Investigation of relation between item order with test and item properties on self-report scales

This study aims to examine the relationship between item order and test and item properties of the "Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Questionnaire". Research on the effect of item ordering of scales has attracted more attention and become common in the literature recently. In this study, university students' interpersonal emotion regulation levels were determined by using the "Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Scale" which was put in three different orders, and significant differences were tested between the obtained data. Data were collected randomly in three different orderings through the original form of the scale, based on factors, and with random item ordering. The participants consisted of the first voluntarily 724 students from various programs of Anadolu University Faculty of Education. Descriptive statistics of the obtained data and test statistics of the groups were examined consecutively. The research revealed a significant difference in scores derived from three forms with varying item ordering in the questionnaire's Social Modeling sub-dimension. There was no significant difference in item ranking among the scores collected from other subscales. Finally, measurement invariance was tested through the data of two equal groups. At this stage, multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was performed. The analysis revealed that measurement invariance was not obtained amongst these three groups.