Author: Gary Buck,  Irene Kostin,  Rick Morgan

Published: 2002

The purpose of this study is to examine the content of the questions in a number of Advanced Placement Examinations and to attempt to identify content that is related to gender-based performance differences. Free-response questions for ten forms of the AP Exams in U.S. History, European History, Biology, Microeconomics, and Macroeconomics were studied and the multiple-choice items for four forms of AP U.S. History were also studied. Results indicate that, in the case of U.S. History multiple-choice items, the measures of male and female performance differences are significantly correlated with item content. In the case of the free-response questions for each of the five subject areas, the study identified a significant relationship between item content and gender-based performance differences. Overall, this study suggests that item content is associated with gender-based performance differences.