Measurement in Clinical Research Syllabus PART II / PART I
Anita L. Stewart, Ph.D. and Steven Gregorich, Ph.D.

Class/Title/Content

Readings and Assignments


6. Factor analysis

  • A brief introduction to exploratory factor analysis: choosing items, choosing the number of factors to extract, factor extraction methods, factor rotation methods, and interpretation of factors 
  • The role of factor analysis in theory development and test construction
Lecture: Steven E. Gregorich, Ph.D.


Class 6: Slides 
Class 6 Readings

  1. Kline P. An easy guide to factor analysis. London: Routledge, 1994.  Read chapter 1. A general description of factor analysis. (pp 1-13). 
     
  2. Pett MA, Lackey NR, and Sullivan JJ.  Making sense of factor analysis: The use of factor analysis for instrument development in health care research.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2003. Read chapter 1: An overview of factor analysis. (pp. 1-12).  

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7.  Measurement issues in research with diverse populations including health disparities research

  • Conceptual and psychometric adequacy in diverse groups
  • Integrating qualitative and quantitative methods to determine adequacy
  • Translating measures
  • Introduction to testing psychometric invariance across diverse groups

 

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Class 7: Slides 
Class 7 Readings

  1. Stewart AL, Nápoles-Springer AM.  Advancing health disparities research: can we afford to ignore measurement issues? Medical Care, 2003;41(11):1207-1220.
  2. Beaton DE, Bombardier C, Guillemin F, and Ferraz MB.  Guidelines for the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures.  Spine.  2000;25(24):3186-3191. 
  3. Weidmer-Ocampo B, Johansson P, Dalpoas D, Wharton D, Darby C, and Hays RD.  Adapting CAHPS® for an American Indian Population. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.  2009;20:695-712.

Class 7 Handout

  1. Guidelines for translating surveys – annotated bibliography
Corresponding task on review matrix: Complete FINAL rows 27-34 (various issues for research in diverse populations, information on modifying measures) 

 

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8. Pretesting measures and creating a questionnaire

  • Types of pretests, focus groups, cognitive interviewing, writing probes, special issues in recruiting subjects for pretests 
  • Creating a self-report questionnaire, sections, instructions, order, formatting, thinking about data entry 
  • Keeping track of study measures (sources, selection criteria, adaptations)
Examples of various surveys/questionnaires will be available before and after class for formatting ideas.

 

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Class 8: Slides
Class 8 Readings

  1. DeMaio TJ and Rothgeb JM.  Cognitive interviewing techniques in the lab and in the field.  In N Schwarz and S Sudman (eds). Answering Questions: Methodology for Determining Cognitive and Communicative Processes in Survey Research.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1996. NOTE: bibliography is for the entire book.
  2. Nápoles-Springer AM, Santoyo J, O’Brien H, Stewart AL.  Using cognitive interviews to develop surveys in diverse populations. Medical Care, 2006;44(Suppl 3):S21-S30.
  3. Mullin PA, Lohr KN, Bresnahan BW, and McNulty P.  Applying cognitive design principles in formatting HRQOL instrument.  Quality of Life Research, 2000, 9:13-27.

Class 8 Handouts

  1. Using cognitive interviews to develop surveys – annotated bibliography
  2. Sample cognitive interview Part I QUESTIONS
  3. Sample cognitive interview Part I SURVEY
  4. Sample cognitive interview protocol – Hays and Morales
  5. Sample guide to measures used in questionnaire/survey
Corresponding task: Create a short “questionnaire” of the 2 measures, including instructions.  Create a guide to measures (template provided).  For one measure, write 4 probe questions.  Conduct 2 pretest interviews using the probes; if possible, with individuals similar to those you wish to study.   
 

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9. Interpreting pretest data and considerations in modifying measures

  • Analyzing pretest data, interpreting pretest results (how to decide if problems are serious enough to warrant modification of a selected measure)
  • Issues in modifying measures

 

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Class 9: Slides
Class 9 Readings

  1. Switzer GE et al.  Selecting, developing, and evaluating research instruments.  Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 1999 (Article from class 3: read pages 405-406 (modified measures).
  2. Stewart AL, Thrasher AD, Goldberg J, Shea JA. A framework for understanding modifications to measures for diverse populations. J Aging Health. 2012 Sep;24(6):992-1017. PMC3768261
  3. Juniper EF.  Modification, translation and adaptation of questionnaires; should copyright laws be observed?  Quality of Life Research, published online 03 February 2009.
Corresponding task: Summarize your pretest findings.  Indicate whether the measure appears to be appropriate for the people you pretested (no inferences to broader sample).

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10. Testing scales/measures in your own research, creating scores, presenting measurement data

  • Preparing raw data, item analysis, testing reliability in your sample, deriving multi-item scale scores
  • Presenting measurement results internally and externally, presenting and interpreting change scores 
  • Creating a study questionnaire 

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Class 10: Slides 
Class 10 Readings: None