Rasch Application to an Amalgamated Striking Instrument: Strike Two!

Abstract

Assessment of fundamental motor skill performance for primary school-aged children in Australia has been prevalent in the past decade.Measurement of a range of fundamental motor skills employed the component approach, a ceiling type of instrument. A high failure rate of children has resulted. This assessment approach provided little information for the majority of students. Therefore, an amalgamated process instrument for the strike was constructed to give a broader spectrum of performance information. Because the instrument was elicited from a range of sources, the validity was questionable. Rasch analysis was used to test the degree to which ten components of the amalgamated striking instrument' measured an underlying construct. Rasch analysis was applied to the performances of 5-6 year old children(n=17) and resulting in poor fit statistics. A larger group (n=161) of older students (6-9 years) were assessed and the fit statistics were acceptable. The components (items) of the strike were consistent for both instruments, the performances (cases) were more divergent developmentally, specifically for the larger, older group. Specific detail of the changes in item and case reliability are explored in view of the theoretical underpinnings of the instrument.