Assessing the Local Independence and Differential Item Functioning of WAEC 2021 Physics Multiple Choice Test Items in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Seigha; Monigha; Prof. P.A.U Ossai; Prof. P.U Osadebe

doi:10.56201/ijasmt.vol.12.no3.2026pg78.86

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Assessing the Local Independence and Differential Item Functioning of WAEC 2021 Physics Multiple Choice Test Items in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Seigha, Monigha, Prof. P.A.U Ossai, Prof. P.U Osadebe

Abstract

This research involved assessing the local independence and differential item functioning of WAEC 2021 Physics Multiple-Choice test items. With multi-stage sampling techniques in stages a sample size of 1,179 was obtained for the study. The design adopted for the study was the survey research design. Seven thousand, three hundred and eighty-seven (7,387) senior secondary school three (SSS 3) physics students in Bayelsa State constituted the population of the study. WAEC 2021 Physics multiple-choice test paper was adapted as the instrument for the study. Three research questions were used to guide the study and one hypothesis was formulated and tested. Since the items were generated by WAEC, it is assumed that its validity has been established. While the reliability was re-established using Cronbach alpha technique and it yielded a coefficient of 0.77 as a measure of consistency. The local independence assumption of IRT was tested by examining the item-pair residual correlations (Yen’s Q3 statistics) in WINSTEPS and Raju Area Method, an IRT technique was used to determine the presence of DIF. Frequency counts and percentages (%) were used to answer the research questions and the hypothesis was tested using Chi-square goodness of fit statistics at 0.05 alpha level. The results from the study showed that WAEC 2021 Physics multiple choice test items satisfies the local independence assumption of IRT. Also, it revealed the occurrence of DIF in the WAEC 2021 physics multiple-choice test items. Eighteen (18) items or 36% indicated DIF while 32 items or 64% indicated no DIF. Ten (10) items that exhibited DIF favoured private school students and eight (8) items favoured public school students. Based on the findings, it is recommended that government and non- governmental agencies in charge of examinations should encourage the use of seminars and workshops as a measure to broaden the knowledge of IRT differential item functioning detection for data analysis among their employees. Keyword: assessing, local independence, differential item functioning, multiple choice test items

References

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Assessing the Local Independence and Differential Item Functioning of WAEC 2021 Physics Multiple Choice Test Items in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Abstract

References

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