ENGLISH-TEACHERS’ RELIGIOUS RESPONSIBILITY IN SMOOTH ASSESSMENT: AN ANALYSIS OF ITEM DISCRIMINATION OF EXAMS CONDUCTED AT UNIVERSITY LEVEL

Abstract

Assessment is an essential part of all learning systems. Consideration of discrimination is a crucial step in test formation. No assessment may be claimed as standard without this important technique. The purpose of this study was to examine the discrimination index of exams conducted at university level. The assessment of item discrimination in semester exams administered at the university level is explored in this descriptive study. Convenient sampling techniques were used to collect data for analysis from a sample consisting of 12 mid-term papers of social sciences disciplines. To evaluate the test items' ability to distinguish between students who perform well and those who do not, the research focuses on analyzing the differences in performance of individual test items. Exam items' discriminatory power was assessed using the statistical technique of the item discrimination index. The results provided important information about how well exam items measure students' comprehension and knowledge in a range of academic settings. Moreover, they lacked validity as they were unable to discriminate between high and low achievers. Recommendations derived from the analysis suggested to improve the quality and discriminatory ability of examination items for more accurate evaluations in the academic setting.