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A Thesis
English IV
by
Matthew S. Lopez
Approval Sheet
This thesis entitled The Relationship of the English curriculum with the
Results of the Center for Educational Measurement pre-test and post-test for
English of the Third year high school students of Don Bosco College Basic
Education Department, School Year 2011 2012, prepared and submitted by
Matthew S. Lopez, Chris Leuven P. Magampon, Marc Justine A. Magnaye, and Vonn
Jared V. Visande, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for English IV, has been
examined and is hereby recommended for acceptance and approval for oral examination.
Date: _____________
iii
Acknowledgement
The researchers would like to express their gratitude to those people who helped
in the crafting of this thesis. The researchers would like to acknowledge the following
Rev. Fr. Arnold M. Sanico, SDB, for allowing and approving the researchers
Ms. Shareena T. Manaig and Mrs. Marilyn P. Tamayo of the Guidance Office,
for giving their time and effort in providing the researchers the results of the CEM pre-
test and post-test for English, and also for giving their suggestions and recommendations
Office, for giving their extra time and effort in providing the researchers the additional
data needed to support this study, which are the English final grades of this studys
population;
Mr. Artell L. Almonte and Mr. Ronan D. Vergara, for guiding and educating
Mr. Erbert V. Dela Resma, Mr. Michael L. Mangubat, Ms. Angelie Joyce S.
Gomez, and Ms. Joyce B. Bacuyag, for sharing their expertise in the field of statistics
especially Michael P. Gonzaga and many others, who have been of assistance in
Dedication
The researchers dedicate this thesis firstly to God because He is the One who
constantly gives them strength, courage, perseverance and guidance in creating this
study; secondly to their parents for giving them enough moral support in order to finish
this thesis with pride; thirdly to their teachers, especially to their class adviser Ms. Fatima
Alarcon, Ms. Shareena Manaig, Ms. Joyce Bacuyag, Ms. Angelie Gomez, Mr. Erbert
Dela Resma, Mr. Artell Almonte, and many other teachers whom they have encountered
all throughout their high school years; and finally to their friends, loved ones, and their
class, IV-Cimatti, whom they consider as a family of brothers under the care of a loving
mother.
v
Lopez, Matthew S., Magampon, Chris Leuven P., Magnaye, Marc Justine A., Visande,
Vonn Jared V., Fourth year Cimatti, Don Bosco College, Inc., The Relationship of the
English curriculum with the Results of the Center for Educational Measurement pre-test
and post-test for English of the Third year high school students of Don Bosco College
Basic Education Department, School Year 2011 2012. Subject Teacher: Mr. Artell L.
Almonte.
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to show the relationship of the English curriculum
with the results of the CEM pre-test and post-test for English of the third year high school
students of Don Bosco College Basic Education Department, School Year 2011 2012.
In order to show that such a relationship exists, the researchers logically presumed that
overall improvement in the post-test scores from that of the pre-test means that the
students have gained knowledge from the English curriculum. The scientific procedures
done by the researchers involve the T-test in which it verifies the reliability of the English
tests whether or not the students have improved scores in the post-test from the pre-test,
and the Pearson r in which it verifies the validity of the English tests by looking into the
correlation between the English final grades and the post-test. The outcome from these
two statistical treatments showed that indeed the students have overall improved scores in
the post-test than the pre-test, and that there is a substantial relationship between the
English final grades and the post-test scores of the students. This indicates that there is a
relationship between the English curriculum and the results of the CEM pre-test and post-
Table of Contents
Page
Title Page........................................................................................................................ i
Approval Sheet............................................................................................................... ii
Acknowledgement........................................................................................................ iii
Dedication...................................................................................................................... iv
Abstract.......................................................................................................................... v
Table of Contents........................................................................................................... vi
List of Tables................................................................................................................. ix
Chapter
1 Introduction....................................................................................................... 1
Hypothesis............................................................................................. 4
Theoretical Framework......................................................................... 4
Conceptual Framework......................................................................... 6
Definition of Terms.............................................................................. 9
Curriculum Implementation.................................................................. 12
vii
Curriculum Alignment.......................................................................... 13
Examination.......................................................................................... 14
Test Validity......................................................................................... 17
3 Methodology.................................................................................................... 19
Research Design................................................................................... 19
Population Sample................................................................................ 19
Instrumentation..................................................................................... 20
Statistical Treatment............................................................................. 21
T-test formula....................................................................................... 26
Pearson r formula................................................................................. 35
Works cited.................................................................................................................. 47
Appendices................................................................................................................... 49
C. CEM pre-test and post-test results for English of the third year students....... 53
Curriculum Vitae......................................................................................................... 60
viii
List of Figures
Figure Page
1 Conceptual Framework..................................................................................... 6
List of Tables
Table Page
1 Quality Index.................................................................................................... 25
Chapter 1
Introduction
www.aijcrnet.com, Retrieved on: November 29, 2012). It is generally known as the key
to success. It is the most fundamental building blocks of human development and poverty
November 29, 2012). It is also known as the way to ascend from poverty (Bird et al.,
Education not only is the key to achievement, but also is the way towards human
improvement.
