Examining the Gender and Minority Test Score Gap on the MFT-B: A Blinder-Oaxaca Decomposition Approach
Document Type
Article
Keywords
Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition; gender bias; Major Field Test in business; MFT-B; racial bias; standardized test performance; test score gap
Identifier Data
https://doi.org/10.1080/08832323.2023.2246629
Publisher
Journal of Education for Business
Rights Management
CC-BY
Abstract
This paper examines performance differences among demographic groups on the ETS Major Field Test in Business. The study employs the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition technique to analyze the test score differentials by gender and racial minority status. This technique decomposes the difference into two parts: an endowment effect (or explained portion) and a returns effect (or unexplained portion). The results demonstrate that the endowment effect fully explains the gap between white and racial minority students but virtually none of the gender gap. This large unexplained gap between male and female test performance suggests the need for further study of potential gender bias of the exam.
