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Rasch Analysis of the Emotional and Behavioral Screener

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Abstract

The present study examined the measurement properties of the Emotional and Behavioral Screener (EBS), a universal screening instrument which identifies students presenting with emotional and behavioral problems. The primary research questions sought to examine the degree to which the EBS item responses fit the Rasch model through evaluating fit of item responses to the Rasch model and item-measure correlations. The sample consisted of K-12 students with emotional disturbance (n = 1138) and with no identified disabilities (n = 1096). Students were rated by their teachers on the 10-item EBS. The findings suggested the EBS possesses favorable measurement properties such that most items had (1) overall good fit to the Rasch model, (2) a few items across age/gender that assess internalizing problems were found to be somewhat problematic, (3) the item hierarchy was found to align with logical and theoretical expectations, and (4) teachers endorsed the response options in a reliable and predictive manner with response categories mostly being distinguishable from one another. Overall, the results justify the interpretations and decisions made with the EBS scores.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, 114 Teacher College Hall, Lincoln, NE, 68508, USA

    Allen G. Garcia

  2. Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, USA

    Matthew C. Lambert & Michael H. Epstein

  3. Department of Special Education, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, USA

    Douglas Cullinan

Authors
  1. Allen G. Garcia
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  2. Matthew C. Lambert
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  3. Michael H. Epstein
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  4. Douglas Cullinan
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Correspondence to Allen G. Garcia.

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Conflict of interest

Allen G. Garcia declares that he has no conflict of interest; Matthew C. Lambert declares that he has no conflict of interest; Michael H. Epstein is a developer of the Emotional and Behavioral Screener and receives royalties from the sales of the assessment; Douglas Cullinan is a developer of the Emotional and Behavioral Screener and receives royalties from the sales of the assessment; the data were analyzed and interpreted independently by Allen G. Garcia and Matthew C. Lambert.

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Garcia, A.G., Lambert, M.C., Epstein, M.H. et al. Rasch Analysis of the Emotional and Behavioral Screener. School Mental Health 11, 413–424 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-018-09304-y

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