Differential Item Functioning of a Truancy Assessment

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 642-648
Author(s):  
Brian F. French ◽  
Thao T. Vo
Keyword(s):  
Differential Item Functioning ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Student Behaviors ◽  
Youth Service ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
Graded Response ◽  
School Truancy ◽  
Report Measure

The Washington Assessment of Risk and Needs of Students (WARNS) is a brief self-report measure designed for schools, courts, and youth service providers to identify student behaviors and contexts related to school truancy. Empirical support for WARNS item invariance between ethnic groups is lacking. This study examined differential item functioning (DIF) to ensure that items on the WARNS function similarly across groups, especially for groups where truancy rates are highest. The item response theory graded response model was used to examine DIF between Caucasian, African American, and Latinx students. DIF was identified in six items across WARNS domains. The DIF amount and magnitude likely will not influence decisions based on total scores. Implications for practice and suggestions for an ecological framework to explain the DIF results are discussed.

scholarly journals Empathy Measurement in Autistic and Nonautistic Adults: A COSMIN Systematic Literature Review

Assessment ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 107319112096456
Author(s):  
Jessica L. Harrison ◽  
Charlotte L. Brownlow ◽  
Michael J. Ireland ◽  
Adina M. Piovesana
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Support ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Social Differences ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Clinical Conditions ◽  
Psychometric Quality

Empathy is essential for social functioning and is relevant to a host of clinical conditions. This COSMIN review evaluated the empirical support for empathy self-report measures used with autistic and nonautistic adults. Given autism is characterized by social differences, it is the subject of a substantial proportion of empathy research. Therefore, this review uses autism as a lens through which to scrutinize the psychometric quality of empathy measures. Of the 19 measures identified, five demonstrated “High-Quality” evidence for “Insufficient” properties and cannot be recommended. The remaining 14 had noteworthy gaps in evidence and require further evaluation before use with either group. Without tests of measurement invariance or differential item functioning, the extent to which observed group differences represent actual trait differences remains unknown. Using autism as a test case highlights an alarming tendency for empathy measures to be used to characterize, and potentially malign vulnerable populations before sufficient validation.

Understanding School Truancy: Risk–Need Latent Profiles of Adolescents

Assessment ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (8) ◽  
pp. 978-987 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Iverson ◽  
Brian F. French ◽  
Paul S. Strand ◽  
Chad M. Gotch ◽  
Carl McCurley
Keyword(s):  
School Districts ◽  
Latent Profile Analysis ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Profile Analysis ◽  
Maladaptive Behaviors ◽  
Court System ◽  
Social Emotional ◽  
Youth Service ◽  
Unexcused Absences ◽  
School Truancy

Washington state requires school districts to file court petitions on students with excessive unexcused absences resulting in thousands of youth becoming involved in the court system. Once in the system, decisions are made about the level of risk each youth has for maladaptive behaviors. The Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students was created to assist youth service providers, courts, and schools to identify an adolescent’s needs for social, emotional, or educational intervention. However, the profile-based decisions advocated for by test developers lack empirical justification. This study employed latent profile analysis to examine risk and needs profiles of adolescents based on the Washington Assessment of the Risks and Needs of Students assessment. Profiles were developed to aid understanding of behaviors associated with school truancy, and examined across outcome variables (e.g., suspensions, arrests) to evaluate evidence in support of predictive claims. Results suggest distinct profiles that differ on important outcomes.

scholarly journals A Differential Item Functioning (DIF) Analysis of the Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB): Comparing Individuals With Parkinson's Disease From the United States and New Zealand

2014 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn Baylor ◽  
Megan J. McAuliffe ◽  
Louise E. Hughes ◽  
Kathryn Yorkston ◽  
Tim Anderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Differential Item Functioning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Item Bank ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
Communicative Participation

