An Assessment of Item Statistics Estimates of Basic Education Certificate Examination through Classical Test Theory and Item Response Theory approach

Year 2018, Volume: 3 Issue: 4, 55 - 67, 01.10.2018

Musa Adekunle Ayanwale Joshua Oluwatoyin Adeleke Titilayo Iyabode Mamadelo

https://doi.org/10.24331/ijere.452555

Cited By: 2

Abstract

In this study, the researchers assessed comparability of
item statistics of 2017 basic education certificate mathematics examination of
National Examinations Council (NECO) through Classical Test Theory (CTT) and
Item Response Theory (IRT) measurement frameworks. The study adopted
instrumentation design. A 60-item NECO basic education certificate education
mathematics objective test paper I was administered to 978 basic nine
examinees, randomly selected from Osogbo and Olorunda Local Government Area,
Osun State, Nigeria. The responses of the examinees to the test data were
analysed using Marginal Maximum Likelihood Estimation of JMETRIK software.  The result showed that the test data obey the
assumption of unidimensionality of 3-parameter logistic model and Classical
Test Theory measurement framework deleted more items 33 (55%) compare to IRT
measurement framework 12 (20%). Also, it was observed that item statistics from
the two contrasting frameworks (CTT and IRT) were not comparable. Moreover,
further analysis showed that there was low correlation among the item
statistics index. The implication of this is that NECO should jettison the use
of Classical Test Theory and embrace utilization of Item Response Theory
framework during their test development and item analysis. 

Keywords

Classical Test Theory, Item Response Theory, Item Statistics

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