National Examination Council Research Articles

Teachers’ Perceptions on the Effect of COVID-19 on Mathematics Performance in Tanzania

COVID-19 pandemic has affected every sector of human life, including health, global economy and education. In Tanzania the learning situation changed when the first case of COVID-19 infection was detected in the country on 16 th March, 2020 in Arusha. This study examines teachers’ perceptions on the effect of COVID-19 on mathematics performance to Standard 7 and Form 4 students in Tanzania schools. A purposive sampling was employed to select potential primary and secondary school mathematics teachers from 7 zones in Tanzania. To avoid the risk of contamination of the COVID-19 virus, mobile phone interviews were conducted among 18 mathematics teachers from 12 schools across 7 zones. Based on thematic analysis and the results from National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA), the findings of the study indicated that there is a slightly drop in the mathematics pass rate of Standard 7 and Form 4 students results in 2020 probably due to the 3 months school academic calendar disruption. It is still not clear how long the pandemic will exist in Tanzania and across the world. However, the study suggests that school head teachers with the support of the Ministry of Education should initiate various innovative interventions that will help all schools in the country to provide learning strategies to their students to improve mathematics performance. While the initiated interventions can be more efficient during COVID-19, they can also help during any other related pandemic in the future. Keywords: COVID-19, mathematics performance, mathematics teachers, primary schools, secondary schools. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/13-14-04 Publication date: May 31 st 2022

Model-Data Fit using Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), and The Sample-Size-Adjusted BIC

The study determined if the 1PL, 2PL, 3PL and 4PL item response theory models best fit the data from the 2016 NECO Mathematics objective tests. Ex-post facto design was adopted for the study. The population for the study comprised 1,022,474 candidates who enrolled and sat for June/July SSCE 2016 NECO Mathematics Examination. The sample comprised 276,338 candidates who sat for the examination in three purposively Geo political zones in Nigeria (i.e., S/West, S/East and N/West). The research instruments used for the study were Optical Marks Record Sheets for the National Examination Council (NECO) June/July 2016 SSCE Mathematics objectives items. The responses of the tests were scored dichotomously. Data collected were analyzed using 2loglikelihood chi-square. The results of the likelihood ratio test revealed that 2PL fitted the data better than 1PL was statistically significant (χ2 (59) = 820636.1, p 0.05); the 2PL model fitted the data better than the 1PL model; 3PL model fitted the data better than the 2PL model and the result showed that the 4PL model fitted the data better than the 3PL model and the Likelihood ratio test that 4PL model fitted the data better than 3PL model was statistically significant, (χ2(60)=216159.2, p0.05). The study concluded that four-parameter logistic model fitted the 2016 NECO Mathematics test items.Keywords: Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), one parameter model, two parameter model, three parameter model, four parameter model.

Estimation of Item Parameter Indices of NECO Mathematics Multiple Choice Test Items Among Nigerian Students

The study estimated the difficulty, discrimination, and vulnerability to guessing 2016 National Examination Council (NECO) Mathematics multiple-choice test items. The study employed an ex-post facto design with 276,338 samples. The research instruments used for the study were Optical Marks Record Sheets for the NECO June/July 2016 Mathematics objectives items. The responses of the testees were scored dichotomously. Data collected were calibrated using four parameters logistic model. The results showed that most items in the 2016 NECO Mathematics test were good as their difficulty parameters were within (-2 to 2). For those items, difficulty parameter estimates are considered good. Also, the results indicated that only 21.7% of 2016 NECO Mathematics test items had a very good discriminating power, and the majority of the items had poor discrimination power. The result implies that most of the items were not effective in discriminating between examinees with the required ability and those that lack the required ability. Finally, the result revealed that the 2016 NECO test items were not vulnerable to guessing (i.e., 86.7% of items were good in terms of guessing). The study concluded that the 2016 NECO Mathematics test items were good for difficulty and guessing parameter indices.

