Developing An Achievement Test For Primary School English Course: Validity And Reliability Study

Abstract

The objective of this research was to develop a multiple-choice achievement test for the 4th-grade English lesson unit called "My Day." The test's administration took place in the autumn term of the 2022-2023 academic year and involved 621 fifth-grade students from the central district of Niğde province. Out of these students, 209 participated in the pilot phase, while the remaining 412 students were involved in the actual application of the test. The test items were meticulously analyzed using the Test Analysis Program (TAP). Based on the results of the item discrimination analysis, two items were deemed less effective and, therefore, excluded from the final version of the test. Ultimately, the test consisted of 25 carefully selected items to evaluate the student's understanding of the "My Day" unit. To assess the internal reliability of the test, the researchers calculated the KR-20 value which turned out to be 0.888. This value demonstrated that the test exhibited a satisfactory level of consistency and reliability in measuring the intended learning outcomes. Overall, the rigorous development process and statistical analysis provide confidence in the validity and accuracy of the achievement test. Several recommendations are made in order to increase the test's usefulness and efficacy. The researcher could conduct a follow-up study to evaluate the long-term impact of the achievement test on students' language learning progress. Additionally, they may explore adapting the test for use in various regions and cultures to assess its cross-cultural validity, aiming to further improve its effectiveness and applicability.