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Conducting simulation studies for computerized adaptive testing using SimulCAT: an instructional piece.

ABSTRACT: Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) technology is widely used in a variety of licensing and certification examinations administered to health professionals in the United States. Many more countries worldwide are expected to adopt CAT for their national licensing examinations for health professionals due to its reduced test time and more accurate estimation of a test-taker's performance ability. Continuous improvements to CAT algorithms promote the stability and reliability of the results of such examinations. For this reason, conducting simulation studies is a critically important component of evaluating the design of CAT programs and their implementation. This report introduces the principles of SimulCAT, a software program developed for conducting CAT simulation studies. The key evaluation criteria for CAT simulation studies are explained and some guidelines are offered for practitioners and test developers. A step-by-step tutorial example of a SimulCAT run is also presented. The SimulCAT program supports most of the methods used for the 3 key components of item selection in CAT: the item selection criterion, item exposure control, and content balancing. Methods for determining the test length (fixed or variable) and score estimation algorithms are also covered. The simulation studies presented include output files for the response string, item use, standard error of estimation, Newton-Raphson iteration information, theta estimation, the full response matrix, and the true standard error of estimation. In CAT simulations, one condition cannot be generalized to another; therefore, it is recommended that practitioners perform CAT simulation studies in each stage of CAT development.

SUBMITTER: Han KCT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6194482 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Conducting simulation studies for computerized adaptive testing using SimulCAT: an instructional piece.

Han Kyung Chris Tyek KCT

Journal of educational evaluation for health professions 20180817

Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) technology is widely used in a variety of licensing and certification examinations administered to health professionals in the United States. Many more countries worldwide are expected to adopt CAT for their national licensing examinations for health professionals due to its reduced test time and more accurate estimation of a test-taker's performance ability. Continuous improvements to CAT algorithms promote the stability and reliability of the results of such ...[more]

PMID: 30114899

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Project description:BackgroundEfficient screening questionnaires are useful in general practice. Computerized adaptive testing (CAT) is a method to improve the efficiency of questionnaires, as only the items that are particularly informative for a certain responder are dynamically selected.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to test whether CAT could improve the efficiency of the Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4DSQ), a frequently used self-report questionnaire designed to assess common psychosocial problems in general practice.MethodsA simulation study was conducted using a sample of Dutch patients visiting a general practitioner (GP) with psychological problems (n=379). Responders completed a paper-and-pencil version of the 50-item 4DSQ and a psychometric evaluation was performed to check if the data agreed with item response theory (IRT) assumptions. Next, a CAT simulation was performed for each of the four 4DSQ scales (distress, depression, anxiety, and somatization), based on the given responses as if they had been collected through CAT. The following two stopping rules were applied for the administration of items: (1) stop if measurement precision is below a predefined level, or (2) stop if more than half of the items of the subscale are administered.ResultsIn general, the items of each of the four scales agreed with IRT assumptions. Application of the first stopping rule reduced the length of the questionnaire by 38% (from 50 to 31 items on average). When the second stopping rule was also applied, the total number of items could be reduced by 56% (from 50 to 22 items on average).ConclusionsCAT seems useful for improving the efficiency of the 4DSQ by 56% without losing a considerable amount of measurement precision. The CAT version of the 4DSQ may be useful as part of an online assessment to investigate the severity of mental health problems of patients visiting a GP. This simulation study is the first step needed for the development a CAT version of the 4DSQ. A CAT version of the 4DSQ could be of high value for Dutch GPs since increasing numbers of patients with mental health problems are visiting the general practice. In further research, the results of a real-time CAT should be compared with the results of the administration of the full scale.

Dataset Information

Conducting simulation studies for computerized adaptive testing using SimulCAT: an instructional piece.

Publications

Conducting simulation studies for computerized adaptive testing using SimulCAT: an instructional piece.

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