Preparation and validation of reading materials for elementary school pupils in grade three

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to prepare and validate supplementary reading materials for grade three pupils in Region VI with emphasis on the development of comprehension skills. This aimed to answer the following questions: 1. Are the reading materials within the interest of the grade three pupils? 2. Are they readable for the grade intended? 3. Are the test items accompanying the selections valid and reliable? The topics for the selections written were based on the results of the reading interest, inventory conducted in the seven districts of Region VI. The guidelines in the preparation of the reading materials were followed to insure compliance with the principles mentioned in the conceptual framework. The reading materials were tried out on 132 randomly selected grade three pupils of one central and three randomly selected barrio schools in the District of Oton, Division of Iloilo, in the school year, 1985-1986. The readability was determined with the use of the Fry Readability Formula and the Modified Cloze Test. The test exercises were subjected to item analysis and the KuderRichardson Formula 20 for determining their validity and reliability. Based on the results of these procedures done in the preparation and validation of the reading materials, it can be concluded that the materials are readable and are within the interest of grade three pupils. The test items are valid and reliable. It is recommended that the reading selections be used for independent reading and teacher guided reading for grade three pupils and remedial reading for grade four pupils. Teachers should try to know the reading interests of their pupils and try to write reading materials for them. The test items in every sub—test could be re-arranged on the basis of their indices of difficulty.