Differential Item Functioning In Basic Education Certificate Examination in Mathematics in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
Keywords:
mathematics, basic education certificate, Differential itemAbstract
This study investigated differential item functioning in Basic Education Certificate Examination. It
focused on the students’ examination scripts in the 2020/2021 mathematics test concerning their
gender. The research design adopted for the study was a descriptive survey. The population was all
62145 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) students in all public secondary schools in
Akwa Ibom State who wrote the 2020/2021 Basic Education Certificate Examination. A sample of 870
students’ scripts was randomly selected using a multi-stage sampling procedure. An instrument for
data was the 2020/2021 mathematics test developed and administered by the Examination Unit of
the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Education. The Split-half statistic determined the reliability of
instruments and obtained a coefficient of 0.81. Data were analyzed using a one-parameter item
characteristics model. The findings showed that some items functioned differentially for gender.
Consequently, the Akwa Ibom State BECE mathematics test for the 2020/2021 academic session, like
other examinations, contained function items differentially among different sub-groups. Hence, test
developers should conduct a proper field test of all items developed before any item is in the Akwa
Ibom State Junior certificate examination or any other education decision-making instrument.
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