Cross-Cultural Validity of the TIMSS-1999 Mathematics Test: Verification of a Cognitive Model

As with any test administered across linguistically and culturally diverse groups, evidence suggesting the equivalence of score meaning across countries is needed for valid comparisons. The current study examines the cross-cultural equivalence of score interpretations from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)-1999 from a cognitive-psychometric perspective. A cognitive model describing the knowledge, strategies, and processing skills measured by the TIMSS-R mathematics test was previously validated in several countries. In order to establish the cross-cultural equivalence of TIMSS scores for the Taiwanese student population, the fit of the cognitive model to the Taiwanese item responses was examined. High student-mastery classification rates and good prediction of scores based on attribute mastery probabilities supported the fit of the cognitive model in the current study. Further, we suggest that cognitive-psychometric modeling approaches like those applied in the current study could be useful for examining more substantive issues of score validity and equivalence in test translations and adaptations.