Students' perceptions of the general english proficiency test: A study on Tishk International University students in Erbil, Iraq
Keywords:
English test, proficiency test, foreign language.
Abstract
Language Proficiency exams are run globally in different formats to assess students` performance at all stages. Accordingly, standardized or institution-based proficiency exams are common at higher education institutions to determine students` level and overall ability. This study was conducted in 2022-2023 Academic Year over a span of 4 weeks to examine the perceptions of prospective students who want to study in different faculties and departments of Tishk International University in Iraq. One thousand students were chosen as the sample by adopting convenience sampling method. The purpose of this study was to figure out prospective students` genuine opinions on revised Tishk International University General English Proficiency Exam. The students took the exam run by Tishk International University, Language Preparatory School and expressed their opinions about the exam through the interview. The findings revealed that watching movies, reading books, joining some training programs, following the news and TV programs in English affected their performance positively, whereas setting other priorities, focusing on other subjects rather than English, not studying well in advance, unable to manage the time and stress affected their results adversely. Additionally, the students stated once more that incorporating some of the questions from their grade 12 English textbook with those from the Cambridge Proficiency Exam 1 boosted their motivation to achieve high marks on the test. The findings of this study may have some implications for future studies related to English language proficiency tests.
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References
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Hulstijn, J. H. (2012). The construct of language proficiency in the study of bilingualism from a cognitive perspective. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 15(2), 422-433.
Isbell, D. R., & Kremmel, B. (2020). Test review: Current options in at-home language proficiency tests for making high-stakes decisions. Language Testing, 37(4), 600-619.
Ismaili, M. (2013). The effectiveness of using movies in the EFL classroom–A study conducted at South East European University. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2(4), 121.
Janke, S., Rudert, S. C., Petersen, Ä., Fritz, T. M., & Daumiller, M. (2021). Cheating in the wake of COVID-19: How dangerous is ad-hoc online testing for academic integrity? Computers and Education Open, 2, 100055.
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Kara, S., & Yildiz, Y. (2022). From a commodity to addiction: Are mobile phones valuable commodities or sources of addiction for freshman students? Amazonia Investiga, 11(56), 196-209. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2022.56.08.20.
Karakoç, D., & Köse, G. D. (2017). The impact of vocabulary knowledge on reading, writing and proficiency scores of EFL learners. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 13(1), 352-378.
Kharytonov, E., Kharytonova, O., Kolodin, D., Tkalych, M., Larkin, M., Tolmachevska, Y., Rojas-Bahamon, M. J., Arbeláez-Campillo, D. F., & Panchenko, O. I. (2021). Distance learning in the conditions of Covid-19: problems and prospects of their solution. Amazonia Investiga, 10(48), 157-169. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2021.48.12.17
Köylü, Z., & Tracy-Ventura, N. (2022). Learning English in today’s global world: A comparative study of at home, anglophone, and lingua franca study abroad. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 1-26.
Lao, C. Y., & Krashen, S. (2000). The impact of popular literature study on literacy development in EFL: More evidence for the power of reading. System, 28(2), 261-270.
Lee, J. Y. (2018). The Use of Test-Taking Strategies and Students' Performances in Answering TOEIC Reading Comprehension Questions. Taiwan Journal of TESOL, 15(2), 33-64.
Lowe, R. J. (2015). Cram schools in Japan: The need for research. The Language Teacher, 39(1), 26-31.
McNamara, T. F. (2000). Communication and design of language tests. In H. Oxford University Press.
Peña, E. D., Bedore, L. M., & Torres, J. (2021). Assessment of language proficiency and dominance in monolinguals and bilinguals. In Bilingualism Across the Lifespan, pp. 88-105. Routledge.
Saichaie, K., & Morphew, C. C. (2014). What college and university websites reveal about the purposes of higher education. The Journal of higher education, 85(4), 499-530.
Sarac, M., & Loken, E. (2022). Examining patterns of omitted responses in a large-scale English language proficiency test. International Journal of Testing, 1-17.
Sims, J. M. (2015). A valid and reliable English proficiency exam: A model from a university language program in Taiwan. English as a Global Language Education (EaGLE) Journal, 2(1), 91-93.
Statista (2022, April 1) “Most spoken languages in the world.” Statista. Retrieved April 18, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/266808/the-most-spoken-languages-worldwide/
Turner III, D. W., & Hagstrom-Schmidt, N. (2022). Qualitative interview design. Howdy or Hello? Technical and Professional Communication. Pressbooks. https://oer.pressbooks.pub/howdyorhello/back-matter/appendix-qualitative-interview-design/
Ulker, U., Ulker, V., Celik, B., Yildiz, Y., & Bilgin, R. (2021). E-Book Reading Genre Preferences of Teachers Teaching in Foreign Languages in Private Schools (Case Study/Iraq). International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 8(4), 158-170.
