ERIC Number: EJ1168738
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Dec
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-2330-8516
EISSN: N/A
Integrating Cognitive Views into Psychometric Models for Reading Comprehension Assessment. Research Report. ETS RR-17-35
Rahman, Taslima; Mislevy, Robert J.
ETS Research Report Series, Dec 2017
To demonstrate how methodologies for assessing reading comprehension can grow out of views of the construct suggested in the reading research literature, we constructed tasks and carried out psychometric analyses that were framed in accordance with 2 leading reading models. In estimating item difficulty and subsequently, examinee proficiency, an item response theory (IRT) model called the linear logistic test model was extended to incorporate reader as well as task attributes as covariates. A novel aspect of this modeling was reader effects--interest and prior knowledge-- specific to text passages that the examinees read in the assessment. In the demonstration, the theory-motivated task and reader attributes were found to be significantly related to item difficulty. In particular, examinees' comprehension proficiency estimates positively affected within-person effects concerning the reader's familiarity and interest in a passage. This study suggests that it is both feasible and informative to incorporate variables for various comprehension components into the psychometric analysis.
Descriptors: Reading Tests, Reading Comprehension, Psychometrics, Test Items, Difficulty Level, Item Response Theory, Prior Learning, Learner Engagement, Grade 8, Middle School Students, Multiple Choice Tests, Familiarity, Statistical Analysis
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Grade 8
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A