Bubpha Setobol. Test taker characteristics and item bias in English reading comprehension tests. (). King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok. Central Library. : , 2552.
Test taker characteristics and item bias in English reading comprehension tests
Abstract:
This paper reports an empirical investigation of item bias (gender and background knowledge) in a
reading comprehension test and its influence on performance. Three item bias detection methods
(Delta-plot, Chi-square and Three-parameter model) were employed in order to triangulate the findings.
The subjects were the second to fourth year undergraduate students enrolled in the Reading I course at King
Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok, Thailand. Findings showed that items measuring
reading comprehension ability at level 4 or Synthesis level displayed the highest percentage of gender bias.
Various reading topics and text types were associated with the gender-biased items. Regarding background
knowledge-biased items, the majority of items which measured reading comprehension at level 1
(Knowledge level) and level 4 (Synthesis level) indicated bias. The reading topic that was reported to have
the most background knowledge-biased items were "Fish" stories. The text type reported with the highest
frequency of background knowledge-biased items was general science. The implications of these findings
for test developers, curriculum designers, and researchers interested in clarifying the possible sources of
item bias in a reading test are discussed.