Extrinsic Reward System and Employee Productivity: A study of National Examinations: Council (NECO) Headquarters, Minna, Niger State, Nigeria

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of extrinsic rewards on employee performance at NECO Headquarters, Minna, Niger State, and Nigeria. The various aspect of extrinsic rewards examined in the study includes pay rise, bonuses, insurance cover and pension fund scheme. The study makes use of primary data collected through a structured questionnaire administered on 275 staff of the Council out of which 174 were returned for analysis. The study employs both descriptive and inferential statistics (Ordinary Least Square) to analyse the data collected. Findings from the study show that pay rise (β = 0.061; sig. 0.037) and insurance cover (β = 0.328; sig. 0.000) have statistically significant effect on employee productivity; bonuses (β = 0.029; sig. 0.718) have a non-significant positive effect on employee productivity while pension fund scheme has (β = 0.016, sig. = 0.804) non-significant negative effect on employee productivity. Thus, while two of the null hypotheses were rejected, two were retained. The study therefore concludes that extrinsic reward as being practice at NECO Headquarters, Minna, has affected employee productivity positively to some extent, though, its application has not been very effective which accounts for the non-significant results obtained from the analysis and recommended among others that employers should considered regular pay rise, device a policy that strengthens the issuance of bonuses to employees, more comprehensive staff insurance scheme with adequate coverage of their immediate family members so as to get the best in term of productivity from employees and overhaul its pension scheme so as to allay employees fear and misgiving about the scheme so employees could give their best by way of increased productivity.

COMPARATIVE VALIDATION ANALYSIS OF BIOLOGY MULTIPLE-CHOICE TESTS OF THE NATIONAL EXAMINATION COUNCILS IN SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA FROM 2015 TO 2017

The study compared the validity and reliability of Biology multiple-choice tests conducted by the National Examination Councils (NECO) across six states of the Southwestern Nigeria for three consecutive years (2015 to 2017). It also compared parameters a, b, and c of the NECO Biology Multiple-choice examinations across the three years. These were with a view to ascertaining the stability of the item parameters of Biology Multiple-choice items used by the National Examination Council to assess the students. The study adopted expost facto research design, since the secondary data was used for the study. The population for the study comprised 363,807students who sat for the NECO Biology paper III from 2015 to 2017 in Southwestern Nigeria. A proportionate sample of 10% was taken across the states from 2015 to 2017. This consisted of 36,383 {(Male=17641 (48.5%) and Female=18742 (51.5%)} students. The instrument for the study consisted of 60 NECO Biology paper III used in 2015 to 2017 and the responses to those questions. The responses to those questions were coded as “1” for right option and “0” for wrong option. The data collected was analysed using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) for validity, Cronbach’s Alpha and Spearman Brown Split-Half to assess the reliability, while one-way analysis of variance was use for comparing students’ scores. The results of the component matrix revealed factor loading ranges from 0.611 to 0.721, which was above the minimum value of 0.6 recommended, as well as a dominant factor underlying the construct was recorded variance greater than 20% in two years of the three consecutive years reviewed in the study. The results also showed high coefficients of reliability using Split-Half yielded 0.94 (94%), 0.91 (91%), 0.95 (95%) and Cronbach’s Alpha yielded 0.92 (92%), 0.91 (91%) and 0.93 (93%) for the three years respectively. Finally, there was no statistical significant difference in the item difficulty (F(2,177)= 0.979; p>0.05), discrimination (F(2,177)= 0.573; p>0.05) and guessing (F(2,177)= 0.984; p>0.05) parameters across the three years. The study concluded that the NECO Biology Paper III was consistently stable in terms of validity, reliability and parameter estimates.