Ulker, V., & Yildiz, Y. (2021). The implementation of the authentic assessment in EFL classes in Erbil. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 8(2), 206-221.
Vilardo, V., & Bittar, S. (2018). Gender Profile-Iraq: A situation analysis on gender equality and women's empowerment in Iraq. Oxfam. https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/handle/10546/620602
Yildiz, Y. (2020). Reading Habit and Its Role on Students’ Academic Success at Language Preparatory School: A Research on Tishk International University Preparatory School Students. Amazonia Investiga, 9(27), 189-194. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2020.27.03.20
Zeng, Y., Wallace, M. P., Fan, C. W., & Guo, Y. (2022). University Students’ Attitudes towards English as a Lingua Franca in a Multilingual Sustainable Society. Sustainability, 14(8), 4435.
Zhao, K. (2021). Sample representation in the social sciences. Synthese, 198(10), 9097-9115.
Abdalhussein, H.F. (2022). Iraqi EFL learners’ use of formulaic language in writing proficiency exams. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 18(1), 1079-1093. https://search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/informit.401292634424171
Asif, M., Sheeraz, M., & Sacco, S.J. (2022). Evaluating the Impact of Technological Tools on the Academic Performance of English Language Learners at Tertiary Level: A Pilot Investigation. Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction, 12(1), 272-282
Aydın, D. D. B., Akay, O. E., Polat, O. M., & Geridönmez, O. S. (2016). The Practices of Preparatory Schools in Turkey and Their Approaches to the Idea of Computerized Language Assessment. Anadolu University Journal of Social Sciences, 16(2), 1-20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.18037/ausbd.388926
Bakri, H. (2022). Evaluating and Testing English Language Skills: Benchmarking the TOEFL and IELTS Tests. International Journal of English Linguistics, 12(3).
Bilgin, R., Çelik, B., & Yıldız, Y. (2022). Economic Impact of Online Education during Covid 19 Process on Students: Tishk International University Case. Canadian Journal of Educational and Social Studies, 2(2), 70-83.
Blake, R. (2015). The messy task of evaluating proficiency in online language courses. The Modern Language Journal, 99(2), 408-412.
Buck, G. (2001). Gary Buck (2001) Assessing Listening. Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=citeulike09-20&path=ASIN/0521666619
Castell, E., Muir, S., Roberts, L. D., Allen, P., Rezae, M., & Krishna, A. (2021). Experienced qualitative researchers’ views on teaching students qualitative research design. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 1-26.
Celik, B. (2018). Improvement of reading skills in the second foreign language courses by the “Anti-Method” Way. International Journal of English Linguistics, 8(4), 237-252.
Celik, B. (2019). A comparison of form-focused and meaning-focused instruction types: A study on Ishik university students in Erbil, Iraq. International Journal of English Linguistics, 9(1), 201-228.
Celik, B., Bilgin, R., & Yildiz, Y. (2022). The views of instructors in foreign language teaching with distance education model during the Covid 19 pandemic process: A study at Tishk International University in Erbil, Iraq. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 9(1), 148-176.
Celik, B., & Yildiz, Y. (2017). Commitment to the teaching profession. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 4(2), 93-97.
Dahmash, N. B. (2020). I couldn’t join the session’: Benefits and challenges of blended learning amid Covid-19 from EFL students. International Journal of English Linguistics, 10(5), 221-230.
Dayan, S., & Yildiz, Y. (2022). The Factors Leading Learners to Fail in End of Year English Test from the Unsuccessful Students Perspective-Erbil Sample. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 5(12), 135-140.
Gary, J. O. (2021) An Overview of COVID-19’s Impact on English Language University Admissions and Placement Tests. Language Assessment Quarterly, 18(1), 1-5, DOI: 10.1080/15434303.2020.1866576
Georgescu, M. R., & Berechet, L. D. (2022, February). Challenges in higher online education: discouraging fraudulent attempts on online exams. In Diem: Dubrovnik International Economic Meeting, 7(1), pp. 10-21. University of Dubrovnik.
Grassi, A., Gaggioli, A., & Riva, G. (2011). New technologies to manage exam anxiety. Annual Review of Cybertherapy and Telemedicine, 57-62.
Green, B. A., & Lung, Y. S. M. (2021). English language placement testing at BYU-Hawaii in the time of COVID-19. Language Assessment Quarterly, 18(1), 6-11.
Gulek, C. (2003). Preparing for high-stakes testing. Theory into practice, 42(1), 42-50.
Hulstijn, J. H. (2012). The construct of language proficiency in the study of bilingualism from a cognitive perspective. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 15(2), 422-433.
Isbell, D. R., & Kremmel, B. (2020). Test review: Current options in at-home language proficiency tests for making high-stakes decisions. Language Testing, 37(4), 600-619.