In general, examinations are held in order to test, assess, and check the capabilities of the
human brain to hold information. Examinations range from the common curriculum
assessment to institutional admission. Exams are not only used to test and assess if
students learned enough from what their curriculum covers, but also to make statements
about student competence and to make decisions about the next aspect of teaching for
It is an advantage that there are established organizations that nurture and assess
evaluation of the exams taken by the students. It helps educators to evaluate students in
2
different subjects according to level of achievement. In this way, educators can create
plans of action in order to assess the students on their difficulties. One organization
which include Math, Science and Language Proficiency. One of the many clients of CEM
is Don Bosco College, the researchers educational institution. Twice in a school year, the
employees from the CEM conduct exams to be taken by students of Don Bosco College
Basic Education Department. These exams include a pre-test or a diagnostic test, which
tests the students of their foreknowledge of their current curriculum, and a post-test or an
achievement test, which tests the students of their knowledge after taking up lessons in
their curriculum. The tests provide information to educators on the strengths and
their teaching plans in order to relay information for students to learn. An implementation
of the curriculum is the exam. Exams that are inclusive of the school, for instance, the
quarterly exam, generally test students of their retained knowledge after taking up their
lessons. Other exams, like those administered by the CEM, generally test students of their
Results of taking exams provide information for educators about the effectiveness of their
Organizations like the CEM help educators in teaching students well and make
tools that help educators in the evaluation of students. This specific thesis topic will be a
discussion about one of the administered exams of CEM: the pre-test and the post-test.
This discussion would be focusing on the subject of English. Particularly, this study will
be a discussion of the relationship of the English curriculum with the results of the CEM
pre-test and post-test for English of the third year high school students of Don Bosco
This thesis is about the relationship of the English curriculum with the results of
the CEM pre-test and post-test for English of the third year high school students of Don
Bosco College Basic Education Department, School Year 2011 2012. The purpose of
this study is to effectively distinguish and show findings of a relationship regarding the
English curriculum and the results of the CEM English tests. This study aims to show
proof of a connection between the curriculum and the results of an exam. Moreover, this
study aims to discuss the concepts involving the curriculum and exams. The researchers
intend on discovering new truths and understandings regarding the said two concepts.
1. Is there a relationship between the English curriculum and the results of the
CEM pre-test and post-test for English of the third year high school students of Don
2. Where does CEM base its pre-test and post-test for the subject of English III?
4
4. Does having a high score in the CEM post-test for English mean that a student
5. Does the final average in English III of the third year high school students
Hypothesis
There is no relationship between the English curriculum and the results of the
CEM pre-test and post-test for English of the third year high school students of Don
Bosco College Basic Education Department, School Year 2011 2012 because there is
There is a relationship between the English curriculum and the results of the CEM
pre-test and post-test for English of the third year high school students of Don Bosco
College Basic Education Department, School Year 2011 2012 because there is an
Theoretical Framework
The researchers cited the paper of Thomas Leitzel and Daniel Vogler to provide a
theoretical framework for this study. In their paper entitled Curriculum Alignment:
between the curriculum, the instruction, and the assessment (Leitzel and Vogler, 1994,
According to Leitzel and Vogler (1994), the situation that exists when planned
Retrieved on: January 1, 2013). It can be analyzed in three ways, which are: Planning to
Delivery, Delivery to Evaluation, and Planning to Evaluation. These three ways are
objectives, instruction, and testing placed at the corners. The objectives refer to the
curriculum; the instruction or delivery refers to the teaching of educators; while the
Leitzel and Vogler (1994) state that there are two distinctions of curriculum
alignment; one of which is called the design alignment, which is the relationship of the
2013). According to them, a unity exists between what is planned and what is tested. The
curriculum affects what is being taught, and subsequently, affects what is going to be
evaluated from the assessment, which is why educators avoid the concept of
misalignment, which is a condition wherein content planning and testing decisions are
not congruent.
According to Leitzel and Vogler (1994), pre-tests provide a baseline to evaluate the
changes over a semester's time and hence the effectiveness of the instruction that has
taken place (Retrieved from: www.eric.ed.gov, Retrieved on: January 1, 2013). Tests at
the beginning of a course serve as a pre-test of content knowledge so that educators can
6
measure students' knowledge of the concepts to be covered in the course and can plan
their instruction accordingly. The post-test comes after the course proper to evaluate
Conceptual Framework
Improved results
Results of the
of the CEM post-
CEM pre-test for Curriculum test for English
English III
III
Figure 1. This figure displays the relationship between the English curriculum and the
subject. According to the figure above, the CEM pre-test for English is a preview of the
forthcoming curriculum of the subject English III. The results from the pre-test would
then become the basis whether or not the post-test scores would improve. After taking up
the curriculum, the CEM post-test for English is held in order to check any improvements
made from the previous scores of the pre-test. The researchers predict that the post-test
scores of the third year students will be higher compared to that of the pre-test because
the students gained knowledge from taking the English III curriculum of the school.
Overall improved scores made in the post-test outcomes to having a relationship between
the English curriculum and the test scores. The researchers have taken into note that the
said CEM tests are not only exclusive exams for the school benefit; the exams are
7
standardized, in other words, the exams distributed by CEM to different client schools are
all the same. This means that the CEM tests would not become the basis for revision of
This thesis is about the relationship of the English curriculum with the results of
the CEM pre-test and post-test for English of the third year high school students of Don
Bosco College Basic Education Department, School Year 2011 2012. Generally,
because this study is relatively new, this study is significant in a way that it will give new
following reasons:
way that it may serve as evident material for use in possibly making
improving exams other than the CEM tests that would fit and align with the
2. Apart from the school as a whole, this study is significant to the samples of
this study, which are the third year students of Don Bosco College Basic
the respondents of this study. It may also become proof material that would
prove that there is a relationship between the curriculum and the CEM pre-test
3. Finally, this study is significant to the researchers in a way that it will serve as
their preparation for writing other academic papers. Also, it will serve as their
legacy to the researchers Alma Mater, Don Bosco College, as they advance
for college.
