ERIC Number: EJ1291310
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020-Oct
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2476-5880
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Investigating Fairness of Reading Comprehension Section of INUEE: Learner's Attitudes towards DIF Sources
Amirian, Seyed Mohammad Reza
International Journal of Language Testing, v10 n2 p88-100 Oct 2020
The purpose of the present study was two-fold: (a) First, it examined fairness of Special English Test (SET) of Iranian National University Entrance Exam (INUEE) by analyzing Differential Item Functioning (DIF) with reading comprehension section of this test (b) second, it explored test takers' attitudes towards possible sources of unfairness and DIF. In the quantitative part of the study the data from 10000 test takers (6820 females and 3180 males) were analyzed for gender DIF using Mantel-Haenszel (MH) technique. It was revealed that only 6 items in the reading comprehension skill showed DIF. Further analysis manifested that the effect size of DIF for all six items were category A or negligible. Moreover, qualitative interview results indicated that learners generally considered the test a fair one while some potential sources of bias such as "topic familiarity, multiple-choice format of the test, topic interest, passage length, and complex structure of test items" were mentioned.
Descriptors: Reading Comprehension, Test Bias, English for Special Purposes, Language Tests, College Entrance Examinations, Student Attitudes, Sex Fairness, Foreign Countries
Tabaran Institute of Higher Education. Shariati 60, Shariati Blvd, Ghasem Abad, Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi, Iran. Tel: +98 (51) 35227215; e-mail: ijlt@tabaran.ac.ir; Web site: http://www.ijlt.ir/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Iran
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A