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Relevance and advantages of using the item response theory

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Abstract

The item response theory (IRT) also known as latent trait theory, is used for the development, evaluation and administration of standardized measurements; it is widely used in the areas of psychology and education. This theory was developed and expanded for over 50 years and has contributed to the development of measurement scales of latent traits. This paper presents the basic and fundamental concepts of this IRT and a practical example of the construction of scales is proposed to illustrate the feasibility, advantages and validity of IRT through a known measurement, the height. The results obtained with the practical application of IRT confirm its effectiveness in the evaluation of latent traits.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal Technological University of Paraná, Campus Medianeira, Avenida Brasil, 4232, PO Box 271, Medianeira, PR, CEP 85884-000, Brazil

    Silvana Ligia Vincenzi Bortolotti

  2. Department of Business Administration, Santa Catarina State University, Av. Madre Benvenuta, 2037, Itacorubi, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil

    Rafael Tezza

  3. Informatics and Statistics Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário/CTC/INE, Trindade, SC, Brazil

    Dalton Francisco de Andrade

  4. Production Engineering Department, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Campus Universitário/CTC/EPS, PO Box 476, Trindade, SC, Brazil

    Antonio Cezar Bornia

  5. Air Force University, Av. Mal. Fontelnelle, 1200, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Afonso Farias de Sousa Júnior

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  1. Silvana Ligia Vincenzi Bortolotti
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Correspondence to Silvana Ligia Vincenzi Bortolotti.

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Bortolotti, S.L.V., Tezza, R., de Andrade, D.F. et al. Relevance and advantages of using the item response theory. Qual Quant 47, 2341–2360 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-012-9684-5

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