In this study, the researchers will discuss topics in relation to the English
curriculum and the results of the CEM pre-test and post-test. The population incorporated
in this study is focused on only one year level: the third year high school students of Don
Bosco College. In addition, this study includes only the students of School Year 2011
2012. The population includes all of the four sections of the said year level, namely, Rua,
Rinaldi, Calasanz and Cafasso, having a total of 136 students. Additionally, this study
includes the results of the CEM pre-test and post-test for English, to which it is primarily
the subject of focus of the researchers. Included also in this study are the English final
grades of the third year students. Finally, this study includes comparisons between the
English curriculum and the results of the CEM tests for English.
Given the time constraint, the main limitation of this study are basically the
factors that could have affected the English final grades and the results of the two CEM
tests. Another limitation is the lack of information regarding the scope of the English III
9
curriculum of the said population. Furthermore, this study does not include topics
generally involving other subject matters, which include the CEM tests for Mathematics
and Science. Other matters that are not included in this study are the other high school
students of the year levels of First Year, Second Year, and Fourth Year of School Year
2011 2012. Also not included in this study is the population of high school students
from previous school years, e.g. S.Y. 2010 2011. The population of the study only
limits to high school students of Don Bosco College, which would not include students
from other departments, for instance, the College Department. This study does not
include students from outside institutions. Finally, the researchers did not include the
usage of surveys in order to collect data because of the time constraint and the readily
Definition of Terms
6. English III Refers to the English subject of the third year high school level.
7. Feedback The information about reactions to an area which is used as a basis for
improvement.
10
9. GPA Refers to the final grade; acronym for Grade Point Average.
10. High Stakes Testing - Any testing program whose results have important
14. Validity The extent to which the measurement procedures accurately reflect the
Chapter 2
Review of Literature
experiences under school supervision. It comprises all activities which are provided
inside schools to the student in order to achieve the predetermined goal (Conde,
Retrieved from: www.scribd.com, Retrieved on: November 21, 2012). Lunenburg and
Ornstein (1991) state that it is a plan of action, or written document, which includes
strategies for achieving desired goals or ends for the learners better education (p. 381).
It can be defined as dealing with the experiences of the learners. It can also be viewed as
a field of study, that is, an intellectual or academic subject that attempts to analyze and
synthesize major positions, trends, and concepts of the curriculum. The word curriculum
has Latin origin which means a runway; a course to which one runs to reach a goal
(Conde, Retrieved from: www.scribd.com, Retrieved on: November 21, 2012). This
guidance.
and learned in schools as reflected in courses of study and school programs (Conde,
Retrieved from: www.scribd.com, Retrieved on: November 21, 2012). This process
involves planning, implementation, and evaluation. Within the curriculum, the single
most important instrument of structure in a course is the syllabus, which outlines the
Lynch, Retrieved from: www.asu.edu, Retrieved on: November 21, 2012). Each of these
identify the expected outcomes and scope of the course as determined by the instructor or
course designer, restricting the domain of knowledge for the learner (Kearsley & Lynch,
Retrieved from: www.asu.edu, Retrieved on: November 21, 2012). The grading scheme
tells students what kinds of learning activities are to be valued, for instance, assignments,
tests, and projects. Topics to be covered specify the content that the instructor feels
important. A schedule provides a timetable for learning, usually with milestones in the
form of due dates or tests (Kearsley & Lynch, Retrieved from: www.asu.edu, Retrieved
Curriculum Implementation
concerned with instructional activities that facilitate or put the design into practice (p.
392). It includes instructional methods, materials, and resources listed in courses of study,
unit plans, and lesson plans and often observed in classrooms as teaching and learning
Lunenburg and Ornstein (1991), the help teachers receive from resource personnel,
supervisors, and administrators is the basis of implementation (p. 392). On the other
hand, curriculum evaluation involves the procedures for evaluating student outcomes.
Evaluative data becomes the basis for decision making and planning among the
13
curriculum models because it allows questions, mission statements and school goals to be
raised and answered and relates those questions and answers to the stages that follow.
Diagnosis deals with the problems of the school, the needs of students and possibly staff,
and the transformation of goals into instructional objectives (Lunenburg & Ornstein,
1991, p. 392).
Curriculum Alignment
the vehicle is pointed in a straight line (District Administration [DA], Retrieved from
curriculum alignment follows the same principle, with the wheels being curriculum,
instruction, standards and assessment. Research indicates this kind of alignment can point
teachers, and helping them understand how their instructional decisions contribute to
and alignment, and professional development offerings should be able to address their
concerns, for instance, on how to combine individual teaching styles with effective
Examination
of the curriculum, which is teaching. Kubiszyn (2000) mentions that testing and
assessment are now widely accepted as necessary for students, teachers, parents,
administrators and other decision makers to determine whether the students are learning
increasingly (p. 2). In the assessment process, test results are subject to critical study
appropriate and integrated with relevant background and contextual information, e.g.,
reading level, language proficiency, and cultural considerations, to ensure that the
knowing the results of the diagnostic and achievement test, the students
15
low, he strives hard to get higher score in the next examination; (4) The
Calmorin (1994) describes the kinds of assessment and evaluation, which are:
student from the subject matter taught in the school; (2) Diagnostic test: a
in any given field and serve as basis for remedial instruction; (3)
administered exams for the high school are the Diagnostic test and the Achievement test,
the Diagnostic test or the pre-test being an exam to test students of their foreknowledge
of a subject curriculum, and the Achievement test or the post-test being an exam to test
students of their knowledge after taking up the subject curriculum. Some of the benefits,
effectiveness of the learning program, identification of students who need support in their
16
Diagnostic test for Year III is primarily designed to give parents, teachers or guidance
and weaknesses in English, thereby identifying what content areas are to be taken up and
what specific learning competencies and cognitive skills are to be developed in the
classroom (p. 1). At the level of the student, the outcomes from the test can be used to
classify students into sections according to their knowledge and skills in English and also,
they can be used to determine a number of students who need to undergo remedial
instructions. At the level of the school, the test can be used to evaluate school
performance based on a national norm. The test results can also be used as guide for
on areas where majority of the students in the school got lower scores than the norm
All of the CEM pre-tests and post-tests, including the subject English for third
year students, are based on test specifications which serve as a blueprint that defines the
achievement area and the behavioral objectives to be tested, the number of questions to
be included, and the types of items to be used in the third year level (CEM, 2009, p. 2).
