of Rasch Measurement in Science Education, X. Liu & W. J. Boone	Rasch Analysis in the Human Sciences (Winsteps) Boone, Staver, Yale
Introduction to Many-Facet Rasch Measurement (Facets), Thomas Eckes	Statistical Analyses for Language Testers (Facets), Rita Green	Invariant Measurement with Raters and Rating Scales: Rasch Models for Rater-Mediated Assessments (Facets), George Engelhard, Jr. & Stefanie Wind	Aplicação do Modelo de Rasch (Português), de Bond, Trevor G., Fox, Christine M	Appliquer le modèle de Rasch: Défis et pistes de solution (Winsteps) E. Dionne, S. Béland
Exploring Rating Scale Functioning for Survey Research (R, Facets), Stefanie Wind	Rasch Measurement: Applications, Khine	Winsteps Tutorials - free Facets Tutorials - free	Many-Facet Rasch Measurement (Facets) - free, J.M. Linacre	Fairness, Justice and Language Assessment (Winsteps, Facets), McNamara, Knoch, Fan
Other Rasch-Related Resources: Rasch Measurement YouTube Channel
Rasch Measurement Transactions & Rasch Measurement research papers - free	An Introduction to the Rasch Model with Examples in R (eRm, etc.), Debelak, Strobl, Zeigenfuse	Rasch Measurement Theory Analysis in R, Wind, Hua	Applying the Rasch Model in Social Sciences Using R, Lamprianou	El modelo métrico de Rasch: Fundamentación, implementación e interpretación de la medida en ciencias sociales (Spanish Edition), Manuel González-Montesinos M.
Rasch Models: Foundations, Recent Developments, and Applications, Fischer & Molenaar	Probabilistic Models for Some Intelligence and Attainment Tests, Georg Rasch	Rasch Models for Measurement, David Andrich	Constructing Measures, Mark Wilson	Best Test Design - free, Wright & Stone Rating Scale Analysis - free, Wright & Masters
Virtual Standard Setting: Setting Cut Scores, Charalambos Kollias	Diseño de Mejores Pruebas - free, Spanish Best Test Design	A Course in Rasch Measurement Theory, Andrich, Marais	Rasch Models in Health, Christensen, Kreiner, Mesba	Multivariate and Mixture Distribution Rasch Models, von Davier, Carstensen

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