Cloze Test

Republic of the Philippines
SURIGAO DEL SUR STATE UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION
Tandag City, Surigao del Sur

Chapter I
The Problem and Its Setting
Introduction
The cloze procedure is considered by many as an 'integrative' method of
assessment, in contrast with 'discrete point' methods, The Cloze procedure deals
with several linguistic components at once, focusing more on language use, and
typically requiring the examinees to read and comprehend a substantial amount
of discourse. Much research has been devoted to the validity and the reliability of
Cloze tests. Cloze tests are reported to have moderate to high correlations with
standardized tests and their subtests such as listening comprehension and
reading comprehension. The report on high correlations between Cloze tests and
International Journal of Human and Social Sciences tests of listening
comprehension, writing, reading comprehension, and oral interview. The findings
of these researchers reveal a relation between the scores on Cloze and global
language ability tests.
As for C-test, since its inception in 1981, its principles have been applied
to more than 20 languages. C-tests have been used in numerous contexts and
for various purposes .C-tests, then, figure prominently in the fields of language
testing and assessment. C-tests, like the classic Cloze test, are an
operationalization principle of reduced test. Although there are weaknesses in the
reliability of cloze procedure, it is widely used in English teaching. As Legenza
and Elijah (2001) point out, many studies have been conducted on cloze

procedure concerning the construction of cloze tests, the relationship between
cloze and reading comprehension, and the usefulness of cloze as a teaching
technique. Cloze procedure has been used in English teaching in accordance to
communication subject for decades since 1953. It was firstly used as an
instrument for assessing the readability of written materials for school children in
the United States (Brown, 2002). Then it was used in teaching for different
purposes.
Cloze procedure is not only valuable in providing information as to how
readable the particular texts are for the students who are going to have to use
them, but also invaluable as a means of comparing different text. Cloze
procedure is also used for testing purposes. It seems that a wide range of skills
like vocabulary, grammar, structure, and reading skills are involved in the process
of completing a cloze procedure. Many researchers indicate that cloze procedure
is a good test of overall English language proficiency and in History. For
example, Ahluwalia (2005) claims that cloze procedure is an integrative, global
measure of language competence. She explains that cloze tests measure the
grammar of expectancy underlying the skills of thinking, understanding,
speaking, reading, understanding and writing. For Cohen (2001 cited in
Ahluwalia, 2005) cloze procedure measures global language competence
consisting of linguistic knowledge, textual knowledge, and knowledge of the
world. As it calls on examinee to use knowledge such as vocabulary, grammar,

sentence construction, text structure, cohesion
and the readers prior
background knowledge.
Askes (2002) regards cloze procedure as one of the integrative tests
(global tests) that integrate language components into a total language event,
which requires an integrated performance from the learner in a meaningful
context. Thus for Steinman (2002), a cloze can replace the sections on test
structure, written expression, vocabulary, and reading comprehension not only in
English subject as well as different areas of learning.
The reason behind giving a Cloze test and obtaining a test score is
interpreting that score as an indicator of what a test taker knows or what he/she
can do with that knowledge. Furthermore, our interpretation of that test score
forms the basis for decision making. As such, when using a test score, we make
an implicit link between test performance and a domain of language knowledge
the test taker has or something the test taker can do with language in some
language use domain beyond the test itself. In other words, when we use test
scores, we are essentially reasoning from evidence, using the test score as the
evidence for inferences or interpretations and decisions we want to make. Yet,
we cannot simply draw on test score to make inferences and decisions without
efficient justification. If we want to use a test score for a particular purpose, we
must justify it through a rationale and supporting evidence. As Bachman (2005)
puts it, "We need to demonstrate, with logical argumentation and empirical
evidence, that the intended interpretations and uses are valid." Validity in testing