According to CEM (2009), these test specifications are based on a survey of the high
school English curricula of a respective number of private schools in Luzon, Visayas, and
17
Mindanao (p. 2). CEM works with subject area professionals to review various syllabi,
textbooks and the current curriculum for scope and sequence. CEM then contacts other
subject area professionals to write test items based on the final specifications after a
The professionals who prepare the test specifications review and revise the test
items and are evaluated in terms of format, difficulty, accuracy and appropriateness. The
initially formed English test is then pretested and then the results of which are used in
statistical analysis to determine the acceptability of the items. Items with good statistical
characteristics are then selected for the final form of the test based on the test
specifications. The final form is tested to a sample of schools. The data from the tests will
then be used to determine test reliability and validity (CEM, 2009, p. 2).
Test Validity
According to CEM (2009), special care is taken in the selection of the consultants
to which the selection process insures that they are knowledgeable in the curricula and
various textbooks, syllabi, practices, and philosophies in the level of secondary education
assigned to them. These consultants are responsible for selecting and defining the content
areas covered by the tests based on the current secondary school curriculum, therefore,
the diagnostic tests have built-in content validities assured from the initial
conceptualization to the final draft of the test specifications (CEM, 2009, p. 8).
The CEM conducts validity studies in order to check the validity of the tests. The
between the final grades and the test scores (CEM, 2009). This has been the practice at
CEM from the very beginning when it launched the diagnostic tests.
According to CEM (2009), the validity coefficients of the English test for third
year high school were obtained from schools in the norm groups of the specified year
level and range from 0.44 to 0.78. The correlations showed positive relationships
between the final grades and test scores. This indicates that the content specifications of
the diagnostic test and instructional objectives of the schools are closely related. The
higher the correlation, the closer the specifications of the CEM tests is to the instructional
Chapter 3
Methodology
Research Design
In this study, the descriptive design is used. In the descriptive design, the purpose
is to find new truth, which may have different forms such as the discovery of a new
causal relationship (L. Calmorin & M. Calmorin, 2007, p.70). L. Calmorin and M.
Calmorin (2007) state that the descriptive design is divided into nine types, one of which
is the correlational design (p. 70). The correlational design is used in determining the
relationship between two variables, X and Y, whether the relationship is perfect, very
high, high, moderate, slight, or negligible (L. Calmorin & M. Calmorin, 2007, p. 73). For
this particular study, the correlational design is most appropriate because it determines
the relationship between two variables, in this case, the English curriculum and as a
whole, the results of CEM pre-test and post-test for English of the third year students.
Population Sample
The population sample selected for this study is the third year high school
students of DBC BED, SY 2011 2012. Four sections comprised the third year batch
of the specified School Year, namely Rua, Rinaldi, Calasanz, and Cafasso. These four
sections were heterogeneous, meaning that the students of the third year level were not
students from Rua, 34 from Rinaldi, 33 from Calasanz, and 35 from Cafasso, having a
total population of 136 students. The students belonged to the age range of 14 to 16 years
20
old. Students from this year level are all male in gender, for the reason that the school
Although the total number of students of the third year level of SY 2011 2012
amounts to 136, the researchers will not consider the number of students who did not take
either the pre-test or the post-test. Seven students were not able to take either test, which
amounts the number of samples to 129 students. The 129 students will be used by the
Instrumentation
The data gathered for use in this study are the English final grades and the results
of the CEM pre-test and post-test for English of the third year high school students of
School Year 2011 2012. The researchers obtained the English final grades of the said
The data gathered for use in this study were all obtained with permission from
Mr. Artell L. Almonte, the subject teacher in English of the researchers, and approval of
the school Principal, Rev. Fr. Arnold M. Sanico, SDB. The scores in both the CEM pre-
test and post-test for English were obtained by the researchers from the Guidance Office
of the school, particularly from Ms. Shareena T. Manaig, the schools Guidance
Counselor, and Mrs. Marilyn P. Tamayo, the Head of the Guidance Office. On the other
hand, the English final grades of the said sample were obtained from the Registrars
Office, mainly from Ms. Katherine O. Anillo, the schools Records Keeper of the BED,
Statistical Treatment
Because this study incorporates the relationships between two variables, the
statistical formulas to be used will be under that of the correlational analysis (L. Calmorin
& M. Calmorin, 2007, p.70). The statistical procedures used in analyzing and interpreting
the data include the T-test and the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient.
The main statistical formula to be used will be the T-test, also referred to as the
Students T-test. The formula for the T-test is as follows (L. Calmorin & M. Calmorin,
2007, p. 120):
where:
stands for the total number of operations of the first variable; and
This formula focuses on the two main variables in this study, which in this case
are the CEM pre-test results, denoted by the symbol Y1, and the CEM post-test results,
denoted by the symbol Y2. This formula is appropriate in determining any significant
difference found between the two variables. In other terms, this formula is appropriate in
finding an improvement of the second variable, the CEM post-test, from the first variable,
the CEM pre-test. The formula above is an example of a two-tailed, paired two-sampled
mean T-test, meaning that the rejection region in a T-test graph, or the area of rejection of
the Null Hypothesis, is located at two extremes of the range of values for the test
statistics (Montaa & Pagoso, 1985, p. 266-267). Also, it incorporates the usage of the
means of the two variables. The researchers will use a level of significance of 5%, or
0.05. This means that the probability of acceptance of the Null Hypothesis is very small,
implying that the study will have 95% probability of accepting the Alternative
Hypothesis.
