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The TOEFL iBT[TM] has increased the length of the reading passages in the reading section compared to the passages on the TOEFL[R] computer-based test (CBT) to better approximate academic reading in North American universities, resulting in a reduced number of passages in the reading test. A concern arising from this change is whether the decrease in topic variety increases the likelihood that an examinee's familiarity with the particular content of a given passage will influence the examinee's reading performance. This study investigated differential item functioning and differential bundle functioning for six TOEFL iBT reading passages, three involving physical science and three involving cultural topics. The majority of items displayed little or no differential item functioning (DIF). When all of the items in a passage were examined, none of the passages showed differential functioning at the passage level. Hypotheses are provided for the DIF occurrences. Implications for fairness issues in test development are also discussed. Appendices include: (1) E-Mail to the Test Takers; and (2) Background Survey for TOEFL iBT. (Contains 3 tables.)

The issue of what exactly is measured by different types of reading items has been a matter of interest in the field of reading research for many years. Language teaching and testing specialists have raised the question of whether a reading test for foreign students wishing to enter a university in the United States should include questions testing abilities beyond linguistic and very general discourse competencies, or indeed whether it is possible to separate these language competencies from other competencies. This study investigates the dimensionality of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) reading test, based on the specifications in use as of April 1991. Of particular interest was whether four item types identified in the test specification as "reasoning items" could be shown to measure, in addition to general reading ability, any abilities not measured by the other item types in the test. Two techniques, Stout's procedure and NOHARM analyses, were used to investigate the hypothesized two-factor model. In both cases the data failed to fit the model, indicating that TOEFL "reasoning items" cannot be shown to measure a unique construct. However, the followup exploratory analyses indicated that all 10 test forms used in the study violated the assumption of essential unidimensionality, and all of the forms appeared to fit a two-factor model where the second factor may be related to passage content or position. (Contains 4 tables, 7 figures, and 20 references.) (Author/SLD)

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) program is exploring a change in Section 3 of the TOEFL test that would replace the vocabulary subpart with additional reading comprehension questions. This study investigated the proposed revision in terms of the length and timing that would be necessary to address concerns of test speededness of the section. Several psychometric issues relating to the proposed revision were also investigated. Responses of 33 students at each of 42 institutions teaching English as a second language were used. Results support the implementation of a revised TOEFL Section 3 consisting of five reading passages with a total of 50 items. Results also suggest that a total testing time of no less than 55 minutes should be allowed for the revised TOEFL Section 3. Additional psychometric analyses indicate that the current TOEFL score scale can be maintained with the revised Section 3 and that the proposed revisions will not appreciably affect the reliability and validity of Section 3. Appendices include: Preliminary Dimensionality Analyses of Section 3 of the TOEFL test, supplemental information, and an experimental TOEFL section. Fifteen figures and 10 tables present analysis results. (Contains 59 references.) (SLD)