and assessment has traditionally been understood to mean "discovering whether
a test measures accurately what it is intended to measure", or uncovering the
"appropriateness of a given test or any of its component parts as a measure of
what it is purposed to measure".
Background of the Study
Cheng (1999) claims that the term cloze procedure was first developed
by Wilson Taylor in 1953. He explains that the term cloze derived from the
Gestalt psychology concept of closure. It describes a tendency that humans
have to complete a familiar but not-quite-finished pattern. Ellis (2004) further
explain that it refers to the tendency of individuals to complete a pattern once
they have grasped its overall significance. Rye (1982) explains that Cloze
procedure is essentially a cognitive task. The reader has to reason and construct
suggestions to fill the gap on the basis of the evidence derived from the context
the completion of meaning, based on understanding and reasoning is a cognitive
task. Brown (2002) claims that it is not difficult to get people to take a cloze test
because of the compulsive human need to fill gaps.
Clarke (2001) was the first to study cloze procedure for its effectiveness as
an instrument for determining the readability of materials in the readers native
language in 1953. After that initial study, it was investigated for its
appropriateness as a measure of readability of L1 and L2 materials. In the 1960s,
studies focused on cloze tests as a measurement of reading comprehension in
L1 and L2. During the 1970s, cloze tests began to be used as a measurement of

overall L2 proficiency (Ahluwalia, 1992:82). Today, cloze tests are widely used in
some places (such as China) and as part of some large-scale language. What is
a cloze test? A standard cloze test is a passage with blanks of standard length
replacing certain deleted words which students are required to complete by filling
in the correct words or their equivalents. During traditional cloze testing, every
fifth word is removed from a 250-500 word reading passage, and is replaced by a
standard-length blank space (Helfeldt et al, 1986:216). Usually, no word is
omitted either in the first or the last sentence of the passage. Students are
required to supply either the original word of the author or an appropriate
equivalent in the blank space. Many studies show that the reliability and the
validity of cloze tests are affected by factors like the rate of deletion, nature of the
text and scoring systems, etc. Deletion rate refers to the frequency of deleting
words. As Steinman (2002:293-294) explains, there are two options in designing
a cloze test according to its deletion rate: a random cloze or a rational cloze. A
random cloze deletes every nth word consistently, so that all classes and types of
words have an equal chance of being deleted. A rational cloze is the one in which
a specific type of word is deleted according to a linguistic principle, such as
nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.
Alderson (2000) cited by Yamashita (2003:269) clearly differentiates
between these two types of format by calling the rational cloze gap-filling tests
and confining the term cloze only to the random cloze. Ahluwalia (1992:83-84)
states that different deletion rates would result in either increasing the difficulty of

the text or in unpredictable differences in the difficulty. Another factor that would
affect the reliability and the validity of the cloze is the nature of the text. The
nature of the text such as its familiarity level and difficulty level would improve or
hamper cloze performance (Ahluwalia, 1992:86-88).
However, Alderson (1980, 1983 cited in Ahluwalia, 1992:86) and
Yamashita (2003:286-287) argue that cloze test performance is not directly
related to the difficulty level of the text; it involves other factors such as scoring
procedures, and content familiarity for the readers. Different scoring methods
include: exact word method, multiple-choice scoring method and contextually
acceptable word method.
16Exact word method requires the examinee to
provide the original word deleted from the text while contextually acceptable
word method allows for the words that fit the gap either to be synonyms of the
deleted.
Statement of the Problem
This study aims to know the effectiveness of cloze test as integrative
learning assessment in reading comprehension:
1. What is the profile of the respondents of the study?
2. What is the level of perception of the following assessment-related
variables as perceive by the respondents:
2.1 Controllability;
2.2 Reliability and Validity; and
2.3 Usability

3. What is the mean score of the respondents in Cloze test?
4. Is there a significant relationship between the assessment - related factors
and their mean score in Cloze test mean score?
Scope and Limitations of the Study
This study is focused on the effectiveness of cloze test in measuring
performance related to English subject. It is limited only to twenty - nine (20)
respondents selected third year students each who are enrolled in Academic
Year 2015-2016 and they were purposively selected. In this study, the
researchers used instruments such as survey questionnaire intended for
students and 25 items for measuring their performance using Cloze type of test
and Idenfication Test each which served the main instruments of the study.

