A potential problem of low-stakes large-scale assessments such as the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is low test-taking engagement. The present study pursued two goals in order to better understand conditioning factors of test-taking disengagement: First, a model-based approach was used to investigate whether item indicators of disengagement constitute a continuous latent person variable by domain. Second, the effects of person and item characteristics were jointly tested using explanatory item response models. Analyses were based on the Canadian sample of Round 1 of the PIAAC, with N = 26,683 participants completing test items in the domains of literacy, numeracy, and problem solving. Binary item disengagement indicators were created by means of item response time thresholds. The results showed that disengagement indicators define a latent dimension by domain. Disengagement increased with lower educational attainment, lower cognitive skills, and when the test language was not the participant’s native language. Gender did not exert any effect on disengagement, while age had a positive effect for problem solving only. An item’s location in the second of two assessment modules was positively related to disengagement, as was item difficulty. The latter effect was negatively moderated by cognitive skill, suggesting that poor test-takers are especially likely to disengage with more difficult items. The negative effect of cognitive skill, the positive effect of item difficulty, and their negative interaction effect support the assumption that disengagement is the outcome of individual expectations about success (informed disengagement).

中文翻译：

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PIAAC参加考试的条件因素：一种考虑人员和项目特征的探索性IRT建模方法

诸如国际成人能力评估计划（PIAAC）之类的低风险大规模评估的潜在问题是参加考试的人数少。本研究追求两个目标，以便更好地理解应试脱离的条件因素：首先，基于模型的方法用于研究脱离的项目指标是否构成按域划分的连续潜在人变量。其次，使用说明性的项目反应模型共同测试人和项目特征的影响。分析是基于PIAAC第一轮的加拿大样本进行的，N = 26,683名参与者完成了识字，计算和解决问题领域的测试项目。二元项目脱离指标是通过项目响应时间阈值创建的。结果表明，脱离接触指标按域定义了潜在维度。随着受教育程度的降低，认知技能的降低以及测试语言不是参与者的母语时，参与度增加。性别对脱离接触没有任何影响，而年龄仅对解决问题有积极影响。物品在两个评估模块中的第二个模块中的位置与脱离紧密相关，物品难度也是如此。后者的影响因认知能力而受到负面影响，这表明较差的应试者尤其容易脱离较困难的项目。认知技能的负面影响，项目难度的正面影响，