Development, Validation And Use Of Criterion Referenced Achievement Test In Biology For Senior Secondary Schools In Abia State.:- Agbaegbu, C.N

Abstract

This study developed, validated and used criterion referenced achievement test for senior secondary two students in Biology. Related literature to this study showed that Biology in the senior secondary schools is aimed at bringing about desirable behavioural changes which are the products of the objectives of the teaching/learning situations needed to be quantified and qualified. This cannot be attained without proper evaluation. This study adopted instrumentation research design. The population comprised 1200 Biology students in senior secondary school class two (2014/2015) in Abia State. The sample comprised 291 males and 309females giving total of 600 students. This sample was drawn from 6 out of 17 Local Government Areas of Abia State selected using proportionate to size simple random sampling technique. The instrument used was CRATB based on the objectives of three content areas and was made up of 50 items with validity and reliability estimate of 0.82 using Kudder Richardson formula 20 (KR-20). Through regular method of item analysis, distractor index, difficult index and discrimination index were calculated. Mean, Standard deviation and t-test were employed in answering and testing the hypothesis at 0.05 level ofsignificance. The developed and validated criterion referenced achievementtest in Biologyfor senior secondary schools has average psychometric properties in terms of difficulty and discrimination index; the instrument has high reliability index; there was significant difference between the achievement of male and that of female students in Biology at the senior secondary school level in favour of the male students. The developed criterion referenced achievement test in Biology instrument should be used by Biology teachers; the items of the CRATB developed should serve as template to develop