Significance of the Study

The findings of the study will provide enough information to the academe,
institutions, administration and users of the following:
To the English Instructors: This study will give them enough information
in terms of identifying the factors underlying proper learning assessment in
reading comprehension.
To the Students: This study will provide information in order to become
well-improved and be competent in studying English and motivate their interests.
To the Parents: This study will help them encouraged their childrens
interests to learn on the complexities of motivating a child in reading;
To the Researchers: This study will help them gained satisfaction for
knowing some insights about the given problem and develop research skills to be
more productive in the field that they had chosen to belong in the future.
Theoretical framework
Cloze technique, developed by Taylor (1952), is firstly designed as a tool for
measuring readability of texts, and now it has been used widely as an exercise or
test method in foreign language teaching and testing. It works on the principle of
closure and anticipation, in that the reader is required to reconstruct
systematically mutilated passage (Hofman, J. E. & Habib-Allah, M., 1982:276).
Actually, as early as 1971, John Oller advocated that cloze testing was an
excellent integrative test. Joseph Boyle and Peter Falvey (1994) claims that cloze
test is one variant of integrative tests, too. And they believe that for cloze test, it
9

is pragmatic expectancy grammar that constitutes the trait that reflects linguistic
competence. In addition, many researches from 1970s to 1980s on cloze test
supply people with an objective viewpoint that cloze test is a reliable and valid
test method to investigate the difficulty level of the text and the test-takers
capability in reading comprehension. It can be used as a part of standard
integrative language proficiency testing and a subsidiary tool for language
teaching.
Cloze is originally called cloze procedure, whose theoretical foundation is
Gestalt psychology. Those psychologists believe that when people observe the
shape of an object, they will unconsciously fill in the broken part. Such is the
case in reading process. A sentence or a passage, deleted some words, is just
like a broken picture. People will complete it unconsciously according to their
comprehensive language knowledge. The Gestalt theory also claims that the
more familiar with the picture the easier for people to recognize it. Expounded in
language learning, the case is that the higher language proficiency the higher
ability to complete the broken passage.
Besides the Gestalt theory, researchers try to use Redundancy Information
theory and Expectancy Grammar theory to explain the cloze test. In Longman
Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, redundancy is defined
as the degree to which a message contains more information than is needed for
it to be understood. Languages have built-in redundancy, which means that
utterances harbor more information than is necessary for comprehension. And
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50% of normal language is said to be redundant. Li Xiaoju (2001) also approves
that in cloze test, people use the redundancy information of natural language to
complete the broken language. Actually, this theory is crucial for Chinese
learners when learning English. The process of accumulating language
knowledge is the process of recognizing the redundancy information in English
language. However, the information is necessary in that it can make the meaning
of the text much more accurate, although it is regarded as more than is needed.
For Chinese students, the recognition of the redundancy information is helpful for
them to improve their sensitivity to the English language environment and their
ability to understand the inner relationship in language itself and the consistency
of its usage, which enhances the students language proficiency. Therefore, the
cloze test removes some redundancy information from the completed text to
examine whether test-takers obtain the capability to comprehend the broken
passage and to fill in the blanks or not.
Expectancy Grammar was firstly advocated by Oller in 1976. Later Carter
(1998) believes that it refers to language users comprehensive language ability
to use syntax, semantic and discourse knowledge. In reading process, the reader
can use the ability to predict in what way the sentence will end and to what trend
the text will develop. Cloze test investigates the very ability acquired by language
learners through long-term learning and perception, and proficient mastering of
language structure as well as basic use principle of the target language. In a
broken passage, according to the context and their language ability, students can
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predict the syntactic and semantic function of the deleted word, along with the
relationship between the word and the other part within the sentence.
Conceptual Framework
The conceptual framework of this study is presented to give view of the
work to be done. The inputs or the independent variables are the profile of the
respondent mainly 3rd year college students and their perception regarding the
effectiveness of a test which composed of Controllability, Reliability and Validity
and Usability. The process is the strategy to be used such as generating data
through the use of questionnaire. The possible output or the dependent variable
is the result or their performance in English by means of using Cloze Test. It is
assumed to be affected by the independent variable.
Paradigm
Independent Variables
Dependent Variable
I.Profile of the respondents

