ITEM ARRANGEMENTS MIX ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS IN 2024 WASSCE MATHEMATICS MULTIPLE CHOICE TEST IN LAGOS METROPOLIS

Abstract

The study investigated Item Arrangements Mix on Academic Performance of Students in 2024 West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) Mathematics Multiple Choice Test in Lagos Metropolis. Two null hypotheses were formulated to guide the focus of this work as Survey Research Design was used in the work. Population of the study comprised of all the 2025 Public Senior Secondary School Three (SSS 3) students in selected LGAs in Lagos State. A sample of eight hundred and forty students was selected across eight (8) schools from eight (8) Local Government Areas in the state through multi-stage sampling procedure. The 2024 Mathematics West Africa Examination Council Multiple Choice Test (2024-WAECMCT) containing 50 items on 4-Option format was used for data collection. The test was content validated by measurement experts in Lagos State University, Ijanikin, Lagos. Through test re-test reliability co-efficient value 0.890 was obtained as Analysis of Covariance, ANCOVA statistical analysis was used to analyze the data with the aid of Linear Structural Relations Statistical Software (LISREL) and tested at 0.05 significant level. Findings reveal that no difference in the academic performance of students in the 2024 SSCE Mathematics Test by test forms and by gender. It concluded that 2024 West Africa Senior School Mathematics Multiple Choice Tests yielded no difference in the academic performance when item arrangements were introduced. Again gender played no difference in their scores. It was recommended among others that test developers should determine difficulty index for each item as it would guide in item arrangement into specified magnitude.