Development of a Scale for Measuring Students’ Testwiseness in Senior Secondary School Examination in Nigerian

Abstract

The study developed a scale and generated items capable of measuring students’ testwiseness, determined the construct validity and reliability of the scale. The study adopted survey research design. A total of 750 senior secondary students (SSS) participated in the study. They comprised 380 male and 370 female students ranging from 10-23 years old. Furthermore, 26.1%, 50.9%, and 22.9% were SSS 1, 2, and 3 students respectively. Additionally, 46.3% and 53.7% were students from private and public schools. Data were analyzed using reliability analysis and exploratory factor analysis. Cronbach’s coefficient Alpha, Spearman Brown’s and Guttmann’s split–half coefficients were used to determine reliability of the scale. Inter–item correlation of the scale was carried out both on the initial and final items. Govaerts and Gregoire (2008) item reduction criteria were based on the use of corrected item-total statistics and Cronbach-Alpha-if-item-deleted approaches.