Ismaili, M. (2013). The effectiveness of using movies in the EFL classroom–A study conducted at South East European University. Academic Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2(4), 121.
Janke, S., Rudert, S. C., Petersen, Ä., Fritz, T. M., & Daumiller, M. (2021). Cheating in the wake of COVID-19: How dangerous is ad-hoc online testing for academic integrity? Computers and Education Open, 2, 100055.
Kachru, B. (1985). "Standards, Codification and Sociolinguistic Realism: The English Language in the Outer Circle." In English in the World: Teaching and Learning the Language and Literatures, edited by R. Quirk and H. Widdowson, 11–30. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kara, S., & Yildiz, Y. (2022). From a commodity to addiction: Are mobile phones valuable commodities or sources of addiction for freshman students? Amazonia Investiga, 11(56), 196-209. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2022.56.08.20.
Karakoç, D., & Köse, G. D. (2017). The impact of vocabulary knowledge on reading, writing and proficiency scores of EFL learners. Journal of Language and Linguistic Studies, 13(1), 352-378.
Kharytonov, E., Kharytonova, O., Kolodin, D., Tkalych, M., Larkin, M., Tolmachevska, Y., Rojas-Bahamon, M. J., Arbeláez-Campillo, D. F., & Panchenko, O. I. (2021). Distance learning in the conditions of Covid-19: problems and prospects of their solution. Amazonia Investiga, 10(48), 157-169. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2021.48.12.17
Köylü, Z., & Tracy-Ventura, N. (2022). Learning English in today’s global world: A comparative study of at home, anglophone, and lingua franca study abroad. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 1-26.
Lao, C. Y., & Krashen, S. (2000). The impact of popular literature study on literacy development in EFL: More evidence for the power of reading. System, 28(2), 261-270.
Lee, J. Y. (2018). The Use of Test-Taking Strategies and Students' Performances in Answering TOEIC Reading Comprehension Questions. Taiwan Journal of TESOL, 15(2), 33-64.
Lowe, R. J. (2015). Cram schools in Japan: The need for research. The Language Teacher, 39(1), 26-31.
McNamara, T. F. (2000). Communication and design of language tests. In H. Oxford University Press.
Peña, E. D., Bedore, L. M., & Torres, J. (2021). Assessment of language proficiency and dominance in monolinguals and bilinguals. In Bilingualism Across the Lifespan, pp. 88-105. Routledge.
Saichaie, K., & Morphew, C. C. (2014). What college and university websites reveal about the purposes of higher education. The Journal of higher education, 85(4), 499-530.
Sarac, M., & Loken, E. (2022). Examining patterns of omitted responses in a large-scale English language proficiency test. International Journal of Testing, 1-17.
Sims, J. M. (2015). A valid and reliable English proficiency exam: A model from a university language program in Taiwan. English as a Global Language Education (EaGLE) Journal, 2(1), 91-93.
Statista (2022, April 1) “Most spoken languages in the world.” Statista. Retrieved April 18, 2022. https://www.statista.com/statistics/266808/the-most-spoken-languages-worldwide/
Turner III, D. W., & Hagstrom-Schmidt, N. (2022). Qualitative interview design. Howdy or Hello? Technical and Professional Communication. Pressbooks. https://oer.pressbooks.pub/howdyorhello/back-matter/appendix-qualitative-interview-design/
Ulker, U., Ulker, V., Celik, B., Yildiz, Y., & Bilgin, R. (2021). E-Book Reading Genre Preferences of Teachers Teaching in Foreign Languages in Private Schools (Case Study/Iraq). International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 8(4), 158-170.
Ulker, V., & Yildiz, Y. (2021). The implementation of the authentic assessment in EFL classes in Erbil. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 8(2), 206-221.
Vilardo, V., & Bittar, S. (2018). Gender Profile-Iraq: A situation analysis on gender equality and women's empowerment in Iraq. Oxfam. https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.com/handle/10546/620602
Yildiz, Y. (2020). Reading Habit and Its Role on Students’ Academic Success at Language Preparatory School: A Research on Tishk International University Preparatory School Students. Amazonia Investiga, 9(27), 189-194. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2020.27.03.20
Zeng, Y., Wallace, M. P., Fan, C. W., & Guo, Y. (2022). University Students’ Attitudes towards English as a Lingua Franca in a Multilingual Sustainable Society. Sustainability, 14(8), 4435.
Zhao, K. (2021). Sample representation in the social sciences. Synthese, 198(10), 9097-9115.
Published
2022-12-15
How to Cite
Celik, B., & Kara, S. (2022). Students’ perceptions of the general english proficiency test: A study on Tishk International University students in Erbil, Iraq. Amazonia Investiga, 11(59), 10-20. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2022.59.11.1
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