Methods for Identifying Biased Test Items (Measurement Methods for the Social Science)

Rating:
Summary: Very helpful, practical information
Review: As a graduate student in Measurement and Research and as a new employee for a testing company, I needed a good foundation in differential item functioning (DIF) in order to be able to do DIF studies. After pulling relevant articles from the library, I realized I needed some background on this topic before it would really make sense to me. This book helped a lot. The background information on how DIF relates to validity as well as what DIF studies can and cannot accomplish set the stage for a clearer understanding of the actual analyses.

I was especially pleased to find SAS code for the Mantel-Haenszel procedure. Also included was a very helpful BILOG example for use in DIF studies that utilize IRT methods.

I'm still reading, but in one weekend have gone from complete novice with barely a definitional understanding of DIF to comprehending why such studies are valuable, the history of DIF analysis, and a good idea of how to proceed to do DIF analysis.