Research | Computerised adaptive method for assessing university undergraduates’ mental well-being within an African context: An open-source set-up with Concerto

Jumoke I. Oladele ^{a b}

^aDepartment of Social Sciences Education, Faculty of Education, University of Ilorin, Nigeria; ^bUniversity of Pretoria, South Africa

Abstract: This research presents the development of a computerised adaptive testing system to assess the mental health of university undergraduates in an African context. An item pool of 375 items that reflect eight sub-constructs of mental well-being (coping with normal life stress, realising potential, studying effectively, social interaction, school-life balance, emotional stability, healthy living, and belief system) was developed. FastTest was used to pilot-test the item using a sample of 406 undergraduate students from South Africa and Nigeria. Each candidate was given 100 items utilising the linear on-the-fly test administration. 407 responses were received and subjected to psychometric analysis using Samejima's Graded IRT model to calibrate the items. 175 items were identified and used to design the mental well-being adaptive scale for use within the university community at no cost to the student or institution.

1. Using concerto, the detailed inflow with an HTML embedded function is clearly explained.

2. The scale dynamically adjusts the difficulty/relevance of questions based on respondents' previous answers, thereby enhancing precision and reducing users' test burden.

3. An adaptable, scalable, and culturally appropriate non-illness method for assessing students’ mental wellbeing, being an improvement on the linear form, is presented.

Keywords: Mental wellbeing, CAT, Samejima's graded IRT model, Concerto, University undergraduates

Citation: Jumoke I. Oladele, 2025, Computerised adaptive method for assessing university undergraduates’ mental well-being within an African context: An open-source set-up with Concerto, MethodsX (14) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2024.103140.

Funding: This publication was supported (in part) by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York with Grant Number G-20-57628 which was deployed through the Future Africa Research Leadership programme. The statements made and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the authors.

Open access https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2024.103140