A neuro-genetic fuzzy system for the prediction of student’s academic performance

The Nigerian education sector has over the years being facing serious problems of producing half-baked graduates or what others termed to be “educated illiterates” in various fields of human endeavour. The root cause of this issue is traced to poor academic performance evaluation of students seeking admission into tertiary institutions. The current model for evaluating the academic performance of admission seekers encompasses the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE), National Examination Council (NECO) or even National Board of Technical Education Council (NBTE). However, it has being argued that rather than JAMB and WASSCE or its equivalent, to evaluate admission seekers based on excellent correlated academic performances, the model has now become a citadel of bribery, corruption and gross academic malpractices. A model was developed to address this problem using tree based ensemble machine learning algorithms but we discovered that it did not sufficiently address the problem. In this work, we developed an Enhanced Neuro-Genetic Fuzzy Model for predicting students’ academic performance using structured analysis and design methodology. The Neuro-Genetic was used for training and optimizing the proposed model. Furthermore, we utilized 1000 datasets of which 60%, @0% and 20% was used for training testing and validation of the proposed model. We implemented the proposed system with Java programming language and MySQL relational database as backend. Our obtained result showed better Grand Mean (x) of users’ satisfaction when compared to the existing system result in terms of graphical user interface, accuracy of the prediction process, speed of the prediction process, speed in user validation and security. The proposed system Grand Mean obtained after comparative analysis are 2.74%, 1.78%, 2.71%, 1.67%, and 2.57% respectively, while those obtained by the existing system are 2.59%, 0.78%, 2.68%, 0.67%, and 2.52% respectively. In addition, the study also recommended the need for more application of machine-learning concepts to the prediction of student's academic performance. Machine learning techniques such as neuro-genetic fuzzy have proven to be efficient in predicting the academic performance of students.

Analysis of Psychometric Qualities of National Examinations Council (NECO) Mathematics Essay Test Using Generalized Partial Credit Model

The main purpose of this study therefore was to analyze the psychometric qualities of NECO mathematics essay test using generalized partial credit model. The study adopted an instrumentation research design and was carried out in Benue state of Nigeria. The population of the study was 41,836 SS 3 students who registered for June/July NECO SSCE Examination in Benue State of Nigeria and a sample size of 650 students were used. The instrument for this study was an adopted NECO 2016 and 2017 June/July mathematics essay questions. The instrument for the study was administered to the respondents by the mathematics teachers in the sampled schools under the supervision of the researcher. Data was analysed using item parameter estimates of R-Package to answer the research questions, while t-test statistic was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significant. The result of the study showed that NECO 2016 and 2017 mathematics essay questions were unidimensional in nature. NECO 2016 had lower step difficulties than NECO 2017. NECO mathematics essay test for 2016 discriminated between high and low ability students than the NECO mathematics essay test for 2017. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among others that test developers and examination bodies such as NECO should undergo rigorous processes of psychometric properties of essay test before and after administration of test instrument. This will help the test developers to determine the existence of these psychometric properties and the need to establish them in any given test. It was also recommended that Seminars and workshops on Item Response Theory should be organized by the examination bodies for Psychometricians, test developers and teachers involved in test development.

The Beauty of Mathematics: Learning Mathematics by Questioning

Mathematics problems may seem to have no real use in life, but this could be further from the truth. The use of mathematics is everywhere in our daily lives and, without discovering it; we apply mathematics ideas, as well as the skills we learn from executing mathematical challenges every day. Unfortunately, mathematics feedback at national examinations is deficient. A mean of between 23 to 29 percent for 5 years in a row from 2014 to 2018 is a clear indication that the training of students today for tomorrow’s workplace with concept development in context, problem solving through interactive experiences and understanding through application is missed. Over this period, the evaluation of the outcome has also shown a standard deviation almost equal to the mean or even greater than the mean for instance 2016 for paper 2 (refer to Kenya National Examinations Council Report) is a clear sign that there is a big disparity from the mean and a likelihood of a number of students scoring zeros or below 10 percent. This dismal performance in national examinations particularly in mathematics demonstrates that contextual curricula and instructions that encourage numerous structures of learning like relating, transferring, applying, experiencing and collaborating are not achieved. Therefore, this article looks into different contexts in which students learn and how they broaden their abilities to make connections, enjoy discovery, and apply the knowledge learnt. These are abilities they will need throughout their daily lives and careers. Being able to do arithmetic is of little ultimate use to an individual unless he or she can apply it. Each arithmetic operation is explored in detail for its applications in the real world problems. Real life challenges motivate ideas and provide additional settings for practice.

