Reliability estimation for single dichotomous items based on Mokken's IRT model

Abstract

Item reliability is of special interest for Mokken’s nonparametric item response theory, and is useful for the evaluation of item quality in nonparametric test construction research. It is also of interest for nonparametric person-fit analysis. Three methods for the estimation of the reliability of single dichotomous items are discussed. All methods are based on the assumptions of nondecreasing and nonintersecting item response functions. Based on analytical and monte carlo studies, it is concluded that one method is superior to the other two, because it has a smaller bias and a smaller sampling variance. This method also demonstrated some robustness under violation of the condition of nonintersecting item response functions. Index terms: item reliability, item response theory, Mokken model, nonparametric item response models, test construction.