Content Validity of May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) Questions in Chemistry

Abstract

This study assessed the content validity of May/June West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) questions in Chemistry from 1999–2002.  The researchers analysed the taxonomic spread of the content of the Senior Secondary School Core Curriculum in the 1999-2002 WASSCE questions in Chemistry. The Core Curriculum for Chemistry and WASSCE Chemistry question papers were the main sources of data.  170 performance objectives from the Core Curriculum and 590 questions from WASSCE examination papers were classified against the cognitive levels. The results indicated that some topics were over-emphasised, under-emphasised or totally ignored in WASSCE whilst the questions emphasised more of such lower levels of the cognitive domain as knowledge and comprehension.  Based these findings, it was recommended that teachers should maintain the emphasis accorded the topics in the Core Curriculum at the various relevant cognitive levels; the examiners of WASSCE should employ the services of test experts to ensure adequate use of Table of Specifications in their test development and ensure content validity.

Keywords: WASSCE, Chemistry examination, Content validity, Cognitive domain of learning.