PREDICTIVE VALIDITY OF UTME SCORES ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS OF FRESH UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN CHEMISTRY
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PREDICTIVE
VALIDITY OF UTME SCORES ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS OF FRESH UNDERGRADUATE
STUDENTS IN CHEMISTRY
CHAPTER ONE
1.0
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background of the Study
There are
number of qualities that are desired for measurements. These qualities need to
be established for the test teacher use in grading and reporting student’s
performance to stakeholders. The qualities are validity, reliability,
usability, objectivity and interpretability. Other qualities are difficulty,
discrimination and distracted indices which are established through item
analysis.
Test
Validity refers to the extent to which a test measures what it is intended to
measure (Anikweze 2005). In another definition by Kolawole (2010), validity of
test is refer to as the degree of relevance and accuracy in which a test
measures what is meant to be measured. Generally speaking, in educational
assessment Validity can be defined as the accuracy of inference based on
students responses to assessment devices, such as test an inventories (popham
2000). Validity of a test is of different types depending on the method or
procedure follow. There are basically four types of validity test namely, face
validity, and construct validity, criterion-Related validity, content Validity.
Face
Validity refers to the extent to which a test appears to measure what it claims
to measure. It is not really a type of validity in technical sense but a test
should be properly worded and presented to look attractive to the testee. It is
necessary for a test to have this quality in order to get the cooperation of
the testees.
Construct
validity is defined as the extent to which test performance can be interpreted
in terms of certain psychological constructs. Construct is a psychological
quality that is assumed to exist in order to explain some aspect of
psychological behavior. Examples of construct are intelligence, readiness,
anxiety, reasoning ability, endurance, introversion, extraversion, sociability,
spatial visualization, reading comprehension and verbal ability.
Criterion-Related
Validity refers to the extent to which the testee’s score on a test can be used
to estimate the testees’ score on another test usually refers to criterion
variable or measure.
Predictive
Validity in psychometrics is the extent to which a score on a scale or test
predicts score on some criterion measure. For example, the validity of a
cognitive test for job performance is the correlation between test scores and
for example, supervisors performance rating.
Michael
(2002) saw prediction as an effort to ascertain what will occur concerning an
outcome or even not yet observed on the basis of information/data judged to be
relevant to this unobserved event. He emphasized that the concept can be used
in any of the following:
i) Using
test scores to forecast the level of achievement that prospective student might
display in academic programme;
ii) Using
ability and interest measures to forecast/prognosticate the probability of
success of subjects in various job categories.
iii)
Determine on the basis of a battery of psychomotor tests and motivational
indicators which members of afreshman class are likely to be most valuable
competitorson the football or on the track events. It is understood here that
validation consists of checking the test, score against some other observation
that serves as the criterion. The aim of testing is therefore to predict this
criterion and the merit of the test is judged simply by the accuracy of
prediction (Cronbach,2001). In essence, predictive validity is concerned with
the usefulness of the test score in predicting some future performance
(Ogunlade, 2000; Uzomah, 2009; Ogunniyi(2009). Determining the predictive
validity of an instrument according to Normally(2008), consists of correlating
scores on the prediction test with scores on the criterionvariable. The size of
the correlation is a direct indicationof the amount of validity. He mentioned
that the predictivevalidity is determined only by the degree ofcorrespondence
between the two measures involved thepredictor and the criterion.
University
Matriculation Examination (UME), now known as Unified Tertiary Institutions
Matriculation Examinations (UTME) is a common entrance examination conducted by
theJoint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) of Nigeria on yearly basis
for the sole purpose of selecting and placing suitably qualified candidates
into Nigerian Universities.
Before the
establishment of JAMB for the admission of students into various Universities,
the universities were conducting individual admission exercises (Omodara,
2010). Series ofcomplaints marred this type of admission process. Osakuade
(2011) reports a lot of challenges among which were the issue of multiple
applications and admissions, uncoordinated system of university admissions, and
high cost implication for the candidates. Others included the pattern of
enrolment in the universities which showed that majority of the universities
drew the bulk of their students from their immediate geographical neighborhoods
(catchment areas). As a result, in 2004, the committee of Vice-Chancellors came
up with the idea of central admission in other to eliminate various problems
created by individual admission exercises (Ifedili & Ifedili, 2010).
In recent
times, there seems to be remarkable awareness of Nigerians about university
education. This is a positive development that has resulted in the increase in
the number of new Universities, enrolment figures, and the huge investment in
the sector by the government, religious groups, and individuals. As at August
2012, there were a total of one hundred and twenty four (124) Universities in
Nigeria: 50 privately owned, 37 states and 37federal Government owned (National
University Commission (NUC, 2012). This may partly be consequent on the fact
that, the National Policy on Education (NPE) stipulates that University
education in Nigeria shall make optimum contribution to national development by
intensifying and diversifying its programmes for the development of high level
manpower within the context of the needs of the nation (Federal Republic of
Nigeria (FRN), 2004). It may also be due to the fact that most professional
bodies have made university education basic in the training of its members.
