Item Analysis: Analysis of Objective Type Test Items for an Achievement Test

This research paper focused on the item analysis of objective type test items constructed for the unit of fractions of the sixth-grade mathematics syllabus in Sri Lankan schools. It was conducted to analyze the difficulty level and discrimination power of each test item. Item analysis permits the selection or omits items from the test, and to develop a good achievement test paper with validated test items for the sixth-grade students. There were 65 objective type test items in the preliminary draft achievement test and was administered to a sample of 123 students of sixth-grade in the junior secondary level, from four state schools in Colombo district using purposive sampling method. The results showed that most of the test items fall within the appropriate range of difficulty index and discrimination index. However, 17 of the test items were eliminated due to very low and very high difficulty level and poor discrimination power and the remaining 48 items were selected for the final achievement test paper, which serves as both the pre-test and the post-test of the selected unit. According the findings of item analysis, relationship between the difficulty index of each item and the corresponding discrimination index was identified using the Pearson correlation coefficient. From the analysis, it was revealed that the discrimination index of selected items increased with the decrease in difficulty index and vice versa. Therefore, a negative relationship was identified between the difficulty index of each selected item and the corresponding discrimination index. On the other hand, the discrimination index of very easy and very difficult test items (rejected items) was decreased or negative. Thus, the positive relationship was identified between the difficulty index of each rejected item and the corresponding discrimination index. This analysis is highly significant for the researcher in organizing test items in which with optimum difficulty and discrimination power to achieve the learning outcomes of the unit of fractions.

Item Analysis, Difficulty Index, Discrimination Index, Achievement Test, Test Items.

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