::Volume 7 ISSN 1656-8575
CONTENTS:
Development and Validation of a Readability Formula For Physics Instructional Materials
Jonathan A. Bayogan
Language and Understanding in Mathematical Problem Solving
Allan B.I. Bernardo
Using Test Data to Assess Divisional and Regional Performance of Philippine Schools
Abraham I. Felipe
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Development and Validation of a Readability Formula For Physics Instructional Materials
Jonathan A. Bayogan
Benguet State University
The present study is an attempt to develop a readability formula for physics instructional materials. In Part 1, 21 teachers were asked to assign readability levels to 30 reading passages that were selected from books used in Philippine schools. Each passage was assigned a readability level which ranged from 4 to 16, representing the primary grades up to advanced or graduate level. Twelve variables were measured based on the textual and graphical characteristics of the passages. Factor analysis converged the variables into three factors: Quantitative Relationship and Sentence Structure (Factor 1), Technical Vocabulary (Factor 2), and Affective Scores (Factor 3). Multiple regression analysis using readability level as criterion resulted into three equally plausible readability formulas. In Part 2, the developed readability formula was validated against existing readability formulas (Flesch formula, Fry formula, and Feedback-based communication index). Correlation analysis showed that all four readability formulas measured readability very similarly.
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Language and Understanding in Mathematical Problem Solving
Allan B.I. Bernardo
Department of Psychology, University of the Philippines
This research is an investigation on the effects of language factors on two specific components of understanding in math word problem solving: the comprehension of the test information and the construction of the problem structure. In two experiments, Filipino-English Bilingual students were given arithmetic word problems in either Filipino or English. In Experiment 1, a recall procedure was used to assess the students’ comprehension of the problem texts. The results show that students comprehend the problems better when it was their first language; students were also more accurate in solving the problems in their first language. The results suggest that language proficiency facilitates the first stage of understanding word problems and also the overall problem-solving process. In Experiment 2, a problem-completion procedure was used to assess the students’ ability to construct the problem structure. The results show that the students constructed the problem structure equally well in either language. The results suggest that language factors do not affect the more abstract stage of processing word problems. The dissociation of language effects on the two components are discussed in terms of the theoretical distinction between levels of understanding in word problem solving. The implications of the results on the assessment of the relationship between language use and mathematical performance, particularly between language use and mathematical understanding and learning among bilinguals were also discussed.
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Using Test Data to Assess Divisional and Regional Performance of Philippine Schools
Abraham I. Felipe
EDUVISION 2000
The present study is an attempt to assess certain aspects of an educational system using two indices developed from test data. In the traditional way that tests have been used for assessment, groups are compared on test statistics. In the present approach, a criterion score on a test is fixed, and population samples are subsequently differentiated in terms of how they meet the fixed criterion score. The two indices were: (a) a measure of density of a particular event in a given population, and (b) a measure of concentration of the event around an expected value. It is believed that the method is more suited to a case wherein one wishes to talk about a population being assessed. The other advantage is that the indices are constructed as ratio scale. The study reports the outcomes of several exercises in which the indices were used to assess the performance of administrative units and certain types of schools in the Philippines.
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