Examining the Nature of Item Bias on Students’ Performance in National Examinations Council (NECO) Mathematics Senior School Certificate Dichotomously Scored Items in Nigeria

This study examined the nature of item bias on students’ performance in 2017 National Examinations Council (NECO) mathematics senior school certificate dichotomously scored items in Nigeria. The study adopted an ex-post-facto research design. A sample of 256,039 candidates was randomly selected from the population of 1,034,629 students who took the test. Instrument for data collection was 'Student Results' (SR). Data collected were analysed using the R language environment and an independent t-test. Results showed that the 2017 NECO Mathematics test was essentially unidimensional (-0.28 (<.20), ASSI = -0.31 (< 0.25) and RATIO = -0.31 (< 0.36). Results also showed that the nature of bias statistically encountered was a mean difference in scores bias, indicating that 86% (52 items), 79.1% (34 items), and 96% (56 items) were biased against male students, urban and public-school students, respectively. It was concluded that item bias is a notable factor that affected the validity of the NECO 2017 Mathematics test and conclusions drawn from the scores in Nigeria. Hence, it was recommended that before tests are administered for public use, examination bodies should make a careful review of tests through dimensionality assessment at the developmental stage to eliminate any perspectives that could cause test inequity among examinees.

Assessing the validity and reliability of standard examination as a yardstick for admission exercise in higher institutions of learning in Yobe State, Nigeria

The purpose of the study was to examine the academic performance of students admitted for the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) program in colleges of education using Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) West African Examinations Council ,( WAEC), National Examinations Council (NECO), and National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) as the bases for direct entry admission exercise and compare with the academic performance of students admitted through college remedial exercise in order to ascertain the validity, reliability and usability of a standardized examination, if it is worthy of recommendation for placement evaluation in colleges of education and university system. Four different departments were selected at random, academic status of 284 students from the four departments were extracted and used for the study 116 students from first group being direct entry students and 168 students from the second group being Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) candidates. The mean Cummulative Grand Point Avarage (CGPA) of two groups were compared from the four departments, the results revealed that mean CGPA of the direct entry students falls between 2.0 and 2.5 in all the departments from NCE I to NCE III while that of the pre Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) students were between 2.45 and 3.0 at all levels for the four departments. This implies that students admitted through direct entry scores can be classified as third Class students (Merit) while those admitted through Pre- Nigeria Certificate in Education (pre- NCE) screening can be classified as Second Class Lower Division (Credit) students. The results reveal that standard test is not 100% worthy of consideration as the only criteria for admission into higher institutions of learning as it does not give us the best candidates for admission at most times.

Comparative Analysis of WAEC and NECO SSCE English Language Results in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT: This study compared students’ results in WAEC ( West African Examinations Council) and NECO (National Examinations Council) SSCE (Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination) English Language examinations in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. The study was limited to public senior secondary school students' SSCE (WAEC and NECO) English Language results in Ilorin, Kwara State, for the period of two years. A total of 600 students’ results were selected for this study from five Local Government Areas using multi-stage sampling techniques. Ex post facto research design was adopted for this study; and the instrument for this study was a proforma titled “Students’ Achievement in English Language Inventory”. Descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages were employed to provide answers to the research questions raised, while Spearman Rank Order Correlation Co-efficient was used to test the hypotheses formulated at 0.05 significant level. Findings of this study revealed that majority of the respondents sampled passed English Language in WAEC at credit level for the year 2018 and 2019, while the performance of students in NECO is positively related and comparable in English Language. It was, therefore, recommended among others that the examining bodies should also continue to meet the standards of test construction procedures. They should ensure that experts are engaged in their activities, especially in test construction and administration. They should always strike balance by giving out items that are fair to all candidates, so that they will not see their questions as inferior to other examining bodies. KEY WORDS: SSCE; WAEC; NECO; English Language; Results. About the Authors: Oyeyemi Jumoke Jekayinfa, Ph.D. and Aminat Ozohu Aburime, Ph.D. are the Lecturers at the Department of Arts Education, Faculty of Education UNILORIN (University of Ilorin), Ilorin, Nigeria. For academic interests, the Authors are able to be contacted via e-mail addresses at: jekayinfa.oj@unilorin.edu.ng and aminataburime@unilorin.edu.ng Suggested Citation: Jekayinfa, Oyeyemi Jumoke & Aminat Ozohu Aburime. (2021). “Comparative Analysis of WAEC and NECO SSCE English Language Results in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria” in EDUCARE: International Journal for Educational Studies , Volume 14(1), August, pp.49-60. Bandung, Indonesia: Minda Masagi Press owned by ASPENSI with ISSN 1979-7877 (print) and ISSN 2621-587X (online). Article Timeline: Accepted (June 1, 2021); Revised (July 3, 2021); and Published (August 30, 2021).

