32.018 - Division D Fireside Chat: How Can the Philosophy of Measurement Illuminate What We Mean When We "Measure" in Education?

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

In the Division D fireside chat, we will turn a careful philosophical eye onto the work of educational and psychological measurement. When we measure depression, algebra achievement, or student motivation, what parallels are there to measuring the mass of a cat, the momentum of an electron, or the distance to a star? Panelists will examine various models used in educational measurement with regard to their philosophical implications for (a) the acts involved in measuring, (b) the nature of the attribute or construct being measured, and (c) the connections between the results of measuring and the intended construct. In order to make the bridge from knowledge to action, panelists will also explore implications for validity, and for the practice of measurement.

Sub Unit

• Graduate Student Council

Chairs

• James M Mason, University of California - Berkeley

• Christopher Runyon, The University of Texas - Austin

Participants

• Andrew Maul, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Gregory J. Cizek, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

• Brent Bridgeman, ETS