P O LY T E C H N I C U N I V E R S I T Y O F T H E P H I L I P P I N E S

PRE-TEST: AN INDICATOR IN IDENTIFYING STUDENTS’

PREPAREDNESS IN LEARNING NEW TOPICS/LESSONS

IN SOCIAL STUDIES

Amorsolo, Denise Rae C.

Canlas, Monea Rose Pej V.

Eufemio, Hanna Lourdes S.

Fajardo, Kirsten Amparo V.

Miralles, Sofia Belle C.

10 – Entrepreneurship

January 2020
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CHAPTER 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

This chapter presents the introduction, objectives, background of the study,

statement of the problem, theoretical framework, conceptual framework, hypothesis,

and significance of the study and definition of terms.

INTRODUCTION

Taking an exam is one of the struggles of a student and most of them aim to

get a passing score. What if your teacher gives an exam before the lesson proper?

Students are worried that they will not receive a passing score. The students should

not be worried because taking a pre-test before a lesson will help them to fully

understand the lesson and the teacher will know what strategies they will use to

execute the lesson, and they could also have a background of their student’s

knowledge about the topic.

According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, pre-test is a test to evaluate the

preparedness of the students for further studies. Pre-test is administered to

determine a student’s baseline knowledge or preparedness for an educational

experience or course of study.

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In this research, we will know the effectiveness of giving a pre-test before a

lesson to the students’ performance in class and how will they accommodate the

lessons.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In today’s generation, every student wants to pass in their subjects. There are

different requirements in order for us to pass a subject. One of these specific

requirements included are quizzes, which can be considered as one of the most

common problems that a student encounters every day. For instance, Social Studies

is a hard subject because it consists of memorizing specific details and it is hard to

pass this subject without reading and understanding it.

Teachers, on the other hand, gives pre-test before the lesson proper. This

technique is used to test the students’ knowledge and retention of facts. This can

also be advantageous to the teachers because they can know what teaching skill

that needs to be improved.

Because of this technique, majority of the students are feeling pressured

because they take all tests seriously, and they might have a problem when taking

the pre-test. According to Chad Donohue, students especially in the adolescent

stage often experience stress and anxiety from studying.

We, researchers, want to evaluate how students allocate their study time

effectively by focusing on the information they learned every lesson. Moreover, we

want to determine the effectiveness of a student’s memory capacity and

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understanding. Lastly, to determine the study habits and the students’ preparedness

in taking a pretest especially in Social Studies.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Pre-Assessment

According to Trina Kelsey (2011), Pre-assessment gives important

information about what is already recognized about a subject and readiness to begin

new instruction. Discovering prior expertise permits the teacher to current new

statistics at an appropriate degree for the students. This procedure must continue at

some stage in the studying process, so instructions can be adjusted in accordance

to student need.

In Kirkpatrick's theory, Four Levels of Evaluation, each successive evaluation

level is linked with information provided by the lower level. Assessment starts with

stage one, and then strikes thru levels two, three, and four. Information from each

prior stage serves as a base for inspecting the subsequent level's information.
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Figure 1. Four Levels of Evaluation According to Donald Kirkpatrick

Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards through Classroom Assessment

As stated by Dylan William and Paul Black: raising the requirements of

learning that are done through schooling is an essential countrywide priority.

Learning is driven by way of what instructors and students do in classrooms.

Teachers have to manipulate complex and demanding situations, channeling the

personal, emotional, and social pressures of a group of 30 or more children in order

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to help them learn immediately and grow to be better learners in the future. This

theory involves three issues namely: effective learning, negative impact and

managerial role of assessments.

The remaining consumer of assessment information that is elicited in order to

enhance learning is the pupil. There are negative and effective elements of this fact.

The negative component is illustrated with the aid of the preceding quotation. When

the classroom tradition focuses on rewards, “gold stars,” grades, or class ranking,

then students look for methods to obtain excellent marks rather than to enhance

their learning.

