6533b7d7fe1ef96bd1268362

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Utility of the Mantel-Haenszel Procedure for Detecting Differential Item Functioning in Small Samples

José MuñizAángel M. FidalgoDoris Ferreres

subject

Contingency tablePsychometricsApplied Mathematics05 social sciences050401 social sciences methods050301 educationSmall sampleDifferential item functioningCochran–Mantel–Haenszel statisticsEducation0504 sociologySample size determinationStatisticsEvaluation methodsDevelopmental and Educational PsychologyEconometricsLimit (mathematics)Psychology0503 educationApplied Psychology

description

Sample-size restrictions limit the contingency table approaches based on asymptotic distributions, such as the Mantel-Haenszel (MH) procedure, for detecting differential item functioning (DIF) in many practical applications. Within this framework, the present study investigated the power and Type I error performance of empirical and inferential criteria for DIF detection in small samples. Sample sizes (50/50, 100/50, 200/50, and 100/100 for the reference and focal groups, respectively), ability distributions (equal and unequal), and amount of DIF (moderate and high) were manipulated. The results show the advantages of employing theMHchi-square statistic using high levels of significance (• = .20) as opposed to the empirical criteria (cutoffs for categorizing DIF based on the magnitude of the MH common odds ratio estimator and the standardized p-difference statistic). Some considerations concerning Type I and Type II errors are made.

yearjournalcountryeditionlanguage
2004-12-01Educational and Psychological Measurement
https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164404267288