Parents’ Awareness and Perspectives of School Choice Scale: Psychometric Evidence Using Rasch Modelling

ABSTRACT This paper employed the Rasch rating scale model to examine the measurement properties of a newly developed scale measuring parents’ awareness and perspectives on school choice. A conceptual framework and an item matrix were utilized to incorporate theoretical considerations relevant to the items for the scale. A pilot study collected responses from 119 Kentucky parents with children enrolled in K-12 schools. Results from Rasch analysis found that the two subscales in the survey demonstrated good reliability and individual item fit and yielding an instrument suitable for future use. The resultant instrument has the response categories collapsed from 4 to 3 Likert-type points. This paper can serve as a guide to researchers using survey design for perceptions about school choice and help lend greater rigor to broader school choice survey research and instrument development.