DIFFERENTIAL ITEM FUNCTIONING OF 2020-2021 NIGERIAN BASIC EDUCATION CERTIFICATE EXAMINATION MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS IN MATHEMATICS IN ABIA STATE

Abstract

The study identified the Mathematics multiple choice test items of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) administered by the Nigerian National Examination Council (NECO) in 2020-2021 that exhibited Differential Item Functioning (DIF) with respect to gender and socio-economic status, using ex-post facto research design. Participants of the study consists of three hundred and fifty (350) Junior Secondary School year three (JSS 3) students selected from two coeducational schools in Abia state of Nigeria. Data collected from the responses of students to the 120 Mathematics multiplechoice questions were analyzed using Scheuneman modified chi-square test statistic, chi square statistic and independent sample t-test to answer the four research questions and test
the four hypotheses that guided the study. Result showed that Mathematics multiple-choice test items administered by NECO for BECE in 2020 and 2021 contain items that functioned differentially for examinees based on gender and socio economic status (SES). Whereas
no significant difference exist in the percentage of items that functioned differentially in favour of both gender, the examination contain test items that significantly functioned differentially for examinees based on SES in favour of the high SES. The research recommends continual conduct of pilot study to analyze DIF for possible modification, replacement or equitable distribution of bias items among notable subgroup, especially socio economic status. In addition, the researcher advocates for the use of very simple
English while setting mathematics BECE questions to avoid misinterpretation2.