II.Assessment related factors
Controllability
Reliability & Validity
Usability
Cloze-Test as an Effective
Integrative Learning
Assessment for Reading
Comprehension
Figure1. It actually shows the relationship between the independent and

the dependent variables of the present study.
Definition of Terms
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For a better understanding of this study, the following terminologies
are operationally and conceptually defined below.
Age refers to how old or young a particular person was. In this study, the term is
used to describe on what are ages of the respondents involved and their impact
to the present study.
Cloze Test refers to integrative assessment in measuring higher cognitive task,
deals with several knowledge components at once, focusing more on cognitive
language used, and typically requiring the examinees to read and comprehend
having a substantial discourse. In this study, the term is used to describe on how
this method is used in reading comprehension.
Controllability refers to the level of manipulation of effectiveness of Cloze type
of test. In this study, the term is used to identify on what factors are involved for
controllability in cloze-test.
Reading Comprehension refers to intellectual capacity of the respondents to
understand a certain passage/readings. In this study, the term is used to describe
on how cloze-test is effective as an integrative learning assessment for reading
comprehension.
Reliability refers to the consistency of Cloze test in assessing English subject. In
this study, the term is used to determine the factors involved in cloze-test for
reading comprehension.
Sex. refers to a particular person whether s/he is a male or a female. In
this study, the term is used to identify the respondents involved of the study.
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Validity. refers to what purports to measure in a given context. In this study, the
term is used to
Chapter II
Review of Related Literature and Studies
14

The chapters presents a selection of related literature and studies
which bears on the present study. Most of the literatures gathered comprise
Cloze Test procedure.
Related Literature
Foreign
Cloze test has been changing and developing. According to different deletion
and fill-in-blank methods, it can be mainly classified to fixed-ratio cloze, rational
cloze, multiple choice cloze, C-test and banked cloze.
Fixed-ratio cloze was proposed by Oller in 2005. It is constructed by deleting
words according to a fixed pattern, either at even numbers (4, 6, 8, 10, etc.) or at
odd numbers (5, 7, 9, 11, etc.). This procedure is intended to sample regularly
various variants of words, some of which are governed by local grammatical
constraints and wide discipline vocabularies in sorted areas of History,
Mathematics, Statistics, others of which are governed by long-range textual
constraints. The advantages of this cloze variant are convenience and high
consistency, while there are also a lot of problems such as some of the blanks
being too easy or too difficult, the broken passage sometimes arousing testtakers dislike and resulting in a dilemma for testers to choose subjective or
objective scoring method, and being lack of control which possibly leads to
examine the language points the designer doesnt want to test actually. Rational
cloze can also be called open cloze or gap-filling. The test developer control over
the types of the words deleted such as functional words, verbs or nouns, and
15

thus the language traits measured. This selected deletion changes the random of
cloze testing into objectivity and practicality. Just like in fixed-ratio cloze, testtakers have to fill in the blanks in rational cloze according to their comprehension
capability. Rational cloze research and practice rests on the assumption that
different cloze items can be explicitly chosen to measure different language
traits (Chapelle & Roberta, 1990:122). The understanding advantage of rational
cloze is that the test designer can select particular item to determine test-point.
However, it is confronted with the problem that subjective or objective scoring
method, either.
In order to solve the scoring problem of fixed-ratio and rational cloze, test
developers design multiple-choice cloze. This cloze test format requires testtakers to select the correct answer from the provided options. It offers four or five
options to each blank, while only one is the correct answer and the others are
distracters. There are no accepted answers which get rid of scoring
controversies. Generally speaking, high reliability is the specialty of multiplechoice cloze. However, the inappropriate options or explanation of new words will
give test-takers some hints, which possibly reduce the difficulty level and the
validity of test. Therefore, multiple-choice cloze demands test developers
enough attention and obeying some strict rules.
A cloze test (also cloze deletion test) is an exercise, test, or assessment
consisting of a portion of text with certain words removed (cloze text), where the
participant is asked to replace the missing words. Cloze tests require the ability
16

to understand context and vocabulary in order to identify the correct words or
type of words that belong in the deleted passages of a text. This exercise is
commonly administered for the assessment of native and second language
learning and instruction.
The word cloze is derived from closure in Gestalt theory . The exercise
was first described by W.L. Taylor in 1953.
Words may be deleted from the text in question either mechanically (every
nth word) or selectively, depending on exactly what aspect it is intended to test
for. The methodology is the subject of an extensive academic literature;
nonetheless, teachers commonly devise ad hoc tests.
A Cloze test removes certain words from a sample of your text and asks
users to fill in the missing words. Your test participants must rely on the context
as well as their prior knowledge of the subject to identify the deleted words. Its
based on the Gestalt theory of closurewhere the brain tries to fill in missing
piecesand applies it to written text.
It looks something like this:
If you want to __________ out whether your site __________ understand your
content, you __________ test it with them.
It looks a lot like a Mad Lib, doesnt it? Instead of coming up with a
sentence that sounds funny or strange or interesting, participants must guess the
exact word the author used. While Cloze tests are uncommon in the user
experience field, educators have used them for decades to assess whether a text
17