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Figure 2. Effects of Pretest on Student’s Performance

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STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study seeks to determine pretest as an indicator of selected Grade 10

students’ preparedness in learning new topics in Social Studies.

Specifically, it seeks to answer the following questions:

1. What is the profile of respondents in terms of:

A. Age

B. Sex

2. What are the advantages of giving pretest as a predictor in the

selected Grade 10 students’ preparedness in learning new topic in Social Studies

infers of the following:

A. Students’ Interest

B. Study Habits

C. Academic Performance of Students in Social Studies during

the first two quarters of A.Y 2019 – 2020

3. Is there a significant difference between giving pretest and the

preparedness of selected Grade 10 students of PUPLHS in learning new topic in

Social Studies?
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HYPOTHESIS

Below is the hypothesis formulated by the researchers;

 The pre-test given by the teachers before the lesson proper has a positive

effect on 10th-year students; have a big help to identify which students have

misconceptions about the lesson.

 Teachers who are always giving pre-test help a lot to adjust in accordance to

the student needs.

 Students who most experience pre-test before every lesson proper have a

better understanding to the lesson than those who don't.

 Prove that giving pre-test leads to students' proper understanding to the

lesson.
 The pre-test proves the measurements of students’ knowledge and to what

students know and can do.

 Teachers who are giving pre-test prove that it is effective learning practices to

improve student learning; and a very helpful tool in their effort to have all

students learn well.

SCOPE AND LIMITATION

Scope

The number of respondents in this study are 40 students, 20 students per

section (Bookkeeping and Office Technology). Our survey will start by March and will

end within the month.

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The Grade 10 students are the focus in our research. We believe that these

students had a lot of experiences regarding the said research because they have

stayed in PUP LHS for a long period of time.

This research aim to know the effectiveness of taking a pre-test before the

lesson proper and to know does having a pre-test could help the students to receive

a higher grade.

Limitation

The researchers didn’t include other year levels because some of the

students may not have any experience within the said research.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study aims to determine the effectiveness of giving pre-test to the

grade 10 learners before the lesson proper because the researchers want to know if

the pre-test is essential to be able to measure the knowledge of the students in a

particular lesson before the lesson proper.

Specifically, this study can benefit the following:

Teachers. The given data would guide the teachers on where the

students find hard in a particular lesson, and they will have a guide to improve

student learning. They will determine where students are right now and if they have

existing knowledge or understanding to the lesson.

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Students. They can understand well and easier the lesson that they seem

hard to them and able to focus attention on specific learning goals.

Parents. This research will help the parent to know if there is a progress in

their child’s academic performance because the teachers will help the students from

the lesson to understand it easily.

DEFINITION OF TERMS

Anxiety – feeling of worry or something with an uncertain outcome

Effectiveness – something is successful to produce a desired result
Enhance – to further improve the quality
Knowledge – facts acquired by a person through experience or education
Pre-test – a test taken for practice
Retention – keeping something in one’s memory
Stress – pressure or tension
Understanding – to comprehend

CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

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This chapter presents the literature, studies, and concepts that are related to

the researchers’ field of study. It shows the relationship of the studies which might

help in understanding the research problem.

1. Pretest

2. Students’ Preparedness

2.1. Matt McCluskey’s article states that a student should keep up with his

or her readings after every lesson proper. Also, try to review 60-90 minutes a day to

freshen the brain. He also pointed out that do not multitask when studying a specific

lesson. It is also effective to brainstorm with your group by comparing notes and

asking each other questions. It is also helpful to make your own reviewer and give

your own definitions for you to be familiarized. Students can either repeat their

strategies while preparing for an exam or change their strategies when they notice

that there is something wrong with their strategy.

2.2. Students must make their minds work efficiently, creating a study plan

to guide them, and monitoring progress at each step. Students must also have their

own ways of remembering information, such as asking and answering questions or

memorizing an important lesson. Students can also make their own questions to

anticipate the potential questions in a test. It is important to improve your time

management skills, especially when taking the exam to answer at an appropriate

pace. All Kinds of Minds (1992)

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