The comparison of the dimensionality results provided by the automated item selection procedure and DETECT analysis

Abstract

The dimensionality is one of the most investigated concepts in the psychological assessment, and there are many ways to determine the dimensionality of a measured construct. The Automated Item Selection Procedure (AISP) and the DETECT are non-parametric methods aiming to determine the factorial structure of a data set. In the current study, dimensionality results provided by the two methods were compared based on the original factorial structure defined by the scale developers. For the comparison of the two methods, the data was obtained by implementing a scale measuring academic dishonesty levels of bachelor students. The scale was conducted on junior students studying at a public and a private university. The dataset was analyzed by using the AISP and DETECT analyses. The “mokken” and “sirt” packages on the R program were utilized for the AISP and DETECT analyses, respectively. The similarities and differences between the findings provided by the methods were analyzed depending on the original factor structure of the scale verified by the scale developers.