ASSESSMENT OF DIFFERENTIAL ITEM FUNCTIONING IN MATHEMATICS MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST QUESTIONS IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION IN DELTA CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT

BY

OBIEBI-UYOYOU, Orevaoghene

(Department of Guidance and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Delta State University)

Abstract

The study examined assessment of differential item functioning in mathematics multiple choice test questions in senior secondary school certificate examination in delta central senatorial district. Five research questions and five hypotheses guided the study. The purpose of the study was to assess differential item functioning in mathematics multiple choice test questions in senior secondary school certificate examination in Delta Central Senatorial District of Delta State. An ex-post facto research design was adopted for the study. The population of this study consisted of all senior Secondary school class three students in Delta central senatorial district. The proportionate stratified random sampling technique was employed. The instruments used for collecting data were the WAEC/SSCE 2021 mathematics multiple choice questions and socio-economic status whose validity and reliability were ascertained. Logistic Regression (L-R) was used to answer the research questions while Chi-square test was used to test the hypotheses. The finding revealed that there is occurrence of gender, location, socio-econonic, school type and school owneship differential item functioning in WAEC/SSCE 2021 mathematics multiple choice test items. The study concluded that differential item functioning exists in 2021 in mathematics multiple choice test questions in senior secondary school certificate examination in Delta Central Senatorial District of Delta State with respect to gender, location, among other. Based on the findings and conclusion, it was recommended, among others, that test experts and developers should explore the use of DIF approach to detect items that are bias in mathematics Assessment, test experts and developer should explore the use of differential item functioning method, particularly the use of logistic regression statistic to detect uniform and non- uniform test items that are bias with regards to mathematics multiple questions.

Keywords: Differential Item Functioning, Multiple Choice Test, Mathematics