الملخص الإنجليزي
The aim of this study was to construct a criterion-based reference test
for the human body unit in the sixth-grade science subject, using the Rasch
model of Item Response Theory. The study aimed to determine the
appropriate cut-off score for the test, and to verify its psychometric
properties in classifying students into proficient and non-proficient levels.
The achievement test, consisting of 50 items, was administered to a sample
of 1003 male and female students. The researcher employed the ItemMapping method after verifying the assumptions of the Rasch model and
excluding individuals who did not meet these assumptions, in order to
calculate the cut-off score. The person-item map of individuals and items
was used to verify the validity of test questions for different ability levels.
Additionally, the Rudner method was used to calculate the accuracy and
consistency of student classification, as well as the overall alpha and beta
reliability coefficients. Furthermore, the person and item separation
indices were calculated using the winsteps software. The results indicated
good validity and reliability of the test, with a classification accuracy and
consistency of 0.93 and 0.90, respectively. The overall alpha and beta
reliability coefficients were 0.78 and 0.74, respectively, and the person
separation index was 2.87, while the item separation index was 10.65.
Differential item functioning was also examined using the MantelHaenszel method based on gender. The results revealed several items with
differential functioning in favor of both males and females. Among these
items, seven had moderate differential functioning, while only one item
had high differential functioning. Based on the current study results, it is
recommended to utilize the criterion-reference test for diagnosing students
as proficient or non-proficient and rely on these results in designing
remedial and enrichment plans. Moreover, several suggestions for future
research were provided based on the findings of the current study.
