CHIDIM: a FORTRAN program for assessing the dimensionality of binary item responses based on McDonald's nonlinear factor analytic model.

The writers describe CHIDIM, a Fortran computer program for assessing the dimensionality of binary item responses based on McDonald's nonlinear factor analytic model. It is demonstrated that the program calculates the approximate chi-square statistic, which tests the null hypothesis that the off-di...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Educational & Psychological Measurement Vol. 57; pp. 174 - 179
Main Authors: De Champlain, Andre F., Tang, K. Linda
Format: Article
Published: Sage Publications Inc. February 1997
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Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Description
Summary:The writers describe CHIDIM, a Fortran computer program for assessing the dimensionality of binary item responses based on McDonald's nonlinear factor analytic model. It is demonstrated that the program calculates the approximate chi-square statistic, which tests the null hypothesis that the off-diagonal elements of a residual correlation matrix are equal to zero after fitting an n-factor model to a set of item responses. The use of this program and the interpretation of its results are illustrated through the simulated unidimensional responses of 1,000 examinees on a 25-item test.