Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to ascertain IWFs contained in objective formats examination questions for assessment of students in the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) programme in 2016/2017, 2017/2018 and first semester 2018/2019 academic sessions. Methodology: Descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted which enabled the researchers to estimate prevalence (number of cases) of IWFs associated with objective questions constructed for end-of-semester examinations. The researchers retrieved 57 objective question papers administered in end-of-semester examinations centrally conducted in the College within the period of three academic sessions (2016/2017, 2017/2018 and first semester 2018/2019). 19 common violations of item writing principles were selected from literature and used in assessing the quality of 57 objective questions. The study classified test items in each of the 57 objective question papers into standard and flawed categories such that if an item is flawed, the exact type of flaw(s) (including options) was recorded. Results: The results showed that short answer, multiple choice and alternate response questions are the types of objective test formats constructed by lecturers; there was a high rate of violation of standard item writing rules in most objective semester examination questions constructed by lecturers; and the nature of the four most frequently violated IWFs were related to irrelevant difficulty which tended to make questions or tasks more difficult than intended. Recommendations/Classroom Implications: College management should organize seminar or workshop at regular interval to train or update lecturers’ knowledge on test construction skills and tips.
Highlights
Teachers’ choice of suitable objective test formats of assessment technique is essential but construction of quality test items that will make certain accurate and effective measure of learning outcomes is of paramount importance
The results showed that short answer, multiple choice and alternate response questions are the types of objective test formats constructed by lecturers; there was a high rate of violation of standard item writing rules in most objective semester examination questions constructed by lecturers; and the nature of the four most frequently violated item writing flaws (IWFs) were related to irrelevant difficulty which tended to make questions or tasks more difficult than intended
The study revealed that short answer questions followed by multiple choice questions and alternate response questions alone or combination of two or more objective question formats are constructed for end-of-semester examinations
Summary
Teachers’ choice of suitable objective test formats of assessment technique is essential but construction of quality test items that will make certain accurate and effective measure of learning outcomes is of paramount importance. When item writers fail to use test blueprint, the tendency of writing lopsided items that do not comprehensively cover the instructional content on one hand and Bloom’s cognitive domain on the other leads to questions focusing on lower cognitive levels It is on the basis of the foregoing that this study analyzed item writing flaws (IWFs) evident in objective formats of semester examination in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba, Delta State. Examination questions constructed by lecturers for the assessment of students at the end of the semester undergo mandatory internal or external moderation process to ensure development of quality items that will guarantee effective and accurate measure of learning outcomes Despite this quality assurance procedure, one of the investigators observed a persistent general complains by students in examination halls on issues not limited to ambiguous questions and unclear instructions. What is the nature of item writing flaws associated with objective questions constructed by lecturers for end of semester examinations in Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba, Delta State?
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