Using Person Response Functions to Investigate Areas of Person Misfit Related to Item Characteristics

• In Event: Use of Various Rasch Measurement Models

Abstract

Person fit analyses provide information that is relevant for appropriate interpretation of test scores. In this study, person fit statistics and person response functions (PRF) are used to examine individual-level person fit in a classroom assessment. Test data from an undergraduate statistics class (N=1255) were analyzed with Infit, Outfit, and Between Item Subgroup Fit. Then, PRF were created to visualize person misfit. Analyses show that PRF reveal the nuances of misfitting response vectors and can highlight particular subsets of items on which an examinee performs unexpectedly. Because different score interpretations or post-test recommendations may exist based on the reasons for person misfit, individual person fit information should be made available to help practitioners make decisions regarding student achievement and instruction.

Authors

• Angela Adrienne Walker, Emory University

• Jeremy Kyle Jennings, University of Georgia - Athens

• George Engelhard, University of Georgia