The readability of a high stakes Physics examination paper

Authors

  • Umesh Ramnarain University of Johannesburg

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.38140/aa.v44i2.1353

Abstract

This article reports on the readability of a Physics examination paper written by grade-12 students. A sample of 500 scripts was analysed for readability problems associated with linguistic features synonymous with scientific writing. The study revealed that where a question displayed a linguistic feature of scientific writing, this contributed to students doing an incorrect calculation, focusing on the wrong aspect of the question, repeating a segment of a question, and misinterpreting a word or a phrase. In view of these findings, the article argues that greater attention needs to be paid to the language of science in the classroom.

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Published

2012-04-30

Issue

Section

Articles