Comparability of Bilingual Versions of Assessments: Sources of Incomparability of English and French Versions of Canada's National Achievement Tests

This research examined the degree of comparability and sources of incomparability of English and French versions of reading, mathematics, and science tests that were administered as part of a survey of achievement in Canada. The results point to substantial psychometric differences between the 2 lan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inApplied measurement in education Vol. 17; no. 3; pp. 301 - 321
Main Authors Ercikan, Kadriye, Gierl, Mark J., McCreith, Tanya, Puhan, Gautam, Koh, Kim
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Philadelphia Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc 01.07.2004
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
Achievement Tests
Comparative Analysis
English
Foreign Countries
French
Item Analysis
Mathematics Tests
Psychometrics
Reading Tests
Science Tests
Test Construction
Test Items
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Summary:This research examined the degree of comparability and sources of incomparability of English and French versions of reading, mathematics, and science tests that were administered as part of a survey of achievement in Canada. The results point to substantial psychometric differences between the 2 language versions. Approximately 18% to 36% of the items were identified as differentially functioning for the 2 language groups. Large proportions of these differential item functioning (DIF) items, 36% to 100% across age groups and content areas, were attributed to adaptation related differences. A smaller proportion, 27% to 33% of the DIF items, was attributed to curricular differences. Twenty-four to 49% of DIF items could not be attributed to either of the 2 sources considered in the study.
ISSN:0895-7347
1532-4818
DOI:10.1207/s15324818ame1703_4