Developing true false technique of testing reading comprehension in english : an experimental study

الملخص EN

The True / False technique of testing is widely used by Iraqi teachers to test the learner's ability to read and understand English i.e.

to test his / her reading comprehension capability.

As an objective test T / F technique has many advantages such as economy.

scorability and practicablity ; but it is always criticised to have one main disadvantage which is susceptability of its items to guessing on the part of the testee.

The study deals with this problem through an experimental work together with the required theoretical background.

It presents a hypothesis that the high probability of guessing characteristic of T / F technique can be decreased by getting rid of the sharp distinction of this test, which can be easily achieved if a third alternative is involved as a response to its items.

The alternative "DS" can be added to the instructions of the test to be a response to the items that the passage "does not say" ; and thus, the testee would have three choices to mark the items of the passage with, which are T, F, and DS.

As a result the reliability of the test can also be reaised.

The procedure adopted is that a sample of 90 first year students from dept.

of English, College of Education / University of Thi-Qar sit for a two-hour test session in which they are exposed for half an hour to a reading passage suitable in its length and simplicity, then three tests are administered for half an hour for each : test 1 is the common type of T / F technique, test 2 is the one under study where the factor DS is involved, and test 3 is simply an application of the test-retest method to detect guessing, it includes the same items of tests 1 & 2 but in a different sequence.

First year students were chosen as a trues sample because they had had a good experience of responding to T / F technique whether in drilling or testing reading comprehension in their intermediate and secondary schools.

The supposed higher reliability of test 2 is to be proven through two ways : first in comparison with test 1 reiability when both are computed statistically with the use of Saupe's formula ; second with the use of test 3 the items guessed in tests 1 & 2 can be detected, and thus, if the items guessed in test 2 is less than those guessed in test 1 this would be an additional sign supporting the higher reliability of test 2 under study.

In conclusion, the hypothesis of the study is proved positively.

The factor DS has been found to lessen the probability of guessing of T / F technique in a percentage of 12 %, consequently, this supports the statistical results that prove the higher reiability of the test involving the factor than the common type of T / F test in a percentage of 10 % ; thus the addition of W'DS" alternative to the old T / F choices is proved to significantly affect the reliability of the test.