TASK-BASED LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING (ACTIONABLE PERSPECTIVE) OF FRENCH IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KENYA

The nature and extent to which tasks are used in quality writing using the Task-Based Learning and Teaching(TBLT) is important in acquisition of French language. According to the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) reports, performance in quality writing in French is poor maybe because teachers of French may be using TBLT only in teaching. The purpose of this study was to assess the Task-Based Language Learning and Teaching (Actionable Perspective) of French in secondary schools in Kenya. The objective was to establish the nature and extent of TBLT use. The study was carried out in Nairobi City County where eight (8) secondary school teachers of French in Form three and one hundred and twenty-four (124) Form three students formed the study sample. A quasi-experimental research design was used. The data collection instruments were; teachers’ and learners’ questionnaires and a lesson observation guide. These instruments for data collection were refined through a pilot study. Data was analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively using descriptive statistics (means, ranks, frequencies, percentages, standard deviation). It was presented in frequency tables and bar charts. The findings were that TBLT was not only being used in teaching and learning but also in assessment and choice of learning resources. The study recommended use of TBLT alongside other methods, review of text books in line with TBLT, inclusion of TBLT in the syllabus at the teacher-training colleges/universities and mentorship programs in TBLT.

Communities’ violence and psychosocial problems on unified public examination performance of senior secondary school students in Kano metropolis, Nigeria

Introduction: Stakeholders are concerned with dismal academic performance in examination organized by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) and the National Examination Council (NECO). Results released by these examination bodies have been poor over a period of time. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to examine the influence of community violence and psychosocial problems on the academic performance of senior secondary school students in Kano metropolis. Methodology: A survey research design was adopted for this study. A sample of 363 senior secondary school students from 10 Government senior secondary schools in Kano metropolis were selected. Data were obtained using three research instruments (ESACOV, UCLA Reaction Index and MEATS) with reliability co-efficient of 0.74, 0.72 respectively. Analysis of data was by the use of percentages, frequency counts to answer the research questions as t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to test the hypotheses. Results: Results obtained showed that students exposed to community violence manifest some psychosocial problems which include depression, feeling of insecurity, loss of memory etc. The post-traumatic stress disorder exhibited by students exposed to community violence include displacement, bereavement, separation, involvement in hostilities among other males and female students exposed to community violence were found to differ in academic performance. Recommendations: It was recommended among other things that extra efforts need to be made by teachers to help students exposed to community violence to improve on their academic performance. The study concluded that there is a significant relationship between psychosocial problems and academic performance of students exposed to community violence.

