LANGUAGE IN INDIA

AN ANALYSIS OF THE ANSWER BOOKS OF STUDENTS
WHO OBTAINED LESS THAN 30% MARKS
IN GUJARATI IN THE S. S. C EXAMINATION OF MARCH 2004
Ashok Patel, Ph.D.

ABSTRACT

In all the states of India, the examination for Standard 10 is conducted by the State Secondary Boards of Education. For the last three years, the tenth standard examination conducted by the Gujarat Secondary Board has shown that on an average only 49.10% of the students taking the examination passed. It means that 50.85% students have failed in this public examination. Also 30% of the students who took Gujarati as one of the subjects for this examination have failed in Gujarati. In other words, largely speaking, 30% of the students have failed in their own mother tongue examination.

So, the Secondary Education Board of Gujarat tried to find out as to why the students failed in Gujarati Subject, in their own mother tongue. Researchers checked the answer sheets for the errors students committed and for the difficulties they might have faced in answering the questions. They also checked the answers to identify the questions that the students did not have difficulty in answering. Heads of Education departments of four Universities in the Gujarat State and 45 Secondary School teachers helped in carrying out this research. On the basis of these findings, solutions have been suggested. The findings and the solutions based on this research were sent to all the schools through the monthly magazine published by the Board of Secondary Education by way of helping the teachers to rectify the deficiencies in content, teaching methods, and evaluation of the performance of students, etc.

INTRODUCTION

In Gujarat, the standard examinations, like in other states of India, is held by the Gujarat Secondary Education Board. The number and result of the students who took this examination during the last three years are given below.

From the above figures it is clear that, in Gujarat, during the last three years, an average of 6,36,494 students have taken the S. S. C. examination, and out of which 50.85% candidates have failed in the examination. It does not augur well for any society that every year 50% of its students fail in their public examinations.

In Gujarat, through the Karma Yogi Abhiyan, there started a revolutionary movement in a variety of fields. But, then, how did the field of education did not benefit from this movement and stay away from the beneficial impact of this movement?

Gujarat Secondary Education Board is trying to improve the quality of education through various efforts. It is not enough to have a proper atmosphere when the examinations are held. It is also important that through all these efforts students should be enable to succeed.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM

The result of Gujarati subject of S.S.C. examination held in March-2004 is as follows:

The results indicate that 30.23% of the students who took Gujarati as one of their subjects have failed in their own mother tongue, Gujarati. To the surprise of many, the percentage of pass in languages other than Gujarati exceeded the level of percentage of pass in Gujarati.

THE FOCUS

The focus of this study is on

• Looking into the answer books of the students who got less than 30 marks in Gujarati in the S.S.C. examination of March-2004.
• Identifying the errors in writing found in these answer sheets.
• Identifying the questions which the students wrote their answers.
• Finding out the parts of the question paper which the students couldnot answer correctly in Gujarati
• Making suitable suggestions for future guidance based on the above.

SAMPLE

From among the answer books that obtained less than 30 percent in total, 500 answer books of Gujarati were selected for thorough scrutiny based on the goals listed above. The selection of these answer books was done at random.

This kind of research work is the first attempt made by the Gujarat Board of Secondary Education. So the focus, as reported above, was to know the various reasons behind the below average result. What are the factors responsible for this kind of result?

METHOD OF STUDY

A meeting was arranged in the assembly hall of the Secondary Education Board on 24th October 2004 under the direction of Shri H.N.Hingu. Dr. Ramesh Kothari from M. S. University, Baroda, Dr. Bhogayata from Bhavnagar University, Dr. Uchaat from the Sauarshtra University, Rajkot, Dr. R. D. Mulia from Gujarat University, Ahmedabad were present in this meeting. This meeting decided that teachers should check 1500 answer-books in every subject.

The study of the answer books of the students who took the 10th standard examination was undertaken by 45 teachers at Preksha-Bharti, Koba, in the district of Gandhinagar from 7th November 2004 to 9th November 2004. During this process the teachers were made familiar with the research subject and its importance. They were given the guidance as to how they should study/evaluate the answer books. They were asked to record their opinions that they formed through this process of study/evaluation. After that, according to the subject and question-paper, groups were formed with five teachers in every group. Every teacher was required to study only one question from the answer-books. Three answer-books were given to every group and thus the work started. After sometime the teachers assembled together. The supervisors asked them about their experience, and discussed the difficulty of work that the groups might have faced in studying and evaluation the answer books. On this basis, necessary changes were made and then the answer-books were again given to the teachers. The teachers started to find out where and how the students had committed errors.

ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION

The most common things found in the answer books scrutinized were as follows:

• Unreadable Hand writing
• Errors committed in composing various forms of writing
• Many spelling errors
• Weak Writing skill
• Lack of originality

Question wise summaries and solutions are given below. Unreadable hand writing and spelling mistakes were made by most of the students. So, these are not mentioned here.

SOME IMPORTANT POINTS FOR TEACHING GUJARATI

• Use methods for teaching learned in teacher education colleges to teach Gujarati prose, poems, and grammar.
• In Gujarati, a teacher who speaks the least and allows a student to speak the most is an appropriate teacher.
• During the teaching process, ask students such questions and indulge them in such activities in which a student has to talk first and then write.
• Instead of individual speeches, indulge them in-group discussions.
• Guide them and correct them lovingly if the student's pronunciation, spelling or grammar is not correct or appropriate.
• Keep various charts in the class.
• Handwriting should be such that all the students can read.
• Put dictionary on the table every day, so students can use when they need.
• Interesting books should be given to the students for reading.
• Students should be encouraged to read the newspaper contents.
• Prepare all types of questions on the basis of your experience and questions asked in the board examinations. From this, prepare a questionnaire frequently, ask the students to take tests.
• Don't give surprise tests. Give advance information to the students about the tests and also give them the question paper [so students can prepare better for scoring more marks] thus, prepare them for the test after giving test papers. Students can also be prepared for the test in the class.
• Evaluate the answer sheets and on that basis decide about the matters, which the students find easy.
• Encourage the weaker students. Their correct answers can be shown to the class.
• Objective questions can be prepared in the class through group discussions. Quiz programs can be arranged by forming groups. One group can ask questions to another group and vice versa. Points should also be given to the groups. Games are a good medium of learning.
• Given work should be regularly checked. Only then expected results could be obtained.
• For long answers, don't compel students to write all the points. The child can write as much as he remembers.
• Don't give answers to the essays, compositions, expansions, comprehension, report, précis writing, etc. Discuss the points with the students and discuss all the points for expansion.
• In a question, the students do not equally perform well in all the sub-questions A, B, C, and D. A is excellently written, B is not as good as A. And then C is not good as B, and D is not at all attempted.
• Prepare them mentally to answer all the questions equally well.

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