is appropriate for their students, particularly in English-as-an-additional-language
instruction.
Heres how to do it:
Take a sample of textabout 125-250 words or so.
Remove every fifth word, replacing it with a blank space.
Ask participants to fill in each space with the word they think was
removed.
Score the answers by counting the number of correct answers and

dividing that by the total number of blanks.
A score of 60% or better indicates the text is appropriate for the audience.
Participants who score 40-60%, will have some difficulty understanding the
original text. Its not a deal breaker, but it does mean that the audience may need
some additional help to understand your content. A score of less than 40%
means that the text will frustrate readers and should be rewritten.
It might sound farfetched, but give this method a try before you dismiss it.
In a government study on healthcare information readability, an expert panel
categorized health articles as either easy or difficult. We ran a Cloze test using
those articles with participantswho had low to average literacy skillsand
found that the results reflected the expert panels findings. The average score for
the easy version was 60, indicating the article was written at an appropriate
level for these readers. The average score for the difficult version was 39: too
hard for this audience.
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Cloze tests are simple to create, administer, and score. They give you a
good idea as to whether the content is right for the intended audience. If you use
Cloze testseither on their own or with more traditional usability testing methods
know that it takes a lot of cognitive effort to figure out those missing words. Aim
for at least 25 blanks to get good feedback on your text; more than 50 can be
very tiring.
When to test
Test your content at any point in your site development process. As long
as you have content to test, you can test it. Need to convince your boss to
budget for content testing? Run it through a readability formula. Got content but
no wireframes or visual design? Run a Cloze test to evaluate content
appropriateness. Understands the content key to a task or workflow? Display it in
context during usability testing.
What to test
You cant test every sentence on your site, nor do you need to. Focus on
tasks that are critical to your users and your business. For example, does your
help desk get calls about things the site should communicate? Test the content to
find out if and where the site falls short.
So get to it
While usability testing watches what users do, not what they say they do,
content testing determines what users understand, not what they say they
understand.
19

Whatever your budget, timeline, and access to users, theres a method to
test whether your content is appropriate for the people reading it. So test! And
then, either rest assured that your content works, or get cracking on that
rewrite.
A language teacher may give the following passage to students:
Today, I went to the ________ and bought some milk and eggs. I kn
Students would then be required to fill in the blanks with words that would
best complete the passage. Context in language and content terms is essential in
most, if not all, cloze tests. The first blank is preceded by "the"; therefore, a noun,
an adjective or an adverb must follow. However, a conjunction follows the blank;
the sentence would not be grammatically correct if anything other than a noun
were in the blank. The words "milk and eggs" are important for deciding which
noun to put in the blank; "supermarket" is a possible answer; depending on the
student,
however,
the
first
blank
could
either
be store, supermarket, shop or market while umbrella or raincoat fit the second.
The definition of success in a given cloze test varies, depending on the
broader goals behind the exercise. Assessment may depend on whether the
exercise is objective (i.e. students are given a list of words to use in a cloze) or
subjective (i.e. students are to fill in a cloze with words that would make a given
sentence grammatically correct).
I saw a man lay his jacket on a puddle for a woman crossing the str
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Given the above passage, students' answers may then vary depending on
their vocabulary skills and their personal opinions. However, the placement of the
blank at the end of the sentence restricts the possible words that may complete
the sentence; following an adverb and finishing the sentence, the word is most
likely an adjective. Romantic, chivalrous or gallant may, for example, occupy the
blank, as well as foolish or cheesy. Using those answers, a teacher may ask
students to reflect on the opinions drawn from the given cloze.
In addition to use in testing, cloze deletion can be used in learning,
particularly language learning, but also learning facts. This may be done
manually for example, by covering sections of a text with paper, or highlighting
sections of text with a highlighter, than covering the line with a colored ruler in the
complementary color (say, red ruler for green highlighter), so the highlighted text
disappears; this is popular in Japan, for instance. Cloze deletion can also be
used as part of spaced repetition software, and the Super Memo application
features semi-automated creation of cloze tests, particularly as part of
its incremental reading feature.
Local
Enhancing Pupils Reading Comprehension and Attitudes through a Whole
LanguageInspired LiteratureBased Reading Program
Melissa Alm a R Orencia
Philippine Normal University Manila
Philippines, Jun. 2006

