Development and Validation of Scientific Literacy Achievement Test to Assess Senior Secondary School Students’ Literacy Acquisition in Physics

Abstract

Physics literacy plays a crucial part in global technological development as several aspects of science and technology apply concepts and principles of physics in their operations. However, the acquisition of scientific literacy in physics in our society today is not encouraging enough to the desirable standard. Therefore, this study focuses on development and validation of scientific literacy achievement test to assess senior secondary school students’ literacy acquisition in physics. The study adopted descriptive survey research design in which a total of two hundred and six (206) students from 8 secondary schools in Ibadan North and Oorelope local government areas of Oyo state were assessed. The schools were selected using proportional random sampling techniques. The achievement test titled, Physics-Scientific Literacy Achievement Test (P-SLAT) that had been validated by experts and tested to have Cronbach’s alpha and Split-half reliability coefficient of 0.82 and 0.80 respectively. The result of the administered test was collated and coded for analysis, which was carried out with the aid of SPSS 17 package and Microsoft word excel while both descriptive, such as simple percentage and charts were adopted. The result of the research findings shows that. The overall acquisition of scientific literacy in physics among the students is average. The achievement test used has an average reliability coefficient of 0.70 based on Cronbach’s alpha, Kuder-Richardson (KR20) and Split-Half method. Based on the three psychometric properties (reliability, item difficulty and discrimination) considered in item analysis of the achievement test developed in the study, eighteen (18) items which is equivalent to 72% of the total items form the validated achievement test.These findings provide vivid evidence for recommendations for various examining bodies by subjecting multiple choice items to psychometric tests to ascertain and improve items’ quality in order to obtain a reliable and valid test result. It was also suggested for prospective researchers in the same or related field of study that this research should be carried out in all secondary schools in Oyo state in order to have a more generalised result on the level of secondary school students’ acquisition of scientific literacy in physics.

Keywords: Scientific literacy, Item analysis, difficulty index, discrimination index, reliability coefficient.