Investigating Differential Item Functioning in Chemistry Test Items of the Secondary School Certificate Examination

Abstract

The study was aimed at analyzing test items by means of differential item functioning. The test questions are exercises that learners are to undertake during the test. Differentiation between items functioning analysis is highly significant in test development at both national and international levels to confirm the biased and unbiased items in the test. This research was useful in establishing the validity of the test items and the data regarding the degree of difference in item functioning performance regarding chosen groups. It was a quantitative paradigm descriptive study. Data were analyzed using the Mantel-Haenszel. Differential item functioning was useful to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the tests of the target groups with non-similar traits using the test items based on polytomous items in the science subject, that is, Chemistry of grade 10 th, in the annual examination of BISE Sahiwal 2018. The conclusion was reached that there is a necessity to create the test items, which are to be developed by the experts, in order to conduct an appropriate assessment.

Keywords: DIF, Annual Examination, Mantel-Haenszel, Secondary School Certificate Examination, Chemistry Test Items