Differential item functioning and adverse impact: a comparison of Mantel-Haenzsel and logistic regression

Thesis (M.A., Psychology (Industrial/Organizational Psychology))--California State University, Sacramento, 2011.This study serves as a comparative analysis of two measures for detecting differential item functioning (DIF) in item responses of 29,171 applicants on a 49 item selection test. The methods compared in this study were two of the more commonly used DIF detection procedures in the testing arena: the Mantel-Haenszel chi-square and the logistic regression procedure. The study focused on the overall effect each method had on\ud adverse impact when used for the removal of items from a test. The study found that the presence of adverse impact findings were decreased by the removal of items displaying DIF, and that the effect on adverse impact differed by method of DIF detection. The study does not however, provide enough evidence to support the use of one DIF detection method over the -other in applied settings where considerations such as cost and test reliability are of concern.Psychology (Industrial/Organizational Psychology