Dissertation
A factor analytic study of the internal structure of the Brigance comprehensive inventory of basic skills-II
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
05/2009
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000006038
Abstract
The Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of Basic Skills-II is the newest version of a long-standing instrument that is presented as useful for identifying student achievement, identifying and monitoring strengths and weaknesses, obtaining data to support referrals for further diagnostic testing, and reporting progress for individual educational plans. Since the CIBS-II is intended to comply with requirements of the NCLB act, as well as the IDEA, validity studies are required. This study provides evidence to support the use of CIBS-II scores as indicators of students' progress in various academic domains. This study is part of the overall standardization and validation project for the instrument. Nine subtests are included in the standardization and validation study of the CIBS-II. This study seeks confirming or disconfirming evidence as to the proposed composite score structure. The scores from the standardization sample are used to find evidence of essential unidimensionality of subtests through the use of DIMTEST and to investigate the composite score structure through the use of confirmatory factor analysis. DIMTEST results indicate that five subtests cannot be considered unidimensional. Several CFA models were fit to the standardization data, including the proposed composite score model and multiple plausible rival models. The sample was randomly split in half to allow one subgroup to be used to test models while holding the second subgroup in reserve to cross-validate the best-fitting model. The best-fitting model was in accordance with the proposed composite score structure. This model was cross-validated with the second random subgroup to ensure that the final model was not replicating specific features of the sample and to support the conclusion that the selected model fits the entire sample. Results provide support for the proposed composite score structure, but the support is tempered by evidence of multidimensionality in five subtests and by high interfactor correlations and structure coefficients, which are consistent with evidence of multidimensionality. Suggestions are made regarding additional studies to resolve these concerns.
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Details
- Title
- A factor analytic study of the internal structure of the Brigance comprehensive inventory of basic skills-II
- Creators
- Daniel Hyde Breidenbach
- Contributors
- Brian F. French (Chair)Michael Steven Trevisan (Committee Member) - Washington State University, College of EducationDavid F Feldon (Committee Member)W. Holmes Finch (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- College of Education
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 113
- Identifiers
- 99901055027201842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation