Identifying Differential Item Functioning of an Early Math Scale

• In Event: Early Childhood Assessments

Abstract

The Early Math Matters Survey was developed to provide a comprehensive understanding of early childcare providers’ attitude and belief about early math, but it is unclear if there are biases in items. In this study, we investigate the measurement equivalence of the 26 items to provide evidence that the Early Math Matters Survey is a fair instrument when administrated to participants across various age and racial groups. A Rasch measurement model was applied on a nationwide sample (N = 532). The results indicated that all items perform consistently across age groups but several items demonstrated differential item functioning (DIF) across racial groups. Nevertheless, the magnitude of DIF was small and would not affect the overall efficiency of the whole scale.

Authors

• Qiao Lin, University of Illinois at Chicago

• Kathleen Sheridan, University of Illinois at Chicago