Assessing Differential Item Functioning on the Test of Relational Reasoning

• In Event: 52.083 - Roundtable Session 19
  In Roundtable Session: 52.083-19 - Advances in Differential Item Functioning Research

Abstract

The Test of Relational Reasoning (TORR) is designed to assess participants’ ability to identify complex patterns within visuo-spatial stimuli. The TORR is designed for use in school and university settings, and therefore, its measurement invariance across diverse groups of students is important. In this investigation, a large sample, representative of a major university on key demographic variables, was collected, and the resulting data was analyzed using a multi-group, multidimensional item-response theory model-comparison procedure. No significant differential item functioning (DIF) was found on any of the TORR items across any of the demographic groups of interest. This finding is interpreted as evidence of the cultural-fairness of the TORR, and potential test-development choices that may have contributed to that cultural-fairness are discussed.

Author

• Denis Dumas, University of Denver