For the purpose of strengthening proofs in this study, the second statistical
referred to as the Pearson r. The formula for obtaining the Pearson Product-Moment
( )( )
[ ( ) ][ ( ) ]
where:
two given variables, in this case, the final grades in English of the third year high school
students, denoted by the symbol X, and the CEM post-test, denoted by the symbol Y.
According to Montaa and Pagoso (1985), the value of the Correlation Coefficient ranges
perfect positive correlation, meaning that as the variable X increases, the variable Y also
increases. In-between values between 1 and +1, except zero, signify some degrees of
correlation, whereas a value of 0 signifies no correlation at all (Montaa & Pagoso, 1985,
interpretations. According to Calderon and Gonzales (1993), a value from .00 to 0.20
present but slight correlation; a value from 0.40 to 0.70 denotes a substantial or
24
marked relationship; and a value from 0.70 to 1.00 denotes a high to very high
Chapter 4
The gathered data about the population for this study were tabulated carefully by
the researchers and made sure that each test score of a particular student corresponds to
their respective final grade in the subject of English. The test scores of the two CEM
English Tests to be used as values for the statistical treatment of this study are the
Standard Scores (SS), which, according to CEM (2009), reports how many standard
deviations above or below the mean an examinee is. The Standard Scores range from 200
to 800 and has a mean of 500 with a standard deviation of 100 (CEM, 2009, p. 3). A
detailed interpretation of the Standard Scores is given through the quality index (QI) of
students, which is the corresponding qualitative description of the Standard Score and is
used as complement to enhance the interpretation of scores (CEM, 2009, p. 4). The range
of standard scores with their equivalent quality indexes is shown through the table below:
Table 1. The table above shows the Standard Score ranges with their equivalent quality
The Standard Scores which are zero in both the pre-test and the post-test signifies
the absence of a student. For the first part involving the T-test formula, the population
number to be used will be 129 students for the reason that seven students werent able to
take either the pre-test or the post-test. For the second part involving the Pearson r, the
population number to be used will also be 129 students. The English final grades were
The first part of the statistical treatment would involve the use of the T-test. The
variable Y1 would be the CEM pre-test Standard Scores, while the variable Y2 would be
the CEM post-test Standard Scores, both of the subject English. The components N1 and
N2 used for this particular formula both denote the same population number of the two
variables being compared, which would be 129 third year students. The table of the
Table 2. The table below shows the gathered values of the CEM pre-test Standard Scores
and the CEM post-test Standard Scores of the 129 third year high school
students.
A way of interpreting the data given above is through the frequency distribution.
The frequency distribution allows a detailed interpretation of data based on a given range
of criteria, which is in this case, the quality index of the Standard Scores. Below is a bar
graph indicating the frequency distribution of the pre-test and post-test scores:
35
30
Number of Students
25
20 Pre-test
15 Post-test
Linear (Pre-test)
10
Linear (Post-test)
5
0
VP P BE LA A HA AA S E
Quality Index
Figure 2. This frequency distribution bar graph tells the number of students who fall
under the given quality indexes for both the pre-test and the post-test. Refer to
test as shown through an increase in the number of students from the High Average to the
29
Excellent quality indexes. In the quality index of Very Poor, the frequency of students
decreased from 7 in the pre-test to 3 in the post-test; the quality index of Poor showed a
slight decrease in the frequency of students, from 12 in the pre-test to 9 in the post-test;
the quality index of Below Average showed a significant decrease in frequency from 31
in the pre-test to 22 in the post-test; the quality index of Low Average showed a slight
increase in frequency from 13 in the pre-test to 16 in the post-test; the quality index of
Average showed a slight decrease in frequency from 25 in the pre-test to 21 in the post-
test; the quality index of High Average showed an increase in frequency from 17 in the
pre-test to 20 in the post-test; the quality index of Above Average showed a slight
increase in frequency from 11 in the pre-test to 14 in the post-test; the quality index of
the post-test; and finally, the quality index of Excellent showed a significant increase in
frequency from 6 in the pre-test to 13 in the post-test. In the pre-test, the highest number
of students based on quality index falls under Below Average, having a value of 31,
while the lowest number of students falls under Very Poor, having a value of 7. In the
post-test, the highest number of students based on quality index falls also under Below
Average, having a value of 22, while the lowest number of students falls still under Very
Poor, having a value of 3. If the means of the two variables were computed, the pre-test
scores would have a mean of 473.379845 or 473 when rounded off to the nearest whole
number, while the post-test scores would have a mean of 511.372093 or 511 when
rounded off. If the two means were categorized according to quality index, the overall
pre-test scores would fall under Low Average, while the overall post-test scores would
fall under Average. Apparently, this indicates an overall improvement in the scores.
30
The linear trend lines of the two variables were included in the chart above. It
shows two slopes that correspond to its variables. The pre-test frequencies have an
overall slightly downward slope towards the right, which indicates that the student
frequencies decrease as the quality indexes increase. The post-test frequencies have an
overall slightly upward slope towards the right, which indicates that the student
frequencies increase as the quality indexes increase. This apparently implies that more of
the students have scores in the post-test higher than the pre-test in terms of quality index.
Further below in the study, the scientific procedures involving the two score sets will be
An easier illustration of the frequency distribution of the data above is shown here
35
30
Number of Students
25
20
15 Pre-test
Post-test
10
0
VP P BE LA A HA AA S E
Quality Index
Figure 3. This frequency distribution line graph is another illustration of the previous bar
graph regarding the number of students who fall under the given quality
indexes. Refer to table 4.1 for the full designations of the Quality Index.
