ERIC Number: EJ1202776
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Dec
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2330-8516
EISSN: N/A
A Generalizability Theory Study to Examine Sources of Score Variance in Third-Party Evaluations Used in Decision-Making for Graduate School Admissions. ETS GRE® Board Research Report. ETS GRE®-18-03. ETS RR-18-37
McCaffrey, Daniel F.; Oliveri, Maria Elena; Holtzman, Steven
ETS Research Report Series, Dec 2018
Scores from noncognitive measures are increasingly valued for their utility in helping to inform postsecondary admissions decisions. However, their use has presented challenges because of faking, response biases, or subjectivity, which standardized third-party evaluations (TPEs) can help minimize. Analysts and researchers using TPEs, however, need to be mindful of the potential for constructirrelevant differences that may arise in TPEs due to differences in evaluators' rating approaches, which introduces measurement error. Research on sources of construct-irrelevant variance in TPEs is scarce. We address this paucity by conducting generalizability theory (G theory) analyses using TPE data that informs postsecondary admissions decisions. We also demonstrate an approach to assess the size of interevaluator variability and conduct a decision study to determine the number of evaluators necessary to achieve the desired generalizability coefficient. We illustrate these approaches using a TPE whereby applicants select their evaluators, leading to a situation where most evaluators solely rate one applicant. We conclude by presenting strategies to improve the design of TPEs to help increase confidence in their use.
Descriptors: Generalizability Theory, Scores, College Admission, Admission Criteria, Decision Making, Graduate Study, Graduate Students, Error of Measurement, Interrater Reliability, Bias
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A