Pupils comprehension was examined using the data draw n from children
s performance in a cloze test and their work samples from four qualitative
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information sources namely children s literature journal entriesthe interactive
reading writing activities oral written retellings and their original
stories The t test for dependent sample means was computed to determine
the significance of any changes that occurred in children s pre and posttest
comprehension performance An Ftest was also computed to determine if the
differences among the three predetermined ability groupsgood average and
poor were significant The pupils attitudes on the other hand were
ascertained through the number of story titles they could identifyindicating their
use of literature Qualitative information about pupils attitudes were draw n
from the Inform al Reading Interest Survey the observations m ade by the
teacher researcher the interviews with the respondents and the pupils
evaluation of the program activities Results and Discussion Comprehension
Cloze Test The cloze test was ad ministered to children before and after their
immersion in the literature based reading program Results of the pre and
posttests showed that pupils im proved markedly in their comprehension after
the program The computed ttest at 336 p 01 posted a significant
gain indicating the positive effect of the program on children s comprehension
development Literature Journal The children s writings in their literature
journals uncovered m uch about their thought processes as they read or after
they read books An analysis of 164 journal entries showed children s
ownership of their written texts This was manifested in a number of
waysFrom the cover page they either drew themselves or their interests
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They also made references to themselves The content of their daily
reflections exposed their beliefsideasconcepts aspects of their personality
critical thinking skills and valuesTheir daily independent decisions on what to
write about is an evidence of writing ownership Retelling An analysis of 50
written retelling samples likewise showed children s sense of ownership for their
writings They also manifested an ability to sequence stories and engage in
language experimentation A comparison of their various writings revealed risk
taking in their use of words spellings and mechanics of writing Children
engaged in self corrections and were found to improve in sentence structure
self expression and spellings in their succeeding writingsSome children were
also found to be capable of writing original and highly creative stories For
instance one student made a completely different story 7 CELEA Journal 67
out of the story which was intended to be retoldThe only familiar characteristics
evidently patterned after the intended story were the m ain character and the its
description The rest of the elements were changed Children s use of
storybook language is apparent in their written retellings Some 32 oral retelling
samples also supported children s ability to sequence events in stories
appropriately and their use of storybook languageChildren revealed their sense
of story and their values interests emotions and general develop m ental
characteristics in their writings It was likewise observed that children could
reconstruct stories
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After their immersion in the literature based reading program a one
way analysis of variance using the results of the cloze test was computed to
determine if the children who were classified as good average and poor by
their regular English teacher were significantly different from one another Results
showed that they did not differ markedly from each other as presumed by their
teacher This implies that children basically had the same potential in reading
This means that they exhibited similar abilities in terms of their thought
process language and socio cultural processes Such is the reason why
similar characteristics were uncovered from children s writings(Orencia, 2006).
Related Studies
Foreign
The Cloze test is used primarily to determine a students level of reading
ability. A student is first tested for reading level; in this case the Slosson oral has
previously been administered. After a students reading level has been
determined, a reading selection is taken from a book of like grade level. As is
standard, every fifth word is removed and replaced by a blank space, in this
assignment there were 20 blanks in the selection. In this assignment, as was
suggested,
paragraph
of
text
preceded
the
actual
test
material.
Evaluation of the test determines a students reading level; an independent