Using Generalizability Theory to Investigate the Reliability of Scores Assigned to Students in English Language Examination in Nigeria

The study investigated the reliability of scores assigned to students in English language in National Examinations Council (NECO). The population consisted of all the students who sat for NECO Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) in 2017 in Nigeria. A sample of 311,138 was selected using the proportionate stratified sampling technique. The Optical Marks Record (OMR) sheet containing the responses of the examinees was the instrument for the study. The data was analyzed using lme4 package of R language and environment for statistical computing, factor analysis and Tucker index of factor congruence. The psychometric properties of the data were determined by estimating the generalizability (g) coefficient, phi (Φ) coefficient and construct validity. The results indicated the g-coefficient to be 0.90 and Φ coefficient as 0.87, which is an indication of high reliability of scores. The result also showed that a decrease in the number of the items resulted in a decrease in both g- and phi coefficients in D-study. The construct validity of 0.99 obtained from the result affirms the credibility of the items. Hence, it was concluded that the scores were dependable and generalizable.

Influence of Leadership on Job Satisfaction at Selected Government Organizations in Nairobi County

Public organizations in Kenya have become vulnerable to losing their highly qualified, knowledgeable and experienced employees to well-paying public and private organizations. The consequences of losing such employees are dire since public organizations invest heavily on their employees in terms of recruitment, induction, training, development, maintaining and retaining of such employees. This study evaluated the influence of leadership on job satisfaction in selected government organizations in Nairobi County. To achieve this objective, the study was guided by Locke’s Value Theory, Maslow Hierarchy of Needs Theory and Herzberg Two Factor Theory. The study employed a descriptive research design. The population of this study was 5850 employees at both managerial and non-managerial positions in Teacher Service Commission, Kenya National Examination Council and Higher Education Loans Board. The sample size was 400 respondents. Data was collected using structured questionnaires. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The response rate was 300 questionnaires representing 80.2% response rate.Findings established that leadershiphad a good correlation association with job satisfaction (r=0.642).The results indicated that there was a positive and significant association between leadership and job satisfaction. The study concluded that leadership is a critical element of enhancing job satisfaction among the employees of entities of the Ministry of Education. Thus, the leadership of these organizations should lead by example to inculcate employee job satisfaction. Keywords: Leadership, Job Satisfaction, Government organization, Nairobi County DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/13-12-06 Publication date: June 30 th 2021

Application of Generalizability Theory in Estimating Dependability of Public Examination Essay Questions in English Language in Rivers State

The study investigated the application of generalizability theory in estimating dependability of public examination essay questions in English language. The design is ex-post facto and two facet fully crossed G-Study and D- Study. The population was 36,705 senior secondary students. Taro Yamane formula was applied to estimate the sample from the population using multistage sampling procedure, simple random sampling techniques and purposive sampling technique to select 420 senior secondary school students who registered for both West African examination council and National examination council in Rivers Stat. The instruments were West African Examination Council and National Examination Council essay questions papers 2018.The data obtained were analysed using Variance Component; G-Study and D-Study calculated by applying Felaye’s formula. Results showed items variance components contributed high, generalizability coefficient and index of dependability are low 2018 essay questions in English language West African examination council and Students variance components contributed high, generalizability coefficient and index of dependability relatively high in 2018 essay questions in English language conducted by National examination council. Recommendations, public examination bodies should store verified psychometric properties essay questions in English language in their item bank for sales to users, they should create community of data analyst especially with estimation of Generalizability theory. Students should be encouraged by both parents and teachers to study hard, since exit examination are for certification which is a criteria for tertiary institution admission. Test developers should be consistent with syllabus in arranging test items. Raters should be trained on rating skills to maintain rater agreement School administrators and education managers should provide conducive environment and support for conduct of examinations by public examination bodies.

