ERIC Number: EJ826382
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2009
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0146-6216
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Empirical Selection of Anchors for Tests of Differential Item Functioning
Woods, Carol M.
Applied Psychological Measurement, v33 n1 p42-57 2009
Differential item functioning (DIF) occurs when items on a test or questionnaire have different measurement properties for one group of people versus another, irrespective of group-mean differences on the construct. Methods for testing DIF require matching members of different groups on an estimate of the construct. Preferably, the estimate is based on a subset of group-invariant items called designated anchors. In this research, a quick and easy strategy for empirically selecting designated anchors is proposed and evaluated in simulations. Although the proposed rank-based approach is applicable to any method for DIF testing, this article focuses on likelihood-ratio (LR) comparisons between nested two-group item response models. The rank-based strategy frequently identified a group-invariant designated anchor set that produced more accurate LR test results than those using all other items as anchors. Group-invariant anchors were more difficult to identify as the percentage of differentially functioning items increased. Advice for practitioners is offered. (Contains 4 tables.)
Descriptors: Test Results, Testing, Item Response Theory, Test Bias, Statistical Bias, Maximum Likelihood Statistics, Error of Measurement, Simulation, Multiple Regression Analysis, Evaluation Methods
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: Practitioners
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A