reading level indicates that the student could read the selected book on their
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own, instructional level means that the student can read the book with assistance
and frustration level means that the book is difficult for the student to read and is
likely above the students reading grade level. For the purposes of this
assignment, the following scale was assigned for evaluation: the independent
reading level is based as 50% or more of the blanks filled in correctly,
instructional level is 30% - 50% and frustration level.
On Friday, October 6, 1995, I administered a Cloze test to a student
named Natalie at Stivers Middle School in Dayton, who I had administered a
Slosson oral test to the previous week. On the Slosson oral, Natalie scored in the
8th grade reading level (8.95 to be exact). Taking her Slosson score, I set out in
search of a text book involving African American studies, an area she is very
interested in. After much searching, I secured the book African American
History at the Wright State ERC and submitted it to Fry Graph analysis
(attachment 1). Taking three 100 word samples randomly from the book I
computed the approximate reading grade level of the book. Sample 1 consisted
of 7.3 sentences and 149 syllables, sample 2 had 9.2 sentences and 155
syllables and sample 3 had 8.5 sentences and 158 syllables. The average of the
samples was 8.33 sentences and 154 syllables. I plotted this point on the graph,
and fortunately it fell within the 8th grade reading level. I then constructed a
Cloze test to be administered.
The test was administered to Natalie during the 4th period in the same
conference room Mrs. King had selected for me to give Natalie the Slosson oral
25

test the previous week. I explained the test to Natalie and gave her the test to fill
out (attachment 2). While Natalie was taking the test, I either sat down at a
nearby table or walked to a nearby window. Natalie finished the test in about
eight minutes, and I quickly compared it to my master copy (attachment 3). I then
sat down with Natalie and asked her why she had chosen each of her selections,
the correct and incorrect ones alike. I recorded her responses, and thanked her
for helping me and she returned to class.
Natalie correctly filled in 11 of the 20 blanks (55%) and placed in the
independent reading level. Below is a chart of error, indicating the correct
response, the response given, the reason the answer was given, if there was a
change in grammar and if there was a change in the meaning of the statement.
Following the chart will be a more detailed account of why each incorrect answer
was given for different items.
I asked Natalie why she chose each of her selections, and asked her if
other words would make sense in the context of the sentence. I did this for all 20
selections; including the ones she got right as well as the ones she got wrong.
For example on selection 1, which she filled in correctly, I asked her if is would
have worked. She promptly told me that everything was in the past, so is would
be wrong.
In her first mistake on the test, Natalie substituted food for the word
literature. I asked Natalie if the word literature would fit better, and Natalie told
me that most likely books would be together with art. On the second mistake,
26

Natalie used the phrase brought on instead of stimulated. I asked her about
using stimulated and I was promptly asked what the word meant. The third
mistake made was the substitution of the phrase in many instead of of. When I
asked Natalie about this, she read the sentence back with of in its place and
said it didnt sound right. On this I really had to agree.
The fourth mistake made was the usage of racism instead of
oppression. When I asked Natalie about this I was met with the same response I
got for stimulated: what does it mean? Natalies next mistake came when she
used art instead of society in the selection. Again I asked her about using
society in the sentence, and Natalie said it seemed right to her since art had
been used before in the paragraph.
Natalies sixth error was in putting something in the selection instead of
things. When I asked her about the possibility of using things, she simply told
me that nobody used that word that way. Again, I would have to agree with her
since I have heard few people ever say things new. The seventh mistake was
the use of movement instead of Renaissance. As I had done several times
before, I asked her about her choice and asked if Renaissance would have
worked. Natalies response was that it wouldnt work because a renaissance is
something 'really old'. I could understand this reasoning, since the only time
students really hear this term is in early European history.
The eighth mistake made on the Cloze test was the use of the word
racist instead of this. I really didnt understand this substitution, and when I
27

asked about it Natalie said that she couldnt think of anything else, that she had
used racist before in the selection and racist was the only thing she could
associate with New York in the context of the sentence. The ninth, and final,
mistake Natalie made was the use of the phrase period for instead of by. By
this time Natalie seemed tired of all this and simply said she couldnt think of any
other word to use. She wanted to return to her class, so I thanked her for putting
up with me and my tests and let her return to the room.
From my perspective, most of Natalies errors on the Cloze test could be
attributed to two things: she was unfamiliar with some of the vocabulary used and
the text in some places was written in a way in which few students (or adults for
that matter) speak. So, what can be done about it? If this had been an actual
textbook assignment, one thing that could be done is to provide the students with
a list of vocabulary words they do not understand completely strongly affirmed
According to most researchers in Europe.
Local
These two discriminating variables were measuring significantly different
discriminating dimensions for each comparison and had little shared variance.
Common thinking processes were found in both the cognitive functions which
were exhibited in the types of concept attainment strategies and conceptual
tempos, and the reading comprehension skills.
Thus, the stronger discriminative power between certain reading
comprehension groups gave possible clues about the relationships between
28

