Comparative effects of computer-assisted and traditional testing on the reading skill of elementary children with mild mental retardation

• Main Author: Huang, Ming-Yuan (Gina)
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2005
• Subjects: Mental retardation; Reading > Ability testing; Mentally ill children; Computer-assisted instruction; Gifted Education; Special Education and Teaching
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/3260; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=10098&context=etd_masteral
• Institution: De La Salle University

This descriptive study sought to compare the effects of computer-assisted and traditional testing on the reading performance in the areas of letter identification, word identification, word attack and word comprehension of children with mental retardation in 2 SPED schools. It involved 30 students for the controlled and the experimental groups who were selected at random to take traditional test versus the computer test. The researcher made use of interesting pictures included in the presentations using Microsoft Powerpoint. The researcher used survey forms in listing the students score and the observable behavior of students while taking the test. The Woodcock Reading Mastery Test was used as the paradigm for the conceptual framework. This test includes the dependent variables are the respondents age, gender and reading level while the independent variable is the computer-assisted instruction. The main problem of the study focuses on the significant difference on the reading level of the students with mild mental retardation when evaluated according to without the computer-assisted instruction and with computer assisted instruction. Another is the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction in motivating students with mild-mental retardation for learning and appreciating reading. It was also observed by the researcher that students became responsive and showed interest in taking the computer-assisted test. As the item gets difficult, the students showed hesitations in answering the traditional tests. The findings also revealed that most of the students responses in the controlled group were incorrect because they cannot visualize the correct answer and had a hard time answering the items. The students in this group made wrong answers and if there were times they do not know the questions, the students showed non-verbal responses. Moreover, the test revealed that there was a significant difference in the results of using the two kinds of test. The researcher used t-Test to compute for the significant difference and has tested the result using 0.5 as the margin of error. The findings of the study revealed that there is a significant difference in using the traditional and computer assisted test. Furthermore, the researcher did not made use of timed test in reading because the test is not on speed-reading skills of the students. Finally, the students find the computer test interesting that they made them understand the items very well. This study will be of help for those in Special Education classes particularly in reading subjects. The researcher made this study to inspire teachers to come up with good materials using technology.