Even the easiest Latin sentence test items were too difficult for first-year pupils, with only the first sentence translated correctly by most¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · design r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 1917 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? On Test A, the first sentence was correctly translated by 97 per cent of first-year pupils, the second by 52 per cent, and the third by 50 per cent, with the remainder below 50 per cent. → Henmon 1917

Evidence¶

Henmon 1917¶

Henmon, V. A. C. (1917). The Measurement of Ability in Latin. Part II. Sentence Tests. The Journal of Educational Psychology. https://eric.ed.gov/?q=Henmon+Measurement+of+Ability+in+Latin+Sentence+Tests

q2 · i? · design · r2

Administration of Latin Sentence Test A in seventeen schools in June 1916 and 1917 to 262 first-year, 244 second-year, 94 third-year and 74 fourth-year pupils; sentences were scored right or wrong. The article reports "the second by 52 per cent, and the third by 50 per cent" correct.

"The first sentence was correctly translated by 97 per cent, of first year pupils, the second by 52 per cent, and the third by 50 per cent. The remainder range below 50 per cent, correct."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Some sentences show imperfect difficulty graduation, with inversions in per cent correct across years — related
• Marked year-to-year overlap in Latin sentence translation ability: substantial percentages of pupils reach or exceed the medians of later years — related
• Latin translation ability varies strikingly across schools, with first-year pupils in some schools outperforming third- and fourth-year pupils in others — related
• Question difficulty was scored as percentage of correctness, assumed inversely related to difficulty — related