A Development of the Biological Literacy Test for Grade 10 Students

Abstract

Background and Aims: Biological literacy serves as a primary objective in biology education. Therefore, the development of standardized assessment tools is essential for generating data-driven insights to inform educational planning. Enhancing such literacy enables students to effectively bridge theoretical knowledge with practical applications in their daily lives. The purposes of this research were as follows: (1) to construct
a biological literacy test for Grade 10 students; (2) to examine the qualities of the constructed biological literacy test, and (3) to study the biological literacy of Grade 10 students

Methodology: The sample included 700 Grade 10 students in schools under the Secondary Educational Service Area Office Surin, selected by multi-stage random sampling. The instrument is a biological literacy test. The verification of the quality
of the biological literacy test by using the classical test theory and item response theory with the Generalized Partial Credit Model (G-PCM). Biological literacy was studied by frequency and percentage.

Results: The research findings revealed the following: (1) The biological literacy test is
a situational essay test based on the core concepts of biological literacy first constructed with 20 items; (2) The results of the content validity by IOC ranged from 0.60 to 1.00 and the quality by classical test theory, 10 items were selected for use showed that the difficulty was in the range of 0.41 to 0.58, the discriminant was in the range of 0.42 to 0.54 and the test's reliability coefficient was 0.85; the quality of biological literacy test by item response theory with G-PCM model showed that discriminant parameters (αi) ranged from 1.23 to 3.77. The difficulty parameter (δij) ranged from -1.69 to 2.11.
The item information had the highest ability level (θ) equal to 1.2; and the test information had the highest ability level (θ) equal to 1.2; and (3) the results of the study of biological literacy showed that most of the students were at the functional level of biological literacy.

Conclusion: The test demonstrated quality in terms of reliability, validity, and practical applicability. The findings showed that most of the students were at the functional level of biological literacy. This information can serve as a guideline for improving the effectiveness of biology teaching and learning.