ERIC Number: EJ1454907
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 26
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-3667
EISSN: EISSN-1527-2060
What's the DIFference: Evaluating the Validity Claims of a General Education Program
Josiah Hunsberger; John D. Hathcoat
Journal of General Education, v70 n3 p229-254 2021
General education programs often offer students a choice among various courses to fulfill a specific requirement. However, the extent to which these courses equally enable students to achieve the intended learning outcomes can vary, potentially giving some students an unintended advantage. This article evaluates whether students are inadvertently disadvantaged in meeting learning outcomes across different courses designed to fulfill a global experience requirement within a general education program. This study analyzed differential item functioning (DIF) on a university-wide assessment among a sample of 1,697 students who selected one of five distinct courses. The findings revealed that multiple items exhibited DIF, with further analysis indicating that students who chose Macroeconomics to fulfill the global perspectives requirement were particularly disadvantaged on items measuring the ability to analyze "societies different from one's own," while being advantaged on more quantitatively-oriented test items. These results highlight a potential misalignment between courses intended to meet the same learning outcomes and raise concerns about equitable opportunities to achieve those outcomes.
Descriptors: Validity, General Education, Outcomes of Education, Macroeconomics, College Students, Test Items, Equal Education, Course Selection (Students), Required Courses, Cultural Differences, Global Education, Cultural Awareness, Universities
Pennsylvania State University Press. 820 North University Drive, USB 1 Suite C, University Park, PA 16802. Tel: 800-326-9180; Tel: 814-865-1327; Fax: 814-863-1408; e-mail: info@psupress.org; Web site: https://scholarlypublishingcollective.org/psup/general-education
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A