31
In order to verify the reliability of the interpretations given above, the scientific
procedure to be used will be the T-test. Through the process of calculation for use in the
substitution of values for the T-test, the average of the CEM pre-test 1, the average of
the CEM post-test 2, and the variances, or the squares of the standard deviations of the
473.379845
511.372093
106.1585178
111.0305545
11269.63091
12327.78403
Table 3. This table shows the initial computed values of the pre-test Standard Scores and
the post-test Standard Scores for use in computing for the T-value.
The degree of freedom, denoted by the symbol df, is the number of variables
which are free to vary (Blay, 2007, p. 74). For this kind of T-test, which is a paired two-
sampled mean T-test, the degree of freedom has a formula of N 1. The symbol N
denotes the population number used for this formula. Because the aforementioned
population variables N1 and N2 are both equal to 129, the singular variable N will also be
129. The degree of freedom to be used for this T-test would therefore be 129 1, which
is 128.
32
( ) ( )
( ) ( )
( ) ( )
The obtained T-value is -2.809038119. Getting the absolute value and rounding
off the obtained value to two decimal places results to 2.81. According to L. Calmorin
and M. Calmorin (2007), the algebraic sign of the T-value is not applied in getting the
difference between the means 1 and 2 (p. 168). The level of significance, denoted by
the Greek symbol , used by the researchers is only 5% or 0.05, and the type of T-test
used here is two-tailed. The critical value for a two-tailed test at 5% level of significance,
in accordance to the degree of freedom value of 128, is 1.9787, or 1.98 when rounded off
33
2.81 is greater than the critical value of 1.98, indicating that the two variables, the pre-test
and the post-test, have a significant difference from each other. This indicates that the
post-test Standard Scores have improved over from the pre-test Standard Scores. Below
is a scatter graph illustration of how the value points are distributed when plotted:
800
700
Post-test Standard Scores
600
500
400
300
200
200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Pre-test Standard Scores
Figure 4. This scatter graph displays the closeness of the values between the CEM pre-
test (Y1) and the CEM post-test (Y2). Plotted value points which are showed
with a degree of closeness with each other and have a positive slope are said to
Figure 4 displays value points that are sloping upwards towards the right. This
shows that the relationship of the pre-test Standard Scores and the post-test Standard
34
Scores is a direct relationship in which as one variable increases, the other variable also
increases.
which plotted points are arranged in a bell-shaped curve according to the number of
frequencies of the scores relative to the mean and standard deviation. Below is a Normal
Pre-test
Post-test
Figure 5. This scatter graph displays the Normal Distribution curves of the CEM pre-test
In the illustration from Figure 5, the pre-test scores show a peak higher than that
of the post-test scores. The height of the normal curves above is determined by the
standard deviation, or the average distances of the values from each other. A high peak
indicates a small standard deviation while a low peak indicates a high standard deviation.
The pre-test scores have values closer with each other, shown by a higher peak, while the
35
post-test scores have values slightly scattered and farther from each other, shown by a
lower peak. The values of the two curves show a concentration at the peak of the
distribution, signifying that more of the students in the population got average scores.
The mean of a normal distribution is situated at the center of the curve the point which
has the peak of a distribution. In the figure, the post-test curve shows a shift to the right.
This indicates that the mean of the post-test scores is higher compared to the mean of the
pre-test scores. This further justifies the improvement of the post-test scores from the pre-
test scores.
The second part of the statistical treatment would involve the use of the Pearson
Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient, or the Pearson r. The values for the variable X
would be the English final grades of the students. The values for the variable Y would be
the Standard Scores of the CEM post-test for English. The population number N used for
this formula would be 129 Third Year students. The table of the gathered initial data is
40 86 587 85 79 362
41 90 643 86 85 411
Final Post-
Student 42 83 485 87 81 349
Grades Test
No. 43 92 672 88 79 300
(X) SS (Y)
44 89 694 89 83 614
45 87 453 90 89 580
1 83 300 46 82 485 91 81 362
2 82 259 47 85 485 92 85 443
3 81 411 48 86 433 93 86 539
4 93 643 49 96 737 94 81 684
5 82 539 50 88 587 95 78 643
6 79 320 51 84 512 96 92 572
7 88 512 52 80 411 97 82 512
8 94 614 53 95 662 98 82 422
9 84 485 54 87 572 99 77 485
10 82 411 55 81 399 100 81 399
11 92 694 56 90 564 101 83 399
12 86 547 57 81 623 102 80 463
13 75 387 58 84 453 103 82 555
14 86 474 59 82 380 104 80 572
15 78 411 60 84 494 105 80 503
16 91 595 61 86 411 106 79 494
17 88 726 62 81 595 107 81 595
18 80 399 63 80 387 108 90 715
19 84 547 64 89 672 109 87 539
20 78 463 65 89 651 110 85 643
21 79 387 66 85 539 111 84 555
22 83 453 67 88 623 112 85 572
23 82 547 68 84 485 113 75 614
24 85 547 69 80 443 114 77 547
25 83 453 70 79 433 115 77 633
26 79 433 71 81 453 116 96 737
27 81 399 72 79 411 117 89 512
28 85 539 73 78 474 118 96 684
29 83 362 74 88 474 119 85 555
30 94 672 75 78 362 120 83 443
31 85 453 76 85 614 121 80 485
32 85 564 77 93 800 122 84 474
33 81 336 78 87 485 123 82 512
34 82 329 79 79 387 124 89 614
35 83 411 80 79 512 125 89 604
36 85 580 81 86 662 126 82 422
37 81 387 82 80 362 127 88 633
38 82 433 83 82 375 128 82 433
39 90 694 84 89 539 129 84 587
37
Table 4. This table above shows the gathered values of the English final grades and the
CEM post-test Standard Scores of the 129 third year high school students.
