Congruence of Test-Behavior Dimensions among Child Groups that Vary in Gender,Race-Ethnicity,and Ses

Abstract

The possibility of construct bias was investigated with the Guide to the Assessment of Test Session Behavior for the WISC-III and WIAT (GATSB). Specifically, the study examined whether the three constructs measured by the GATSB (i.e., Avoidance, Inattentiveness, and Uncooperative Mood) share the same factor structure across demographic groups that vary in gender, race-ethnicity (Anglo, African-American, Hispanic), and SES (high, middle, low). Children (N = 969) ranged between the ages of 6 and 16 years and comprised the GATSB's standardization and validity-study samples. Coefficients of factorial congruence/similarity were sufficiently high to warrant the conclusion that the GATSB's three constructs are comparable (i.e., share the same factor structure) for children who differ by gender, race-ethnicity, and SES. The current findings align with previous bias studies conducted with the GATSB (Glutting, Oakland, & Konold, 1994; Nandakumar, Glutting, & Oakland, 1993) and indicate that Anglo examiners can place considerable confidence in using this instrument to measure the test-taking behaviors of children who differ by gender and SES as well as those who are Anglo, African-American, and Hispanic.

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