The Influence of Test Context on Item Difficulty.
Abstract
Item analysis techniques commonly assume that item difficulties are stable over varying test contexts. The current emphasis on information-efficiency and individualized selection of items has made context stability a critical assumption. The simple item difficulties and Rasch log easiness values of 15 verbal analogy items were compared over seven internally consistent analogy tests. The results indicate that 60 percent of the items varied over contexts and that context difficulty was a factor for 27 percent of the items. The general applicability of item-parameter-invariant models is questioned by the finding of contextual interaction for parameter estimates. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 28, 1973
- Accession Number
- AD0772564
Entities
People
- Rene V. Dawis
- Susan E. Whitely
Organizations
- University of Minnesota