Development and Validation of Mathematics Diagnostic Test for Basic Six Pupils based on School Locations in Akwa Ibom State
Keywords:
Mathematics, diagnostic test, difficulty index, discrimination index, distractor index, validationAbstract
The study is on the development and validation of a mathematics diagnostic test in the middle basic schools in Akwa Ibom State. It aims to estimate the item parameters (content validity (CVI), difficulty indices, discrimination indices and the reliability index) of the Mathematics Diagnostic Test (MDT) for basic 6 pupils and ascertain the conceptual understanding of mathematics in urban and rural schools in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. The study sample comprised 200 basic 6th-grade pupils selected using a multistage sampling technique. Two hypotheses formulated for the study were tested at a 0.05 level of significance. The instrument for data collection was a researcher-developed, 50-item, 4-option, multiple-choice, structured diagnostic test titled: Mathematics Diagnostic Test (MDT), with a reliability coefficient of 0.79, determined using the Kuder Richardson 20 formula. Data were analysed using mean, standard deviation and t-test for the test of hypotheses. The findings indicate no significant difference between the mean achievement scores of urban and rural pupils. Consequently, teachers should always establish the psychometric properties of any instrument they develop for measuring the mathematics achievements of basic 6 pupils in Akwa Ibom State.
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