Reviewer Acknowledgements

International Journal of English and Cultural Studies (IJECS) would like to acknowledge the following reviewers for their assistance with peer review of manuscripts for this issue. Many authors, regardless of whether IJECS publishes their work, appreciate the helpful feedback provided by the reviewers. Their comments and suggestions were of great help to the authors in improving the quality of their papers. Each of the reviewers listed below returned at least one review for this issue. Reviewers for Volume 4, Number 1Gillian Steinberg, SAR High School, USAKeeley Megan Buehler Hunter, Southern New Hampshire University, SwitzerlandAna Costa Lopes, Higher School of Education of Viseu, Viseu Polytechnic Institute, PortugalNicolau Nkiawete Manuel, Agostinho Neto University, AngolaFatma Benelhadj, University of Sfax, TunisiaEllie Boyadzhieva, South-West University, Blagoevgrad, BulgariaEmmanuel Chibuzor Okereke, National Examinations Council, Enugu State Office, Enugu, NigeriaShashi Naidu, Ball State University, United StatesJelena Timotijevic, University of Brighton, United KingdomJânderson Coswosk, Instituto Federal do Espírito Santo, BrazilHerman, University of HKBP Nommensen, Indonesia Nina HowardEditorial AssistantInternational Journal of English and Cultural StudiesRedfame Publishing9450 SW Gemini Dr. #99416Beaverton, OR 97006-6018, USAWebsite: http://ijecs.redfame.com

Item Analysis of the Science and Technology Components of the 2019 Basic Education Certificate Examination Conducted by National Examinations Council

One of the activities that take place behind the scenes as part of the steps taken by examination bodies to standardized tests is the determination of the psychometric properties of the items in a process referred to as item analysis. This study analysed the adequacy of the basic science and technology test items used for the 2019 Basic Education Certificate Examination in terms of difficulty levels, discriminating powers, guessing, and distracter indices. The study adopted evaluation and descriptive survey research designs. A sample of 976 students was selected from 59 schools across Niger State for the study using a multistage random sampling procedure. A 60-item Basic Science and Technology test administered by the National Examinations Council for the 2019 BECE was used to collect data for the study. The item difficulty levels, discriminating powers, guessing, and distracter indices of the items were generated based on a four-parameter Item Response Theory model using Xcalibre software package. The items adequately satisfied unidimensionality and local independence, when statistically examined using confirmatory factor analysis and tetra–chronic correlation respectively. The findings revealed that all the items satisfied the difficulty, discrimination, distracter and guessing indices criteria to be used for the 2019 BECE. It was recommended among others that school proprietors and the government should endeavour to sponsor teachers to attend item generation workshops to be up-to-date with how to generate test items that meet the criteria for final examinations.

The Impacts of Fee - Free Education Policy in Junior Secondary Schools in Tanzania

This study was based to examine the impacts of Fee-Free Education Policy in Junior Secondary Schools in Tanzania. The study used secondary data which were collected from the Ministry of Education Science and Technology (MOEST), National Examination Council of Tanzania (NECTA), United Republic of Tanzania (URT), Buchosa District Education Officer (BDEO), and other Non-governmental institutions. Finally, data were analyzed and presented. Data collection was guided by four objects such as the number of classrooms, the number of teachers, the number of students enrolled, and students’ pass rate. The findings from this study demonstrated that a fee-free education policy has shown a direct impact on junior secondary education. Through national examination, the students’ pass rate has improved, also to some extent number of teaches has increased. Apart from that, number of classrooms are imbalance with number of students. Therefore, this study recommended that the Tanzanian government should employ more qualified teachers, at the same time to build more classes to accommodate the number of students.

STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE IN NECO- SSCE

This paper analyses some of the factors that hinder the performance of Secondary School Students on the National Examination Council- Senior School Certificate Examination in Nigeria in the area of English as a foreign language standard examination. After juxtaposing the NECO-SSCE performances over the years, the study utilized several empirical studies, with quantitative framework, to examine these factors that both have positive or negative significance and influence in underpinning the academic performances of the learners. Several factors such as the learners’ attitudinal factor, teachers’ input and teaching strategy including years of experience and teaching qualifications, socio-economic and cultural background of the learners, parenting attitude, age and gender factor, exposure to the target language, learning materials and host of others have been identified and discussed. The paper however, considers these factors as applicable to most of the standard tests on English as a target language not only peculiar to the Nigerian NECO-SSCE English examination. Finally, the paper suggests certain recommendations which chiefly centre on offering professional development to teachers as well as encourage the stakeholders to cater for the needs and comfort of the students.