Accuracy in Predicting Cross-lingual Differential Item Functioning (DIF): A Study of Russian to Kyrgyz Language Test Item Adaptation in the Kyrgyz Republic

Authors

Todd Drummond

Keywords

Russian-speaking teachers, educators, Russian, language, textbooks

Abstract

Russian-speaking teachers, assessment specialists, and other educators in Eurasia are frequently tasked with effectively translating and adapting sophisticated educational materials from Russian into non- Slavic languages. While standards, textbooks, and other teaching materials have been adapted from Russian to other Eurasian languages for over a century, a contemporary challenge is the adaptation of highly complex, standardized tests and assessments produced in the Russian language (Drummond and Gabrscek 2012). Because the results of educational assessments are often employed in high stakes decision making, the room for error in the adaptation of cross-lingual tests is small: Capturing exact meaning in all language versions, accounting for cultural nuance, and ensuring corresponding difficulty of the multiple versions in standardized testing are essential.

Recommended Citation

Drummond, Todd (2014) "Accuracy in Predicting Cross-lingual Differential Item Functioning (DIF): A Study of Russian to Kyrgyz Language Test Item Adaptation in the Kyrgyz Republic," Russian Language Journal: Vol. 64: Iss. 1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.70163/0036-0252.1124
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/rlj/vol64/iss1/8