Abstract: Equivalent measurement is obtained when the relations between observed test scores and the latent attribute measured by the test are identical across subpopulations. In particular, individuals with equal standings on the latent trait, but sampled from different subpopulations, should have the same expected observed score. Measurement equivalence serves as the precondition to conducting substantive cross-group difference comparisons. This article introduces the conception of measurement equivalence, the brief history of the research, and the necessity of measurement equivalence; then lists the conditions of measurement equivalence within the framework of structural equation modeling (SEM); also presents the goodness-of-fit indices which are used to justify the goodness of fit of the models.

Key words: measurement equivalence, structural equation modeling (SEM), goodness-of-fit