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Summated Rating Scale Construction
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Summated Rating Scale Construction
An Introduction



January 1992 | 80 pages | SAGE Publications, Inc
The goal for any social scientist doing a survey is to develop a rating on some attitude, value or opinion - a summated rating scale. Aimed at helping researchers construct more effective scales, Spector shows how to determine the number of items necessary, the appropriate amount of response categories and the most productive wording of items, how to sort good items from bad (including item-remainder coefficients and Cronbach's alpha) and how to validate a scale, including dimensional validity from factor analysis. Written in a user-friendly manner, the book concludes with a step-by-step account of how to develop a summated rating scale based on classical test theory.
 
Introduction
 
Theory of Summated Rating Scales
 
Defining the Construct
 
Designing the Scale
 
Conducting the Item Analysis
 
Validation
 
Reliability and Norms
 
Concluding Remarks

"The steps of scale development are clearly explained, with brief rationales of the methods involved...Having read the book, almost anyone with a basic social science education could go through the practical motions of developing a scale...says in general terms that theory is important and goes on to provide hints on how to generate a pool of items. The hints are empirically sound and useful.."

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