Gender and Racial/Ethnic Differences on Performance Assessments in Science

Klein, Stephen P.; Jovanovic, Jasna; Stecher, Brian M.; McCaffrey, Dan; Shavelson, Richard J.; Haertel, Edward H.; Solano‐Flores, Guillermo; Comfort, Kathy

doi:10.2307/1164204

Cited by 8 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…As discussed earlier, many previous studies have reported a male advantage on multiplechoice items (e.g., DeMars, 2000(e.g., DeMars, , 1998Klein et al, 1997;Murphy, 1982). Males are more likely to guess when they are unsure about the answers whereas females are more likely to the leave these items blank in similar situations (Ben-Shakhar & Sinai, 1991).…”

Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This discrepancy sparks the discussion about the relationship between the gender performance difference and item format. Many previous studies examining gender differences on standardized tests have reported that traditional multiple-choice items favor males and open constructed-response items favor females (Bolger & Kellaghan, 1990;DeMars, 2000DeMars, , 1998Klein et al, 1997). DeMars (1998) has noted a similar finding that among the highest ability students, males scored higher on multiple-choice items whereas females scored higher on the constructed-response section.…”

Section: Item Formatmentioning

confidence: 92%

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Gender Differences in Large-Scale Math Assessments: PISA Trend 2000 and 2003

Liu

Wilson

2009

Applied Measurement in Education

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Section: Conclusion and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Item Formatmentioning

confidence: 92%

Gender Differences in Large-Scale Math Assessments: PISA Trend 2000 and 2003

Liu

Wilson

2009

Applied Measurement in Education

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“…Jovanovic and Shavelson (1995) found that there were no differences in the means for boys and girls on performance assessments and traditional testing methods. In a major study, Klein et al (1997) found that girls tended to score higher than boys on performance assessments, although boys scored higher on certain items within the performance assessments. Klein et al (1997) also found that differences in mean scores among racial/ethnic groups on one type of test were comparable to the differences among these groups on the other measures they used.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

The science achievement of various subgroups on alternative assessment formats

2001

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ABSTRACT:The purpose of this study was to examine the science achievement outcomes for different subgroups of students using different assessment formats. A nationally representative sample of approximately 3,500 ninth grade science students from 13 high schools throughout the United States completed a series of science assessments designed to measure their level of achievement on the national science education standards. All of the schools were using a curriculum designed to meet the standards. The assessments included a multiple-choice test, a written open-ended test, a hands-on lab skills test, and a hands-on full investigation. The results show that the student outcomes on the different assessment formats are more highly correlated for higher achieving students than for lower achieving students. Patterns for different cultural groups also vary by assessment format. There were no differences found for sex. The results support the notion that different assessment formats assess different competencies and that the achievement of students from different subgroups varies by assessment format.

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“…Does the difference reflect a different level of understanding of course material, or is it an artifact of grading style? This last option seems quite probable given the fact there is evidence that males do better on multiple choice (MC) exams [26][27][28][29]. Even the carefully crafted, high-stakes exams (such as the SAT or ACT) typically show bias against females and minorities, resulting in colleges deemphasizing the importance of test scores on entry into college [30].…”

Section: Implications For Instructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender performance differences in biochemistry

Rauschenberger

Sweeder

2010

Biochem Molecular Bio Educ

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This study examined the historical performance of students at Michigan State University in a two-part biochemistry series Biochem I (n ¼ 5,900) and Biochem II (n ¼ 5,214) for students enrolled from 1997 to 2009. Multiple linear regressions predicted 54.9-87.5% of the variance in student from Biochem I grade and 53.8-76.1% of the variance in student from Biochem II grade. Overall, the student's cumulative GPA has the primary influence on their biochemistry grade in Biochem I for all models whereas either cumulative GPA or Biochem I performance has the primary influence on Biochem II grade. These factors were far more influential than any other predictors as their b values were larger (5-10 times larger depending on the model). However, the gender of the student was also statistically significant for Biochem I and more than half of our Biochem II models with female students always predicted lower than their equivalent male counterparts. Biochemistry majors were also found to perform better in Biochem I. Interestingly, grades earned in prerequisite courses such as introductory biology, chemistry, or organic chemistry and ethnicity provided no additional predictive ability about students' performance in biochemistry. Enrollment in an honors college or science residential college had little direct impact on performance in biochemistry.

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Gender and Racial/Ethnic Differences on Performance Assessments in Science

Cited by 8 publications

References 16 publications

Gender Differences in Large-Scale Math Assessments: PISA Trend 2000 and 2003

Gender Differences in Large-Scale Math Assessments: PISA Trend 2000 and 2003

The science achievement of various subgroups on alternative assessment formats

Gender performance differences in biochemistry

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