University education is competitive worldwide and the generation of Nigerian
students that can contribute meaningfully to her development cannot be selected
haphazardly. Hence the competition for admission slots becomes more rigorous
every year. Admissions into degree programmes in the universities are therefore
premised on success in selection examination like the Unified Tertiary
Institutions Matriculation Examinations (UTME).To overcome the challenges posed
by individual universities’ admission exercises as was practiced originally,
the Federal Government of Nigeria established JAMB in 2008 as a centralize
examination body saddled with the responsibility of conducting placement
examinations into Nigerian Universities. The Board conducted the first
matriculation examination for entry into all degree- awarding institutions in
Nigeria in 2009; Polytechnics and Colleges of Education in 2001, Monotechnics
in 2008 and Innovative Enterprises Institutes in 2009, (JAMB, 2011). Since
then, entrance examinations into Nigerian universities have continued to be handled
by JAMB. However, the population of potential students into Nigerian
universities has exploded such that competition to enter into universities has
been a source of concern to parents as well as the applicants. This is proven
by the JAMB’s enrolment figures into the universities which have risen from
52,755 in 2008 when JAMB was established to 167,617 in 2007 and236,261in 2006
(Adesina, 2005). The Board had over one million, five hundred and three
thousand, nine hundred and thirty one (1,503,931) candidates in the 2012
Unified Tertiary Institutions Matriculation Examination (UTME) (Nairaland,
2011). Black-Revo (2010) institutions were the worst in the history of the
country. This was because out of the over 1.4million candidates that sat for
UTME, only about 500,000 were offered admissions into universities. This
development has not improved and could be contributing to malpractices.
Desperate
candidates may have adopted different examination malpractices in order to
secure admission into degree programmes of their choice. This according to
Onyeoziri in Ifedili &Ifedili (2010) was done due to great dissatisfaction
with JAMB and unpredictable changes in educational policies. Many parents
register their children for JAMB earlier than educational policy has planned
for them. Umo and Ezeudu (2010) asserted that parents see fulfillment in what
their wards will be and not in what they are, thereby aiding and abating
examination malpractice. There are also fears in many quarters that the quality
of students admitted by JAMB deteriorates yearly despite their high scores in
UME. Several professionals and researchers are of the opinion that the glorious
days of high academic performance and enviable achievements among Nigerian
undergraduates have reached a varnishing point (Obioma & Salau, 2007). The
researchers therefore called for an education summit to rectify the situation.
According to Afolabi, Mabayoje, Togu, Oyadeyi & Raji (2007), most
universities which depend solely on UME scores for admission of students have
come to realize those candidates with very high UME scores do not do well in
the university and are often asked to withdraw.
Chemistry is
the scientific discipline involved with compounds composed of atoms,i.e
elements, and molecules,i.e combination of atoms: their composition, structure,
properties, behavior and the changes they undergo during a reaction with other
compounds.
Chemistry
occupies a central position amongst all science subjects. It is a core subject
for the nursing science, medicine, public health, pharmacy and natural science.
In many communities in Africa, students ‘phobia for chemistry has constituted
serious issues in schools. The erroneous opinion about science subjects
especially chemistry being difficult and abstract in natures being transmitted
from generation to generation. This factor that has been identified and
implicated for students’ lackluster performance in chemistry and it is
popularly referred to as anxiety. Jegede (2007) reported in his work that some
of the basic causes of students ‘anxiety towards learning of chemistry include:
1. Wide
range of the syllabus,
2. Quality
and quantity of chemistry teachers in schools,
3. Absence
of well equipped laboratory as well as poor teaching methods.
1.2
Statement of the Problem
In recent
time, there have been consistent reports of low performance among fresh
undergraduate students in Chemistry courses. Although, many of these students
wrote and passed Chemistry at UTME level before being offered admission into
the University but the rate at which students failed level one chemistry
courses is very alarming. What are the causes of this mass failure among fresh
undergraduate students? Is it that students with low performance in UTME
chemistry are being forced to study Chemistry and other Chemistry-related
courses? To provide answers to the questions posed above, it is imperative to
study the predictive validity of UTME scores in Chemistry on academic
performance of fresh undergraduate students in Chemistry.
1.3 Purpose
of the Study
The general
purpose of this study is to determine the extent at which UTME scores in
chemistry can be used to predict the performance of fresh undergraduate
students in Chemistry courses. Specifically, the study aims at achieving the
following objectives:
§ To
correlate the Chemistry scores of students in UTME with their scores in level
one Chemistry courses.
§ To find
out ifthe Chemistry scores of students in UTME can predict the performance of
fresh Chemistry students in chemistry courses.
1.4 Research
Hypotheses
The
following null hypothesis was formulated and tested at 0.05 level of
significant.
§ There is
no significant relationship between the UTME scores of students in Chemistry
and the students’ scores in level one chemistry courses.
1.5 Research
questions
Are there
any relationships between UTME scores of fresh chemistry students and their
scores in chemistry courses?
1.6
Significance of Study
In view of
the mass failure being recorded among freshly admitted science students in
Nigerian Universities in recent times, this study is important because the
findings derived from it would enable teachers, school administrators, and
policy makers to understand the problems that prospective students may
encounter in the University before being offered admission. Also, if
correlation is found between UTME scores in Chemistry and the performance of
students in Chemistry courses, then students with poor performance in UTME
Chemistry may be placed in appropriate department that has less of chemistry
content.
1.7 Scope
and Limitation of the Study
This study
is limited to finding out the validity of UTME scores on academic achievement
of part one students in chemistry and chemistry education departments in Bauchi
State University, Gadau, Bauchi State.
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