Document-Based Assessment of Item-Writing Skills: Implications for Policy Formulation in Teacher Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59110/edutrend.881Keywords:
Assessment quality, College of Education teachers, Item-writing principles, Multiple-choice item construction, Teacher education policyAbstract
Multiple-choice (MC) items are widely used in teacher education because they are efficient, objective, and suitable for assessing large groups of students. However, poorly constructed MC items may undermine the validity and reliability of assessment results. This study examined the extent to which College of Education teachers adhere to established principles of MC item construction and evaluated the quality of the items they develop and administer. A quantitative document analysis design was employed. Using simple random and stratified sampling procedures, 120 assessment instruments were selected from three Colleges of Education affiliated with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Only Section A of each instrument, consisting of 20 MC items, was analyzed, yielding 2,400 items. Four assessment experts evaluated the items against 21 established principles of MC item construction, and the data were analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The findings showed that only two of the 21 principles, representing 9.52%, reached the excellent adherence category. In addition, only 3.58% of the 2,400 items met all criteria for high-quality MC items, indicating that most items contained construction flaws. These findings suggest that weaknesses in MC item construction may threaten the validity, reliability, and fairness of assessment outcomes. The study contributes empirical evidence on actual item-writing practices among College of Education teachers and highlights the need for strengthened item moderation, assessment literacy training, and continuous professional development policies in teacher education institutions.References
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