ASSESSMENT OF DIFFERENTIAL ITEM FUNCTIONING IN PHYSICS MULTIPLE CHOICE USED BY WAEC AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN DELTA STATE

Abstract

The study assessed differential item functioning in the physics multiple choice used by WAEC among senior secondary school students in Delta State. The study assessed differential item functioning in the physics multiple choice used by WAEC among senior secondary school students in Delta State. Five research questions and five hypotheses guided the study. Ex-post facto research design was adopted for the study. The population of this study consisted of 46,759 SS3 public and private secondary students in Delta State. Multi-stage sampling was employed to select a sample of 1080 students. The instruments used for collecting data were the WAEC/SSCE 2018, 2019, and 2020 physics multiple choice items and the socio-economic status questionnaire. The instruments' validity and reliability were determined. Logistic regression (L-R) was employed to answer the research questions, while an independent Chi-square test was applied to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that there was: (1). 40% level of differential function between high and low socio-economic status of students in the 2018 WAEC/SSCE physics multiple choice items in Delta State; (2) 40% level of differential function between public and private school students in the 2018 WAEC/SSCE physics multiple choice items in Delta State; (3) 86% level of differential function between high and low socio-economic status of students in the 2019 WAEC/SSCE physics multiple choice items in Delta State; (4) 82% level of differential function between public and private school students in the 2019 WAEC/SSCE physics multiple choice items in Delta State; and (5) 90% level of differential function between high and low socio-economic status of students in the 2020 WAEC/SSCE physics multiple choice items in Delta State. The study concluded that a level of differential item functioning exists in 2018, 2019, and 2020 in physics multiple choice items in the West Africa Examination Council/Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination in Delta State, according to SES and school ownership. Based on the findings and conclusion, it was recommended, among others, that WAEC and other examination bodies ensure that constructed physics multiple-choice test items accommodate all abilities, irrespective of students’ socioeconomic status and ownership of their school.