Purpose To examine the cross-cultural applicability of the Communicative Participation Item Bank (CPIB) through a comparison of respondents with Parkinson's disease (PD) from the United States and New Zealand. Method A total of 428 respondents—218 from the United States and 210 from New Zealand—completed the self-report CPIB and a series of demographic questions. Differential item functioning (DIF) analyses were conducted to examine whether response bias was present across the 2 groups. Results No items were identified as having statistically significant DIF across the U.S. and N.Z. cohorts. Conclusion The current CPIB items and scoring parameters are also suitable for use with respondents from New Zealand.

scholarly journals Construct validity and differential item functioning of the PHQ-9 among health care workers: Rasch Analysis approach

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surin Jiraniramai ◽  
Tinakon Wongpakaran ◽  
Chaisiri Angkurawaranon ◽  
Wichuda Jiraporncharoen ◽  
Nahathai Wongpakaran
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Psychometric Properties ◽  
Differential Item Functioning ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Psychometric Property ◽  
Rasch Measurement ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
Care Workers

Abstract Background The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is a widely used self-report questionnaire to screen depression. Its psychometric property has been tested in many populations including health care workers. We used Rasch measurement theory to examine the psychometric properties of PHQ-9 regarding item difficulty, item fit and the differences between subgroups of respondents classified by sex, age, education and alcohol user status, based on the same overall location of participants.Methods In total, 3,204 health care workers of Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital participated and were administered the PHQ-9. Rating scale Rasch measurement modeling was used to examine the psychometric properties of the PHQ-9.Results The data fitted well to the Rasch model and no violations of the assumption of unidimensionality were observed. All 9 items could form a unidimensional construct of overall depressive severity. Suicidal ideation was the least endorsed while sleep problem was the most. No disordered category and threshold of the rating response were observed. No locally dependent items were observed. No items were found to show differential item functioning across age, sex, education and alcohol consumption. The item-person Wright map showed that the PHQ-9 did not target well with the sample, and a wide gap suggesting few or no items exist to differentiate participants at a certain ability level among the PHQ-9 items.Conclusion The PHQ-9 can be used as a screening questionnaire for major depressive disorder as its psychometric property was verified based on Rasch measurement model. The findings are generally consistent with related studies in other populations. However, the PHQ-9 may be unsuitable for assessing depressive symptoms among health care workers who have low levels of depression.

scholarly journals Application of the Graded Response Model to a Scale of Empathic Behavior

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-56
Author(s):  
Sofía E. Auné ◽  
Facundo J. P. Abal ◽  
Horacio F. Attorresi
Keyword(s):  
Differential Item Functioning ◽  
Response Model ◽  
Graded Response Model ◽  
Local Independence ◽  
Information Function ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
Graded Response ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Gender Differential ◽  
Empathic Behavior

The results obtained from the application of the Graded Response Model (GRM) to the items of the Scale of Empathic Behavior whose authors are Auné, Abal and Attorresi (2017) are presented. The sample was obtained by accessibility and consisted of Argentine university students (80% Women). None of the items presented uniform or non-uniform gender differential item functioning. The GRM assumptions of local independence and unidimensionality were successfully corroborated. Threshold parameters tended to be located at low levels of the trait scale, whereas discrimination parameters were high. The analysis of the information function showed acceptable precision in low and middle empathic behavior level.

scholarly journals Differential item functioning due to gender between depression and anxiety items among Chilean adolescents

2011 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
pp. 386-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Bares ◽  
Fernando Andrade ◽  
Jorge Delva ◽  
Andrew Grogan-Kaylor ◽  
Akihito Kamata
Keyword(s):  
Differential Item Functioning ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Adolescent Females ◽  
Adolescent Males ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
Males And Females

