Academic Journal

Bayesian Model Selection Methods for Multilevel IRT Models: A Comparison of Five DIC-Based Indices

التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
العنوان: Bayesian Model Selection Methods for Multilevel IRT Models: A Comparison of Five DIC-Based Indices
اللغة: English
المؤلفون: Zhang, Xue, Tao, Jian, Wang, Chun, Shi, Ning-Zhong
المصدر: Grantee Submission. Spr 2019 56(1):3-27.
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 26
تاريخ النشر: 2019
Sponsoring Agency: Institute of Education Sciences (ED)
Contract Number: R305D170042
نوع الوثيقة: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Bayesian Statistics, Item Response Theory, Measurement, Models, Computer Software, Simulation, Comparative Analysis
DOI: 10.1111/jedm.12197
مستخلص: Model selection is important in any statistical analysis, and the primary goal is to find the preferred (or most parsimonious) model, based on certain criteria, from a set of candidate models given data. Several recent publications have employed the deviance information criterion (DIC) to do model selection among different forms of multilevel item response theory models (MLIRT). The majority of the practitioners use WinBUGS for implementing MCMC algorithms for MLIRT models, and the default version of DIC provided by WinBUGS focused on the measurement-level parameters only. The results herein show that this version of DIC is inappropriate. This study introduces five variants of DIC as a model selection index for MLIRT models with dichotomous outcomes. Considering a multilevel IRT model with three levels, five forms of DIC are formed: first-level conditional DIC computed from the measurement model only, which is the index given by many software packages such as WinBUGS; second-level marginalized DIC and second-level joint DIC computed from the second-level model; and top-level marginalized DIC and top-level joint DIC computed from the entire model. We evaluate the performance of the five model selection indices via simulation studies. The manipulated factors include the number of groups, the number of second-level covariates, the number of top-level covariates, and the types of measurement models (one-parameter vs. two-parameter). Considering the computational viability and interpretability, the second-level joint DIC is recommended for MLIRT models under our simulated conditions. [This article was published in "Journal of Educational Measurement" (EJ1208645).]
Abstractor: As Provided
IES Funded: Yes
Entry Date: 2020
رقم الانضمام: ED603373
قاعدة البيانات: ERIC