| The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influenced the manifestation of differential item functioning (DIF) on mathematics items of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA). This purpose was achieved by conducting empirical and logical analyses of the multiple-choice (MC) items and the constructed response (CR) items and rubrics. An empirical DIF analysis utilizing logistic discriminant function analysis (LDFA) was conducted to determine which items exhibited statistical DIF. A logical analysis of student responses was conducted on five CR items that exhibited gender-related DEF. Results indicated that DIF was of little concern in the present study for MC items. However, all comparison groups showed DEF on a large percentage of CR items. The groups with the highest occurrence of DIF were between White males and White females (40%) and between African American males and White females (60%). Females, regardless of ethnicity, always had an advantage over males on CR items, and in general, White females had an advantage over any other group. CR items that were common across forms tended to yield similar results. A logical analysis of student responses indicated that White females were more likely to show all their work and provide more complete explanations than White males for some items. |