Background: Although much is known about the higher prevalence of anxiety and depressive disorders among adolescent females, less is known about the differential item endorsement due to gender in items of scales commonly used to measure anxiety and depression. Aims: We conducted a study to examine if adolescent males and females from Chile differed on how they endorsed the items of the Youth Self Report (YSR) anxious/depressed problem scale. We used data from a cross-sectional sample consisting of 925 participants (mean age = 14, SD 1.3, 49% females) of low to lower-middle socioeconomic status. Methods: A two-parameter logistic (2PL) IRT DIF model was fit. Results: Results revealed differential item functioning (DIF) by gender for six of the 13 items, with adolescent females being more likely to endorse a depression item while males were found more likely to endorse anxiety items. Conclusions: Findings suggest that items found in commonly used measures of anxiety and depression symptoms may not equally capture the true levels of these behavioural problems in adolescent males and females. Given the high levels of mental disorders in Chile and the surrounding countries, further attention should be focused on increasing the number of empirical studies examining potential gender differences in the assessment of mental health problems among Latin American populations to better aid our understanding of the phenomenology and determinants of these problems in the region.

Differential Item Functioning of the Full and Brief Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales in Asian, White, Hispanic, and Multiethnic Samples and Between Sexes

Assessment ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1001-1013 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Cicero ◽  
Elizabeth A. Martin ◽  
Alexander Krieg
Keyword(s):  
Differential Item Functioning ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Magical Ideation ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
Multiple Indicator ◽  
Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales ◽  
Multiple Causes

The Wisconsin Schizotypy Scales, including their brief versions, are among the most commonly used self-report measures of schizotypy. Although they have been used extensively in many ethnic groups, few studies have examined their differential item functioning (DIF) across groups. The current study included 1,056 Asian, 408 White, 476 Multiethnic, and 372 Hispanic undergraduates. Unidimensional models of the brief Magical Ideation Scale and Perceptual Aberration Scales fit the data well. For both scales, global tests of measurement invariance provided mixed evidence, but few of the items displayed DIF across ethnicities or between sexes within a multiple indicator multiple causes model. For the full versions of the scales and the brief Revised Social Anhedonia Scale, multiple indicator multiple causes models within an exploratory structural equation modeling framework found that few of the items had DIF. These findings suggest that some of the items may have different psychometric properties across groups, but most items do not.

scholarly journals Development of the PROMIS Pediatric Physical Activity Item Banks

2020 ◽  
Vol 100 (8) ◽  
pp. 1393-1410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carole A Tucker ◽  
Katherine B Bevans ◽  
Brandon D Becker ◽  
Rachel Teneralli ◽  
Christopher B Forrest
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Differential Item Functioning ◽  
Outcome Measurement ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Measurement Information ◽  
Response Options ◽  
Item Banks ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Parent Proxy

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to develop self-report and parent-proxy measures of children’s physical activity for clinical research and practice and to demonstrate a valid and reliable instrument of children’s lived experience of physical activity as reported by the children themselves or their parent proxies. Methods This study involved qualitative development of item pools followed by 2 cross-sectional validity and reliability studies. The National Institutes of Health Patient Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) instrument development standards were applied to create child self-report and parent-proxy physical activity instruments from previously developed, content-valid pools of physical activity items. Each item used a 7-day recall period and had 5 response options. Item bank calibration was based on national samples totaling 3033 children aged 8 to 17 years and 2336 parents of children aged 5 to 17 years. Quantitative analyses included reliability assessments, factor analyses, item response theory calibration, differential item functioning, and construct validation. Results The final item banks comprised 10 items each. The items were selected based on content and psychometric properties. The item banks appeared to be unidimensional and free from differential item functioning. They showed excellent reliability and a high degree of precision across the range of the latent variable. Child-report and parent-proxy 4- and 8-item fixed-length instruments were specified. The instruments showed moderate correlation with existing self-report measures of physical activity. Conclusion The PROMIS Pediatric Physical Activity instruments provide precise and valid measurement of children’s lived experiences of physical activity. Impact The availability of the PROMIS Pediatric Physical Activity instruments will support advances in clinical practice and research that require measurement of pediatric physical activity by self- and parent-proxy report.

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