EVALUATING THE CONTENT VALIDITY OF GRADE 10 MATHEMATICS MODEL EXAMINATIONS IN OROMIA NATIONAL REGIONAL STATE

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate content validity of grade 10 mathematics model examinations in Oromia national regional state. This means the study dealt with whether or not the model exams ensures the representativeness of the contents course and emphases given to the learning outcomes of the syllabus. The study employed a survey design and mixed approach. The quantitative data collected using coding sheets from judges. The judges were selected using purposive sampling techniques according to the sets criteria. The judges coded the five coding sheets as they trained on it and there was successive follow up to the judges. The qualitative data were obtained from interview. The primary sources of data were the six consecutive years from 2012-2017of Grade 10 mathematics model examinations, the syllabi and textbooks of Grade 9 and10. Agreement or disagreement among the judges was computed using Kendall`s coefficient of concordance (W). Its significance was tested using the table value of S and calculated value of S at 0.05 levels. Thus, the result showed a statistically significant agreement among the judges in all coded sheets. The quantitative data collected were analyzed using Chi-square test of statistical treatment. While the qualitative data obtained was analyzed using narration and description to supplement the quantitative data. The statistical results of the study showed that the calculated value of chi-square for the test items of cognitive domain were 83.10 which was not significant at 0.05 levels and df=5 with the critical value 11.07. And the calculated value of chi-square for test items of the 20 major contents from the period allotted was 53.32 again this result was not significant at 0.05 levels and df=19 with the critical value 30.144. The interpretations of this results indicated that there was no association between tests items and the learning outcomes of cognitive domain categories and major contents of the textbooks. Thus, the statistical result showed that thtests items of grade 10 mathematics model examinations of Oromia region were not according to the syllabus objectives and contents. Moreover, the interview results showed that the tests items of the model exams were ambiguous, not layout and not multi-dimensional. This result also showed that the model exams were not attained content validity. From the results of the study, the researcher concluded that the grade 10 mathematics model examinations of Oromia region were deficiency in content validity. To solve such problem, the researcher recommended that focuses should have to be given on quality of test, especially on content validity. By constructing tests according to the magnitude of major contents of the textbooks, emphasis given to learning outcomes of the syllabus and the difficult level of the exam at secondary school level. In addition, make the examination multi-dimensional.