The frequency distribution is used once again to interpret the data given above,
specifically the final grades in English. The frequency distribution is a way of grouping a
given set of data based on a given range, which is in this case, the range of final grades
that would appear on a DBCBED, SY 2011 - 2012 report card. Those grades range from
70 to 100 70 being the lowest possible grade to appear in the said report card, and 100
being the highest possible grade. Below is a bar graph indicating the frequency
16
14
12
Number of Students
10
8
6
4
2
0
70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100
Final Grades in English
Figure 6. This frequency distribution bar graph tells the number of students who fall
According to Figure 6, the most number of students under a particular grade falls
under 82, with 15 as the number of students. The least number of students under a
particular grade falls under 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 76, 97, 98, 99, and 100, with 0 as the
number of students. If the mean, median, and mode of the final grades were computed,
the resulting mean would be 84.07751938, or 84 when rounded off to the nearest whole
number; the median, or the middle score of the data, would be 83, and the mode would be
82, as already indicated by the most number of students under a particular grade.
line graph, which gives an easier visualization of the frequencies of the final grades in
English:
16
14
12
Number of Students
10
8
6
4
2
0
70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100
Final Grades in English
Figure 7. This frequency distribution line graph is another illustration of the previous bar
graph regarding the number of students who fall under the given final grades.
39
Moment Correlation Coefficient in order to see if there is a relationship between the final
grades in English and the CEM post-test results. Through the process of calculation for
use in the substitution of values for Pearson r, the summation of the English final grades
summation of the square of the variable X, summation of the square of the variable Y,
square of the summation of the variable X, and the square of summation of the variable Y
10846
65967
5588365
914646
35323967
( ) 117635716
( ) 4351645089
Table 5. This table shows the initial computed values of the English final grades and the
post-test Standard Scores for use in computing for the Correlation Coefficient.
as follows:
40
( )( )
[ ( ) ][ ( ) ]
( )( ) ( )( )
[( )( ) ( )][( )( ) ( )]
This value is positive number, greater than zero, and less than +1. Recalling the
that a value from 0.40 to 0.70 denotes a substantial or marked relationship. The
obtained value of 0.64 signifies that the English final grades and the Standard Scores of
the CEM post-test for English have a substantial relationship. To illustrate the
distribution and closeness of the above values, the scatter graph is used as shown below:
41
800
700
Post-test Standard Scores
600
500
400
300
200
70 75 80 85 90 95 100
Final Grades
Figure 8. This scatter graph displays the closeness of values between the English final
grades (X) and the post test scores (Y). Value points that are nearly close with
The graph displayed above contains value points that are close to each other and
are sloping upward towards the right. This means that the relationship between the
English final grades and the post-test scores is positive and direct. If it were a perfect
positive relationship, the scatter graph would display a straight line, sloping upward
towards the right. The manner of sloping indicates that as one variable increases, the
other also increases. This shows that there is a relationship between the English final
grades and the post-test Standard Scores, and that the relationship is positive and
substantially high. According to the graph above, there are some points that are low in the
final grades but are high in the post-test. However, there are other points that display an
average in the final grade but low in the post-test. This indicates that there are variations
Chapter 5
Summary
objective is to serve the assessment needs of schools throughout the Philippine setting.
The CEM administers tests of achievement in various subjects in the basic education of
schools. Through this study, the researchers have shown the different parts of education,
In the review of literature, the concepts regarding the curriculum and the
examinations were discussed, including the CEM. It is cited that the CEM pre-test and
post-test for English were developed by the preparation of test specifications based on a
survey on the English curricula of a number of schools. It is also cited that the said tests
are both reliable and valid, thus supporting the fact that the CEM bases its tests on the
established English curriculum. This fact answers the second question of this studys
problem, which states that Where does CEM base its pre-test and post-test for the
Also in the review of literature, the researchers cited that the validity of the two
CEM tests was processed by correlating the test scores and final grades in English of a
high, indicating that there is a relationship between the test scores and the final grades of
the said subject. This answers the fifth question of this studys problem, which states that
43
Does the final average in English III of the third year high school students have a
Going back to the first chapter of this study, the Conceptual Framework of the
researchers indicated that the researchers predicted that the relationship between the
English curriculum and the CEM pre-test and post-test for English will exist if the
students have overall improved scores in the post-test than in the pre-test. This is so
because the curriculum is a guide that, through implementation, would result to students
having high post-test scores by consequently gaining knowledge from the curriculum.
methods, in which the study bases its conclusions by means of numerical processing. The
researchers tested the prediction by means of the main statistical treatment, which is the
T-test. The T-test is used mainly for this study because it verifies whether two variables
have differences from each other, in this case, the pre-test scores and the post-test scores.
The result of the T-test showed a value of 2.81, and it is shown that it is greater than the
equivalent critical T-value of 1.98, thus supporting the fact that there is a difference
between the pre-test scores and the post-test scores, in other words, the post-test scores
have overall improved scores than in the pre-test. This finding answers the third question
of this studys problem, which states that Is there an improvement made in the results of
Additionally, in order to verify the validity of the CEM Tests, the researchers
used the correlational statistical treatment, which is the Pearson r. This formula is used to
see if two variables, in this case, the final grades in English and the post-test scores of the
participants of the study, have a relationship with each other, whether it is direct, indirect,
44
substantial relationship. This confirms the validity of the CEM Tests. If the values are
matched with each other and are shown through a scatter graph, the illustration would
display a positive, upward-rightward slope, but with some scattering points. There were
some points that displayed low English final grades but high post-test scores, while other
points displayed average English final grades but low post-test scores. This confirms that
not all the time low grades mean low scores; there is degree of variation between the two
variables, thus answering the fourth question of this studys problem, which states that
Does having a high score in the CEM post-test for English mean that a student has a
Conclusion
the post-test scores of the students from the pre-test scores. This logically means that the
students learned enough and gained knowledge from the English curriculum, therefore,
the relationship exists between the two CEM test results and the English curriculum. In
the Pearson r computations, the correlation coefficient indicated that there is a substantial
relationship between the English final grades and the post-test scores of the participants.
