PERC 2016 Abstract Detail Page
Previous Page | New Search | Browse All
| Abstract Title: | Extending psychometric analysis of gender differences on the FCI |
|---|---|
| Abstract: | Despite decades of research using the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), its psychometric properties have been only lightly documented. Psychometric theory tells us that it is essential for inventory developers to establish the fairness of an instrument for any population for which it is intended. Many physics courses are strongly gender-imbalanced, which can obscure gender effects when field-testing items for appropriateness. In a preliminary analysis that disaggregated by gender, we found that many items might be discarded from the FCI for falling outside acceptable ranges of item difficulty or discrimination. This result is almost entirely buried when the tests are only run on the overall (male-dominated) sample. Here we extend the analysis to a larger data set and progress to additional psychometric tests, attending to other buried gender effects that may appear. |
| Abstract Type: | Contributed Poster Presentation |
Author/Organizer Information | |
| Primary Contact: |
Alexis Papak University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Purdue University Phone: (708) 620-2321 |
| Co-Author(s) and Co-Presenter(s) |
Adrienne Traxler, Department of Physics, Wright State University Rebecca Lindell, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University |
