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Educational and Psychological Measurement
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Examining the Relationship Between Race-Based Differential Item Functioning and Item Difficulty

Charles A. Scherbaum

Baruch College, City University of New York, Charles_Scherbaum{at}baruch.cuny.edu

Harold W. Goldstein

Baruch College, City University of New York

Recent research examining racial differences on standardized cognitive tests has focused on the impact of test item difficulty. Studies using data from the SAT and GRE have reported a correlation between item difficulty and differential item functioning (DIF) such that minority test takers are less likely than majority test takers to respond correctly to easy test items. The statistical techniques used and the effect sizes reported in these studies have been heavily criticized. This study addresses these criticisms by examining the relationship between item difficulty and DIF by using alternative statistical techniques based on item response theory and a different standardized test. The results replicate previous research and provide support for the generalizability of the findings.

Key Words: differential item functioning • standardized test • item difficulty • racial groups

This version was published on August 1, 2008

Educational and Psychological Measurement, Vol. 68, No. 4, 537-553 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0013164407310129
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