Applying Rasch model analysis in the development of the cantonese tone identification test (CANTIT)

Abstract

Objective: Applying Rasch analysis to evaluate the internal structure of a lexical tone perception test known as the Cantonese Tone Identification Test (CANTIT). Design: A 75-item pool (CANTIT-75) with pictures and sound tracks was developed. Respondents were required to make a four-alternative forced choice on each item. A short version of 30 items (CANTIT-30) was developed based on fit statistics, difficulty estimates, and content evaluation. Internal structure was evaluated by fit statistics and Rasch Factor Analysis (RFA). Study Sample: 200 children with normal hearing and 141 children with hearing impairment were recruited. Results: For CANTIT-75, all infit and 97% of outfit values were < 2.0. RFA revealed 40.1% of total variance was explained by the Rasch measure. The first residual component explained 2.5% of total variance in an eigenvalue of 3.1. For CANTIT-30, all infit and outfit values were < 2.0. The Rasch measure explained 38.8% of total variance, the first residual component explained 3.9% of total variance in an eigenvalue of 1.9. Conclusions: The Rasch model provides excellent guidance for the development of short forms. Both CANTIT-75 and CANTIT-30 possess satisfactory internal structure as a construct validity evidence in measuring the lexical tone identification ability of the Cantonese speakers.

Key Words:

• Cochlear implant
• speech perception
• instrumentation
• paediatric
• hearing aids

Acknowledgements

The work described in this article was partly supported by a grant from the Research Grant Council of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Republic of China (Project no. CUHK446207). We sincerely appreciate the participation of the children and parents in the study. We thank Kun XU for providing advice on Rasch interpretation and Dr. David WILMSHURST for providing editorial support on the manuscript.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.