Tacit Knowledge 1 Running head: SUPERINTENDENT TACIT KNOWLEDGE Utilizing the Rasch Model to Develop and Validate Items for the Tacit Knowledge Inventory for Superintendents (TKIS)

Tacit knowledge was originally introduced into the professional literature by Michael Polanyi (1946, 1966, 1976), and later made popular by Sternberg and his colleagues (e.g. Sternberg et al., 2000; Wagner & Sternberg, 1985). Tacit knowledge is best characterized as context-specific, procedural knowledge that is gained from personal experience, rather than through direct training or instruction. The purpose of the current study was to develop and validate items for use on an assessment tool designed to measure tacit knowledge in superintendents. Development of the Tacit Knowledge Inventory for Superintendents (TKIS) occurred in three phases, including two phases of piloting and subsequent Rasch analysis. Among the more interesting findings was empirical support for the presence of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and organizational tacit knowledge in superintendents (Nestor-Baker & Hoy, 2001). Limitations included lack of sufficient items measuring at all levels of ability.