Does a balanced test form regarding selected-response and constructed-response items overcome gender gap in test scores? An analysis of the format-gender relation in the test of economic-civic competence. (December 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Ackermann, Nicole; Siegfried, Christin
• Other Names: Happ Roland guest-editor.; Förster Manuel guest-editor.; Siegfried Christin guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Citizenship, social and economics education. Volume 18:Number 3(2020)
• Page Start: 158
• Page End: 176
• Publication Date: 2019-12
• Subjects: economic literacy -- economic-civic competence -- gender gap -- item format -- test construction; Social sciences -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Periodicals; Economics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Periodicals; Socialization -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Periodicals; Citizenship -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- Periodicals; 372.83
• DOI: 10.1177/2047173419892531
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1478-8047

Abstract

Studies indicate that male students outperform female students in economic literacy and that a specific item format (selected-response, constructed-response) favours either males or females. This study analyses the relationship between item format and gender in economic-civic competence using the WBK-T2 test ("revidierter Test zur wirtschaftsbürgerlichen Kompetenz"). The WBK-T2 encompasses 32 items, of which 53% have a selected-response format and 47% a constructed-response format. To answer the research questions, we used a sample of 375 Swiss high school students and ran T-tests and multiple regression analyses. Male students significantly outperformed female students in the overall test score, in the selected-response test score and in the constructed-response test score, but effect sizes are rather small. Interest in socio-economic issues predicted but did not moderate the test scores; however, prior knowledge in economics did. Our results indicate that the balanced test form of the WBK-T2 regarding selected-response and constructed-response items does overcome the gender gap in overall test scores and format-related test scores for students with prior economic knowledge. However, this does not apply for students without prior knowledge in economics. Thus, there must be other test-external variables, such as prior knowledge in economics that cause the gender gap in economic-civic competence.