This signifies that the specifications of the CEM tests are close to the instructional
objectives or the curricula of the school, thus concluding that the CEM tests are valid and
consequently, become related to the English curriculum. From the overall computations
in Chapter 4, the researchers conclude for this study that the hypothesis to be accepted is
the Alternative Hypothesis (HA) and the hypothesis to be rejected is the Null Hypothesis
45
(HO). The Alternative Hypothesis (HA) indicates that There is a relationship between the
English curriculum and the results of the CEM pre-test and post-test for English of the
third year high school students of Don Bosco College Basic Education Department,
School Year 2011 2012 because there is an improvement made in the post-test scores
from that of the pre-test. The researchers have proven that there is a relationship
between the English curriculum and the results of the CEM pre-test and post-test for
Recommendations
After the thorough analysis given through this study, the researchers would intend
on making recommendations based from their data. First, the researchers recommend to
DBC BED to encourage all the students to take the CEM pre-test and post-test with
complete attendance. This is for the reason that the researchers did not completely
consider in the computations all the students of this study, which are the third year
students of SY 2011 2012. There were a number of student absences present in the
originally obtained data, and because more accurate answers ideally require the complete
scores of the students for the pre-test and post-test, the researchers decided to eliminate
those absences and retained those with complete scores for use in the statistical treatment.
A benefit from this is that it can help all the students and the institution to know the
matter in which particular students are low-performing and who are in need of assistance,
especially in the English subject. Another benefit is that it can help future studies
regarding the two CEM tests to have possibly more reliable results because of the
46
completeness of the scores in the pre-test and post-test. Additionally, the institution can
Second, the researchers recommend to the students of DBC BED to study hard
and review for the CEM test for English III, especially for the post-test. This is to
produce overall higher scores in the post-test than those found by the researchers in this
study. Also, the researchers recommend that the students be aware of the scope of the
CEM tests and that they practice their skills in different fields through the curriculum, for
instance, reading comprehension, to have better chances of having a high score in the said
tests.
Finally, the researchers recommend including the study of factors which could
have affected the results of the CEM pre-test and post-test for English III, as well as the
English final grades. These factors are, for instance, the behavior of students while taking
the said exams, the conditions of the students during the exams, and the scope of the
exam. The researchers recommend the usage of short surveys in order to obtain the
factors affecting the results, though the surveys are optional. The factors affecting the
said two variables are the main limitation of this current established study. Additionally,
the researchers recommend including information regarding the scope of the English III
curriculum.
47
Works cited
Bird, K., Gitau, R., Karin, F. Z., Mathenge, M., Miller, R., & Nteza, E. K. (2011).
Boit, M., Changach, J. K., & Njoki, A. (2012). The influence of examinations on the
http://www.aijcrnet.com.
Calderon, J. F., & Gonzales, E. C. (1993). Measurement and Evaluation. Caloocan City:
National Bookstore.
Calmorin, L. P., & Calmorin, M. A. (2007). Research methods and thesis writing (2nd
Center for Educational Measurement. (2009). English year 3: Score interpretation guide.
http://www.scribd.com.
48
District Administration. (2004, July 01). The benefits of curriculum alignment. District
http://www.districtadministration.com.
Izard, J. (2005). Overview of test construction. Retrieved November 29, 2012, from
http://www.unesco.org.
Kearsley. G., & Lynch, W. (1996). Structural issues in distance education. Retrieved
Kubiszyn, T. (2000). Educational testing and measurement. New York, NY: John Wiley
& Sons.
Montaa, R. A., & Pagoso, C. M. (1985). Introductory Statistics. Manila: Rex Bookstore.
World Bank. (2011). Education and the World Bank. Retrieved November 29, 2012,
from http://web.worldbank.org.
49
Appendices
50
Appendix A
Greetings of peace!
We, the Fourth Year High School students from the section of IV-Cimatti, are currently
working on our thesis entitled The Relationship of the English curriculum with the Results of
the CEM pre-test and post-test for English of the Third year high school students of Don
Bosco College Basic Education Department, School Year 2011 2012. In line with this,
we would like to ask permission from your good office to allow us to obtain the following
data:
1. The English CEM test results (both pre-test and post-test) of the Third year high
school students of DBC BED, SY 2011 2012.
2. The CEM Examinations Manual
3. The final grades in English of the Third year high school students of DBC
BED, SY 2011 2012.
Rest assured that the data obtained will be treated with utmost confidentiality. Likewise,
proper coordination will be done with the persons involved. Thank you very much.
Yours truly,
Appendix B
Appendix C
CEM pre-test and post-test results for English of the third year students
54
55
56
57
58
Appendix D
( ) ( )
( ) ( )
( ) ( )
59
Appendix E
( )( )
[ ( ) ][ ( ) ]
( )( ) ( )( )
[( )( ) ( )][( )( ) ( )]
[ ][ ]
[ ][ ]
60
Curriculum Vitae
Home Address: B29 L18 Yale St., Madison South, Calamba City, Laguna
Educational Background
Curriculum Vitae
Home Address: B4 L4 Phase 1-C, San Lorenzo South, Sta. Rosa City, Laguna
Educational Background
Curriculum Vitae
Educational Background
Curriculum Vitae
Home Address: B9 L17 Saturnina Drive, Amaia Scapes, Calamba City, Laguna
Educational Background