Measuring the processes of interdisciplinary team collaboration: Creating valid measures using a many-facet Rasch...

Area of Science:

• Science of Team Science (SciTS)
• Interdisciplinary Research
• Collaborative Research

Background:

• The science of team science (SciTS) lacks robust psychometric evaluation for its measures.
• Existing methods for assessing team science effectiveness are limited, often focusing only on internal consistency and factor analysis.
• There is a critical need for validated frameworks to advance collaborative and interdisciplinary research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a framework based on Rasch measurement theory for creating and evaluating measures in the science of team science.
• To address the gap in psychometric evidence for SciTS instruments.
• To develop objective and comparable measures for team science processes and outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Application of Rasch measurement theory, specifically a many-facet Rasch model.
• Data collection from 16 interdisciplinary teams involved in a university-wide collaboration initiative.
• Psychometric evaluation of measures to assess quality, reliability, and item fit.

Main Results:

• Differences in clarity measures were observed among interdisciplinary teams.
• Significant variations in measures were found across gender, racial groups, and academic ranks.
• Reliability of measures was reported, and misfitting items that could threaten validity and fairness were identified.

Conclusions:

• Rasch measurement theory holds significant potential for developing and evaluating SciTS measures.
• This approach yields objective measures that are comparable across individuals, teams, institutions, time, and demographic groups.
• The framework enhances the validity and fairness of assessments in the science of team science.