Abstract
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to evaluate an English Proficiency (EP) programme and its efficacy with respect to students' academic performance in a university within a multi-lingual context, as the programme had been in effect for some years.Design/methodology/approachA quasi-experimental approach was used to study the efficacy of an EP programme in a university within a multilingual context. Data across two academic years were used, along with regression discontinuity design.FindingsResults suggest that the EP programme had a significant and positive intervention effect on students' initial semester grade point average. The programme effect size was found to be medium to large.Research limitations/implicationsIt might be useful to extend the study for one more year for more concrete conclusions. As the study was anchored upon the structure of the 2016 EP programme, any major curricular/structural change to the programme warrants another study.Practical implicationsThis study demonstrated that the implementation of EP programmes in higher education institutions is essential not only for international students who are foreign language speakers of English but also for domestic students in English-speaking countries, especially for bi/multilingual speakers.Originality/valuePrevious studies related to the efficacy of EP within higher education have focused on international students who speak English as an additional/foreign language. Further, most studies have focussed on students' self-reported experiences and have yielded disparate findings. This study contributes to scholarship as it addresses the under-researched area related to domestic students who speak English as the first language in a bi/multi-lingual context.
Highlights
English proficiency (EP) programmes have long been established in English-medium universities, serving international students who have met the requirements of academic backgrounds, but not yet the language proficiency for admission
A review of the relevant literature found that most studies related to evaluating English Proficiency (EP) have primarily focussed on student self-reports
Conclusion and practical implications This study served to provide information on the efficacy of EP on initial semestral results in a case university situated within a multilingual context (i.e. Singapore)
Summary
English proficiency (EP) programmes have long been established in English-medium universities, serving international students who have met the requirements of academic backgrounds, but not yet the language proficiency for admission © Lyndon Lim and Wenjin Vikki Bo. Published in Higher Education Evaluation and Development. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons. org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
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