The Application of Item Response Theory for Development of a Students’ Attitude Scale Toward Mathematics

Mathematics Education Study Program students should have a tendency to accept mathematics because it will support the achievement of mathematical competence in the fields of work, knowledge, and management. This study aims to construct, validate, and analyze the characteristics of attitude scale items, and determine students’ attitudes towards mathematics. Aspects of student attitudes towards mathematics, were taken as namely: intrinsic motivation, enjoyment, anxiety, self-confidence, and value. The results of factor analysis show good model fit with the items measuring unidimensionality. Analysis of item characteristics was done using polytomous item response theory with a Partial Credit Model (PCM). The difficulty level of grains is at intervals of -2.52 ≤ d ≤ 2.58. Students’ attitudes towards mathematics are in the interval -0.67 ≤ θ ≤ 2.36.

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