Translation and validation of the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) in Filipino

• Main Author: Tadeo, Danilo A., Jr.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2012
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/4333
• Institution: De La Salle University

This study focused on the translation and validation the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) in Filipino. The original English FCI was translated using the conceptual translation model. It was ensured that the Filipino translation remains faithful to the ideas and concepts being probed by the original FCI. The translated FCI was then validated by Physics teachers and Physics experts who are good in both languages. Four hundred fifty-nine (459) students grade 10 students from 10 Makati public secondary schools were the respondents of this study. The students came from the highest section of each participating public secondary school. The original English FCI, as well as the translated Filipino FCI was administered to the same group of students from all Makati public secondary schools. The results of both tests were compared to determine the conceptual understanding and to identify the level of conceptual understanding of the students on Newtonian mechanics. Majority of the students scores range 4-6 out of 30 points. This means that grade 10 students from Makati have a poor level of conceptual understanding since their test administration 1 mean score percentage of 15.3% is less than the entry threshold of understanding Newtonian concepts which is equal to 60% (Hake, 1995). The test administration 1 result obtained in this study using the original English FCI and the translated Filipino FCI equal to 15.3% is significantly lower ii than the pretest mean score percentages in the previous studies of Hestenes (1992) 27%, Hake (1998) 30% in USA, Jauhiainen, et. al (2001) 58% and Savinainen (2003) 28% in Finland, Pare (2008) 30% in Africa, and Luangrath, et. al (2011) 21% in Laos. Hence, the grade 10 students in Makati have poor level of conceptual understanding on Newtonian mechanics compared to the foreign students subjected to earlier studies on FCI. Using the test administration 2 result, the average misconception indexes were obtained and were ranked to determine the top five (5) most prevailing misconceptions of the students are: G4 (Gravity increases as object falls), NI (Inertial motion), CI4 (Circular motion continuance), K1 (Position-velocity undiscriminated), and K2 (Velocity-acceleration undiscriminated). It was found that language doesnt affect the performance of the students in answering the FCI test since the p-value for test administration 1 is 0.15 lower than alpha level 0.05 showing that there is no great difference in the mean scores of the four groups.