literal and inferential comprehension processes. Tizon (2009) in Philippines, a
study on reading competencies of the 2nd years high school students of Diplog
City Division: Basis for strategic reading programme. The study was conducted
to find out levels of reading comprehension skills for the 2nd for high school
students of Diplog City Division for S.Y. 2008 2009. significant difference on the
level of reading comprehension skills of the student when grouped according to
sex, educational attainment, and type and exposure to varied media were also
determined. A teacher made test was used for data collection. Statistical tools
like percentage weighted means and F-test (ANNOVA) were sued to answer the
objective of this investigation. Results showed that of the three levels of reading
comprehension, application and integration obtained the highest weighted mean
of 56.02 with a verbal interpretation of poor whereas in the critical level the
students obtained only a weighted mean of 39.43 with a verbal interpretation of
very poor. All together the reading comprehension level of the students had a
grand mean of 50.39 with a verbal interpretation of poor. Finally, there was no
significant difference found in the level of reading comprehension skills when
grouped accordingly. This is Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org
ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) Vol 3, No 7, 2012 124 why
students comprehension level must be taken into consideration by consciously
teaching them skill that will develop their early enough.
29

Chapter III
Research Methodology
This chapter describes how the study was conducted and the researcher
used in gathering the necessary data for the completion of the study. This
includes the research design, the population and sampling, sampling procedure,
data gathering procedure, research instrument and the statistical treatment of
data.
Research Design
This study used the experimental type of research in determining the
effectiveness of Cloze Test in measuring reading comprehension in tertiary level.
The possible solutions obtained through a questionnaire as well as interviews
and observation made by the researchers. This study used selected third year
30

students of the College of Teacher Education students as respondents or the
main source of data. The instrument used was a collaboration of information
based
on
Crystal,
David (2004). Contextual
Constraints
in
Cloze
Test.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-53032-6. Some of its

modifications were undertaken to adapt on the research problem and scope of
the present study.
Respondents of the Study
This study was conducted at Surigao del Sur State University, College of
Teacher Education, Main Campus,Tandag City on Academic Year 2015-2016.
The researchers have chosen a for 3 rd year college students to suit the twenty
(20) respondents needed for the study and a purposive sampling as a sampling
technique was utilized.
Research Instrument
The main instrument used in the study is a questionnaire which was used
to know person related factors such as age, sex and others during second
semester A.Y. 2012- 2013. And an integrative assessment in reading
comprehension comprises of twenty five (25) items using Rational Cloze Test
and Identification Test procedures each. After reading and studying samples of
questionnaire from related studies, the researcher adopted a rational cloze test
which based on Crystal Davids educational research: Cambridge year 2004.
They are also consulted some knowledgeable people and see to it that there
31

were enough items to collect data to cover all aspects of the problem and to
answer all the specific questions under the statement of the problem.
Statistical Treatment of Data
The data were gathered from the respondents treated and interpreted
using the statistical tools. The following statistical analysis was coded in the
study: Percentage distribution was utilized to describe the respondents of the
study. For the assessment related factors, the researcher utilized the mean and
standard deviation using a Likert scale, 5 being the highest, denotes strongly
agree and 1 being the lowest, denotes strongly disagree.
To find that if there is a relationship existing between the independent and
dependent variables, Pearson Product Moment of Correlation Coefficient was
used to tell how well two sets of continuous data correlate to each other at 0.05
level of significance.
32

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and the readers prior

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16Exact word method requires the examinee to

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Significance of the Study

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I.Profile of the respondents

Figure1. It actually shows the relationship between the independent and

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Take a sample of textabout 125-250 words or so.

Remove every fifth word, replacing it with a blank space.

Score the answers by counting the number of correct answers and

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Philippine Normal University Manila

Philippines, Jun. 2006

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Evaluation of the test determines a students reading level; an independent

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