Investigating foreign students’ disadvantage in mathematics: A mixed method analysis to identify features of items favouring native students

Abstract

Differences in performance of native and foreign students in reading comprehension and mathematics emerge in all standardised assessments, both at national and international levels. This study is the continuation of a previous research project in which we examined citizenship-based differences in Italian mathematics standardised assessments, both at item level and in connection with students’ competence in text comprehension. We present a deeper analysis of items which presented a significant Differential Item Functioning (DIF) in favour of native students, and interpret these differences in terms of linguistic difficulties. On the basis of this analysis, we then present a classification of possible item characteristics causing disadvantage to foreign students, going one step further classification of items in terms of reading demand. The results obtained are then supported by further analysis of items similar to those considered in the first part of the present study, but administered in different years: all the results in terms of DIF analysis are confirmed also in the similar items’ analysis.