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Author(s): Omaze Anthony Afemikhe, Kennedy Imasuen.

Volume/Issue: Volume 8, Issue 2 (2025)

Page No: 75-85

Journal: British Journal of Education, Learning and Development Psychology (BJELDP)

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Abstract:

This study assessed the psychometric properties of the Mathematics Achievement test for Secondary School Students in Edo State, Nigeria, using the four-parameter logistic model (4PLM) of Item Response Theory (IRT). The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population comprised students from 312 public junior secondary schools in Edo State, while the sample consisted of 2,204 students selected from this population. The research instrument was a 40-item multiple-choice Mathematics Achievement developed by Afemikhe and Imasuen (2024). The instrument, previously validated and standardized, had a reliability coefficient of 0.89 using the Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 (KR-20). Unidimensionality of the data was verified through Principal Component Analysis using SPSS, while item calibration was conducted with Jmetrik IRT software to estimate item difficulty, discrimination, guessing, and carelessness parameters. The results revealed that most items demonstrated very high discrimination, indicating a strong capacity to differentiate between students with high and low levels of achievement in mathematics. Most items were difficult, suggesting that the test provided sufficient challenge for students. However, a high proportion of items displayed elevated guessing parameters, reflecting issues with distractor quality. On the positive side, carelessness was generally low, suggesting that students responded attentively. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the distractors of test items of the test be reviewed and improved to reduce guessing and that IRT frameworks be more widely adopted in the evaluation of educational assessments.

Keywords:

Achievement Test, Discrimination, Difficulty, Guessing, Carelessness.

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