Gender Differential Item Functioning in Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices Test (CPM)

Ismael Salamah Albursan, Intisar Abonagma, Salaheldin Farah Attallah Bakhiet, Madina Hussein Dawsa and Ikhlas Taher Haj Adam

Published: 2025/09/01

Abstract

This study aimed to reveal differential item functioning (DIF) by gender for the items of Raven’s Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) test, separately for age groups of 4-6 years, 7-9 years, and 10-12 years. The number of students in the study sample was 2624 including 1190 males and 1434 females, selected from the kindergarten and primary school levels from the states of Khartoum and Gadaref in Sudan. The 36-item Coloured Progressive Matrices (CPM) test was applied, and differential item functioning was analysed on the total sample and for the three age groups using the Mantel-Haenszel method. The number of items that show differential item functioning by gender rose from 8% in the 4-6 years age group (preschool) to 11% for ages 7-9 (primary school) and 32% for the 10-12 years age group. This study concludes with a number of recommendations calling for studies of DIF in intelligence tests of the Raven type in relation to gender and also age and ethnic groups both in Sudan and elsewhere. Keywords: IQ tests, Differential item functioning, Mantel-Haenszel method, Coloured Progressive Matrices, CPM, Sudan

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