Differential Item Functioning in English Exams Between Arts and Science High School Students in China

• In Event: 25.082 - Fairmont Royal York Roundtable Session Three
  In Roundtable Session: 25.082-6 - Educational Innovations in East Asia

Abstract

The relationship between pre-existing knowledge and English test performance are mostly studied in the college setting. However, little research has been done at the stage of high school. With about 1,500 science students and 500 arts students in a Chinese high school, we conducted independent sample t-tests on three overall English test scores and analyzed differential item functioning (DIF) for each test item to investigate if any item favors domain knowledge rather than English ability. We found significant differences between the two groups in three test scores, but the majority of test items displayed little or no DIF. Thus, the differences between the two groups were due to English ability instead of the design of test items.

Authors

• Yihan Zhao, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Xiaoliang Zhou, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Yi Zhang, Teachers College, Columbia University