Development and Content Validation of the CLEAR Module: An ADDIE-Based Mnemonic Strategy Module for Fraction Word Problem-Solving among Primary School Pupils

Fraction word problems remain one of the most persistent sources of difficulty in primary mathematics education, requiring pupils to integrate conceptual understanding of fractions with the linguistic and strategic demands of word-problem interpretation. This study reports the development and content validation of the CLEAR Module, an instructional module that operationalises a five-step mnemonic strategy (Circle, Line, Evaluate, Answer, Recheck) for fraction word-problem solving among Year Four primary pupils in Malaysia. Guided by the ADDIE instructional design model, the module's development integrated a needs analysis (semi-structured interviews with three purposively sampled mathematics education experts), a design phase grounded in an integration of Polya's problem-solving model, Piagetian constructivism, and Vygotskian social constructivism, and an evaluation phase assessing content validity and reliability. Content validity was established using both the Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR), with three subject-matter experts evaluating ten module components. All components achieved an Item-Level CVI (I-CVI) and CVR of 1.00, and a Scale-Level CVI (S-CVI/Ave) of 1.00, indicating excellent content validity. Internal consistency reliability, assessed with a 16-teacher field trial over a six-week implementation period, yielded a Cronbach's alpha of .89. Teacher feedback further indicated favourable perceptions of the module's systematic structure, usability, and potential to support fraction word-problem instruction, alongside recommendations for greater question variety and simplified instructional language. The findings support the CLEAR Module as a content-valid and reliable instructional resource and offer a theoretically grounded, replicable design process for mnemonic-based mathematics modules. Limitations and directions for a subsequent effectiveness study are discussed.

fraction word problems, CLEAR mnemonic strategy

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