Her current area of research is readiness and motivation for change in adolescents with eating disorders. SHAWNA GOODRICH received her MSW from Simmons College, Boston, MA, in 1992. She is a doctoral student in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at the University of British Columbia. Her current research interests are critical feminist social theory and institutional enthnography. FRANCES HASTINGS received her BA in dietetics from the University of British Columbia in 1990. She works as a dietician in the Eating Disorders Program at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver. She is interested in tailoring dietary interventions for clients with eating disorders according to their readiness for change. THIS RESEARCH WAS SUPPORTED by grants awarded to Josie Geller, Shawna Goodrich, and Frances Hastings from the St.
The purpose of this research is to examine the comparability of mathematics and science scores for students from English language backgrounds (ELB) and nonEnglish language backgrounds (NELB). We examine the relationship between English reading proficiency and performance on mathematics and science assessments in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The findings indicate a strong relationship with reading proficiency accounting for up to 43% of the variance in mathematics and up to 79% in science. In all comparisons, ELB students either outperformed NELB students or performed at the same level. However, when statistical adjustments were made for reading proficiency, in both mathematics and science, the score gap between the groups became statistically non-significant in three out of the four countries. These findings point to differences in score meaning in mathematics and science assessments and limitations in comparing performances of ELB and NELB.Correspondence should be sent to Kadriye Ercikan, 2125 Main Mall, ECPS,
In selection contexts that employ standardized testing, the use of accommodations must be accompanied by evidence to support their appropriateness. Three studies examined the appropriateness of extended time accommodations in cognitive ability testing. Study 1 examined the speededness of the Canadian Forces Aptitude Test (CFAT) using data from 12,555 applicants to establish that speed is not a factor in the CFAT. Study 2 examined the impact of extra time in the completion of a paper-based administration of the practice CFAT for test-takers with and without a learning disability (LD). Data from 122 military trainees revealed that regardless of LD status, participants received higher scores and attempted more items. Study 3 replicated and extended the findings of study 2 using a university sample (N = 234) and a computerized test administration mode. Findings from both studies also suggested that construct- and criterion-related validity were comparable across time conditions. Overall, this research has implications for those considering time accommodations in cognitive ability testing, and contributes to the limited body of knowledge on test accommodations available to selection test developers and providers.
The purpose of this study is to examine item equivalence and score comparability of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2011 for the Canadian French and English language groups. Two methods of differential item functioning were conducted to examine item equivalence across 13 test booklets designed to assess reading literacy in early years of schooling. Four bilingual reviewers with expertise in reading literacy conducted independent, linguistic, and cultural reviews to identify both the degree of item equivalence and potential sources of differences between language versions of released items. Results indicate that an average of 25% of items per booklet function differentially at the item level. Reviews by experts indicate differences between the two language versions on some items flagged as displaying differential item functioning (DIF). Some of these were identified to have linguistic differences pointing to differential difficulty levels in the two language versions.
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