By using familiar concepts from classical measurement methods and basic statistics, this book introduces the basics of item response theory (IRT) and explains the applications of IRT methods to problems in test construction, identification of potentially biased test items and test equating.

Considers generalizability theory, covering such topics as generalizability studies with nested facets and with fixed facets, measurement error and generalizability co-efficients and decision studies with the same and with different designs.

This book makes clear to researchers what item-bias methods can (and cannot) do, how they work and how they should be interpreted. Advice is provided on the most useful methods for particular test situations. The authors explain the logic of each method - from item-response theory to nonparametric, categorical methods - in terms of how differential item functioning (DIF) is defined by the method and how well the method can be expected to work. A summary of findings on the behaviour of indices in empirical studies is included. The book concludes with a set of principles for deciding when DIF...