INSTRUMENT VALIDATION AND NEEDS ANALYSIS OF ENGLISH SIMPLE PAST TENSE LEARNING AMONG MALAYSIAN FORM 1 ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL) STUDENTS

Abstract

This pilot study evaluated the content validity and reliability of a Needs Analysis Questionnaire and examined Malaysian Form 1 students’ perceived learning needs, challenges, and preferences regarding English simple past tense learning and game-based grammar learning support. The questionnaire was primarily developed using Hutchinson and Waters’ (1987) Necessities, Lacks, and Wants framework, while selected items in the Wants section were informed by relevant constructs from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh et al., 2003). Three subject matter experts (SMEs) evaluated the initial 21 substantive-item questionnaire using the Content Validity Index (CVI), yielding a Scale-Level Content Validity Index based on the average I-CVI (S-CVI/Ave) of .78. The item-level results and qualitative expert feedback were used to identify items requiring revision. Following expert feedback, unclear and double-barrelled items were reworded, simplified, and separated into single-construct statements to improve clarity and address issues identified during the expert review. The revised 28 substantive-item questionnaire was then administered to 67 Form 1 students from two government secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur. The revised 28 substantive-item questionnaire demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = .728). Descriptive analysis indicated that the pilot respondents perceived basic past tense rules as important, reported difficulties in recognising correct past tense verb forms, perceived memorising word lists and repetitive grammar exercises as boring, and expressed positive preferences for game-based learning features. These pilot findings provide preliminary indications for the subsequent design and development of the proposed game-based learning application, particularly regarding clear and basic past tense rules, game-based practice, user-friendly navigation, immediate feedback, and motivational features.