Guiding instructional decisions through diagnostic assessment in chemistry

Abstract

Diagnostic assessment is an integral component of instructional decision making process. Hence, this study was aimed at comparing sub-scores of a diagnostic test thereby exploring the content area the students are having difficulty for designing remediation interventions. The population comprised all SS3 students in Aba Education Zone of Abia State. A sample of 396 students was drawn using stratified random sampling technique. The study adopted descriptive survey design. The research instrument was Diagnostic Chemistry Test (DCT), consisting of four subtests with ten items each.Data collected were analyzed with descriptive statisticsand one-way analysis of variance. The results revealed that there was a significant difference in the mean sub-score between subtests. It was recommended that the result of DCT be used by teachers to make viable instructional decisions on the appropriate remedial strategy to adopt.

Keywords: Diagnostic assessment, Instructional decisions, Remediation interventions