Comparative analysis of academic grades in compulsory secondary education in Spain using statistical techniques

The present study, based on the construct comparability approach, performs a comparative analysis of general points average for seven courses, using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the Partial Credit model (PCM) with a sample of 1398 student subjects (M = 12.5, SD = 0.67) from 8 schools in the province of Alicante (Spain). EFA confirmed a one-factor model which explains 74.44% of the variance. Cronbach’s alpha value for this factor was .94. The PCM supported the one-factor model, and an optimal fit was achieved in all of the courses. The analysis of differential item functioning showed no significant differences in any course. Equitable distribution was observed in the evolution of the difficulty indices along the measurement scale for each course. This type of analysis confirms the measurement of a single latent construct in the different topics analysed, despite addressing various theoretical and procedural contents.The present work was supported by the Vice Chancellor for Research of the University of Alicante [GRE11-15] and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [EDU2012-32,156]. The corresponding author is funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Reference of the grant: BES-2013064331)