The “worst” items in Physics of ENEM: A psychometric analysis of the 2009–2019 editions

The performance in the National High School Exam (ENEM) can be used as a selection criterion for public Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and to obtain funding and scholarships in many private HEIs. Considering the potential for influence of the examination on the present and future of a person, regarding personal, professional and social aspects, it is expected that the test can perform a fair selection. One of the criteria for this idea is that the examination has minimal characteristics of validity and reliability. This article presents research that sought to verify psychometric indicators of the quality of the test. The Microdata of the ENEM was analyzed for the editions from 2009 to 2019, classifying the quality of the items as good, dubious and bad. As results, it was observed that most items were considered not adequate to measure the proficiency that is proposed to be measured in the Nature Sciences test. It is expected that the results presented can contribute to the reflection on the quality of large-scale examinations. It is suggested that works with scope in the pedagogical analysis of items considered not suitable can be performed in order to understand the points to be improved and the paths that must be traveled to promote the quality of the examination.

Keywords:
Evaluation; Physics Teaching; Psychometrics; Microdata