臺灣博碩士論文加值系統

論文摘要:
本研究主旨在探討近五年來台灣指定科考英文閱讀測驗之試題,以期了解閱讀測驗試題的內容並掌握考試的趨勢。此外,本研究希望能提供英語教師在閱讀教學上的一些啟示。
本研究以高雄市立三民高中兩班二年級學生計76位同學為研究對象,學生被分為高、中、低成就三組。學生在五週內做過去五年共18篇的指定科考英文閱讀測驗。本研究採用Windows Excel來分析各問題類型的出現頻率,各閱讀技巧的出現頻率及學生在各閱讀技巧的表現。採用CC Lang來分析過去五年指定科考有哪些類型的字,及有多少字超出大考中心7000單字表的範圍。
本研究結果如下:
1. 細節問題是最常被考的問題類型。
2. 學生在決定字的意思及找出特定細節的閱讀技巧上表現較佳,在推論方面的閱讀技巧較差。
3. 影響考試表現的因素有文章主題、單字、長度、正確選項單字的難易度、問題內容的具體性、答案選項和它在文章內容中出現的相似程度、要搜尋的資訊在文章中出現的位置。
4. 最常考的文章主題是名人。
5. 有19種類型的字出現在考試中,種類出現頻率由高至低為名詞,動詞,形容詞, 副詞,介係詞,及連接詞。有133字超出大考中心公布的單字表。
本研究希望能幫助英文老師更了解指定科考英文閱讀測驗的信度及效度，也希望協助老師了解學生在哪種英語閱讀技巧需改進或加強以準備指定科考的考試,及在閱讀時學生所面臨的困難。此外,希望能提供一些高中英語閱讀教學的方向及建議。

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to present the results of a qualitative analysis and a quantitative analysis of the reading comprehension test items on the 2000-2004 English JCEE tests. Specifically, this study is aimed to promote a better understanding of the content and construction of the reading comprehension section and the current tendencies in the English JCEE test. Furthermore, this study serves as a guide for English teachers in EFL reading instruction.
The subjects for the present study were 76 students from two different classes in the second grade of San Min Senior High School in Kahohsiung City. The subjects were divided into the high-proficiency group, the middle-proficiency group, and the low-proficiency group. During the ten weeks, the subjects have to do 18 passages of the reading comprehension tests adopted from the JCEE English exams in the past five years. The scores of the subjects’ JCEE English reading comprehension tests were collected, calculated, and analyzed. The statistical analysis was done by using the Windows Excel to demonstrate the frequency distribution of the question types, the reading skills that have been measured, and the examinees’ passing rate of each reading strategy. The CC Lang was used for word frequency count so as to know what type of words had been frequently used in JCEE reading comprehension tests in the past five years and how many words have gone beyond the scope of the Word List published by JCEE.
Based on the quantitative and qualitative data analysis, the findings of the study are summarized as follows:
1. The detail item is the major question type that appears in the past five years’ English JCEE Reading Comprehension Tests.
2. The subjects perform well in the reading skills of determining the meaning of words and finding specific details, and perform worst in the skill of drawing inferences.
3. There are some test variables accounting for item difficulty. They are subject matter, vocabulary recognition, the location of requested information, the number of details, the length of the text, the concreteness of the requested information, the degree of correspondence, the text/item overlap, and the word level of the correct option.
4. The themes of famous people are most frequently used to measure the students’ reading comprehension ability.
5. There are mainly 19 types of words appeared in the chosen texts in the tests. Noun is the major type of words, followed by verb, adjective, adverb, preposition, and conjunction.
The contributions of this study are: (1) help language teachers better understand the reliability & validity of the reading comprehension questions in the JCEE；(2) help the teachers to understand what type of reading strategies students need to improve or reinforce for the purpose of preparing for the entrance exam, and the difficulties they face while reading. (3) provide some practical guidelines for improving reading instruction in senior high schools.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
Acknowledgements….…………………………………………………………….…i
Chinese abstract ……………………………………………………………………..ii
English abstract………………………………………………………………………iii

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
Background and Motivation………………………………………......1
Purposes of the Study………………………………………..…….…..2
Research Questions………………………………………..…….….....3
Significance of the Study………………………………...…………3
Limitations of the Study…………………………………...….….4

CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW
Concepts of Reading Comprehension…………………….….......5
Definition of Reading Comprehension………………….…….…5
The Interactive View of Reading…………………………….…..6
Schema Theory……………………………………………………………….….7
Metacognition……………………………………………………………………8
Models of Reading Comprehension Process…………………………………………10
The Bottom-up Model…………………………………………………………..11
The Top-down Model…………………………………………………………...11
The Interactive Model…………………………………………………………..11
Studies in Learner’s Reading Skills ……………………………..13
Approaches to Measure Reading Comprehension……….…………………..15
Multiple-Choice Reading Comprehension Test………………………………...15
Criticisms of Multiple-Choice Reading Comprehension Test……………..16
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Multiple-Choice Test……………..17
Guidelines for Multiple-Choice Reading Test……………………………..19
Cloze Test……………………………………………………………………….22
Ways of Making and Using Cloze Tests…………………………………...23
Advice on Creating Cloze Type Passages…………………………………27
Factors Affecting Reading Comprehension………………………………………….28
Guidelines for English Reading Instruction………………………………………….31
Language Testing…………………………………………………………………….37
Item Analysis……………………………………………………………………37
Item Discrimination……………………………………………………………..37
Item Facility…………………………………………………………………….38

CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY
Introduction………………………………………………………………………….39
Subjects……………………………………………………………………………….39
Instruments……………………………………………………………………….40
Procedures……………………………………………………………………………41
Data Analysis………………………………………………………………………...43

CHAPTER FOUR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
Introduction ……………………………………………………………….…44
Analysis of the Reading Comprehension Tests from 2000 to 2004………………….44
Analysis of the Question Types ……………………………………………………...74
Reading Skills that have been Measured ……………………………...……………..75
Students’ Performance on Each Reading Skill…………...…………………………..76
Comparison of the High and the Low Group on Each Reading Skill ……………….77
Discriminatory Power of the Reading Questions ……………………………………80
Variables Affecting the Students’ Performance ……………….……………………..81
Themes of the Chosen Texts in the Tests …………………………………………….84
Categories of the Types of Words…………………………………………………….85
Analysis of Frequently Used Words………………………………………………….87
Words beyond the Word List …………………………………………………….…..89
Number of Questions and Length of the Chosen Reading Texts ……………………91

CHAPTER FIVE CONCLUSIONS
Summary of Major Findings…………………………………………………………94
Pedagogical Implication……………………………………………………………...95
Guidelines for Taking Reading Comprehension Tests on the English JCEE.…..96
Suggestions for Future Research……………………………………………………..98

REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………...100

APPENDIX
Appendix A: Reading Comprehension Passages of the Year 2004……………..…..108
Appendix B: Reading Comprehension Passages of the Year 2003………………....112
Appendix C: Reading Comprehension Passages of the Year 2002.………..……….117
Appendix D: Reading Comprehension Passages of the Year 2001…………………121
Appendix E: Reading Comprehension Passages of the Year 2000…………………126
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
Table 2.1 Categories of Reading Skills…………………………………………..…..15
Table 2.2 Categories of Question Type………………………………………………22
Table 2.3 List of Variables Contributing to Item Difficulty………………..………...30
Table 3.1 Three Groups of the Subjects………………………………….…………..40
Table 3.2 Number of the Reading Passages and Question Items………………….…40
Table 4.1 Analysis of the 2004 Reading Comprehension Test.……………..………..45
Table 4.2 Analysis of the 2003 Reading Comprehension Test.…………..…………..50
Table 4.3 Analysis of the 2002 Reading Comprehension Test.……..………………..56
Table 4.4 Analysis of the 2001 Reading Comprehension Test………...……………..62
Table 4.5 Analysis of the 2000 Reading Comprehension Test..……………………...69
Table 4.6 Analysis of the Question Types………...……………………………….....74
Table 4.7 Frequency of the Reading Skill……...………………………………….…76
Table 4.8 Passing Rate of Each Reading Skill….……………………………………77
Table 4.9 Comparison of Performance between the High and the Low Group on Each
Reading Skill…………..……………………………………………………..………78
Table 4.10 Discriminatory Power of Each Question Type …………………………..80
Table 4.11 Categories of Test Variables Found on the English JCEE……….……….81
Table 4.12 Themes of the Chosen Texts in the Tests………………….……….…….84
Table 4.13 Six Categories of the Type of Words ……………………………………86
Table 4.14 Analysis of Frequently Used Words……………………………………...87
Table 4.15 Words of the English JCEE Reading Comprehension Tests that have gone
beyond the Word List…………………………………………………………….…..89
Table 4.16 Numbers of Questions and the Length of the Chosen Reading Texts……91

Figure 4.1 Frequency of the Question Types………………………..…………..……75
Figure 4.2 Comparison of Performance between the High and Low Group on Each
Reading Skill………….……………………………………………………….……..79

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