Comparability of SSE multiple-choice Economics items using IRT approach among senior secondary students in Kwara State, Nigeria
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Date
2017
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The Faculty of Education, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria
Abstract
This study was conducted on three-parameter comparison of WASSCE and NECO multiple-choice Economics items among Senior Secondary School students in Kwara State, Nigeria. Students' abilities and item parameters (item difficulty, discrimination and guessing) of WASSCE and NECO Economics items were
investigated. Descriptive survey research design was adopted. Twenty-four randomly selected public Senior Secondary Schools were sampled and 768 Senior Secondary School III students were sampled using multi-stage sampling technique 2015WASSCE and NECO multiple-choice Economics items were used as the
instrument. The data obtained were scored dichotomously, Students' abilities and item parameters were generated using WinGen IRT software package. The t-test statistic was used to test hypotheses postulated at 0.05 level of significance. One of the findings revealed that: the examinees sampled were of medium ability in
WASSCE but higher in NECO. The WASSCE Economics items had more difficult items than NECO Economics items. NECO Economics items discriminated more than WASSCE. Economics items in 2015 had negative discrimination and as such excluded from calibration. More items were prone to guessing in NECO than
in WASSCE Economics test items. It was also found that significant differences did not exist in the difficulty, discrimination and guessing indices of WASSCE and NECO multiple-choice Economics items. One of the recommendations was that in WASSCE and NECO should properly review and edit their items so as to detect items with negative discrimination and reduce the guessing tendency of each item.
Description
Keywords
IRT, Comparability, Item Difficulty, Item Discriminating, Item Guessing, Multiple-Choice Items, Senior School Certificate
Citation
Jimoh, M. I., Yusuf, O. A. & Laaro, Y. B. (2017). Comparability of SSE multiple-choice Economics items using IRT approach among senior secondary students in Kwara State, Nigeria