Article
AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE ON A PRAXIS SIMULATION: TOWARD AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PERFORMANCE GAP
Echo
(2015)
Abstract
The purpose of this investigation was to provide an item analysis of students’ performance on a Praxis examination simulation toward an understanding of the test performance gap between African Americans and the general population. Data analysis was constructed to reveal whether there are specific courses and content areas that are difficult, and whether difficult areas are related to course level. Results were predictable in that the distant undergraduate courses, as well as the scientifically complex graduate courses were found to be most difficult. The investigation also sought to provide insight into characteristics of questions that may account for the differential performance. There was a substantial core of difficult questions wherein participants selected the same incorrect answer which was interpreted as a potential cultural bias. This investigation concluded that lack of knowledge in specific course areas, as well as cultural bias, contribute to the differential performance of African American test takers on the Speech-Language Pathology Praxis.
Keywords
- Praxis,
- test item analysis,
- African American test performance
Disciplines
Publication Date
Fall 2015
Citation Information
Kay Payne and Shameka Johnson. "AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE ON A PRAXIS SIMULATION: TOWARD AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE PERFORMANCE GAP" Echo (2015) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/KayTPaynePhD/14/