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Instructionally Sensitive Psychometrics: Application of a New IRT‐Based Detection Technique to Mathematics Achievement Test Items
Author(s) -
Muthén Bengt O.,
Kao ChihFen,
Burstein Leigh
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of educational measurement
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.917
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1745-3984
pISSN - 0022-0655
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-3984.1991.tb00340.x
Subject(s) - item response theory , mathematics education , test (biology) , achievement test , psychometrics , psychology , item analysis , standardized test , academic achievement , mathematics , statistics , developmental psychology , paleontology , biology
Achievement modeling is carried out in groups of students characterized by heterogeneous instructional background. Extensions of item response theory models incorporate variables reflecting different amounts of opportunity‐to‐leam (OTL). The effects of these OTL variables are studied with respect to their influence on both the latent trait and the item performance directly. Such direct effects may reflect instructionally sensitive items. U.S. eighth‐grade mathematics data from the Second International Mathematics Study are analyzed. Here, the same test is taken by students enrolled in typical instruction and students enrolled in elementary algebra classes. It is shown that the new analysis provides a more detailed way to examine the influence of instruction on responses to test items than does conventional item response theory.