Exploring the Effect of Teaching Test-Taking Strategies on Intermediate Level Learners on Reading Section of Ielts; Learners’ Attitude in Focus

Hooshang Khoshsima,Fatemeh Mousaei,Amin Saed

doi:10.7575/aiac.alls.v.9n.2p.4

Hooshang Khoshsima, Fatemeh Mousaei + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.7575/aiac.alls.v.9n.2p.4

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Abstract

Language proficiency tests have become common instruments to judge people based on their performance. Thus, the scores on language proficiency tests, such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), play a crucial role in the test-takers’ lives. Because of increasing demands on the part of students to get a good score on these tests, test preparatory courses have emerged. These preparatory courses, characteristically short and limited in terms of time, equip IELTS candidates with the skills required for passing the test, called test-taking strategies. The present study explored the effect of strategy teaching- namely wash-back effect on reading section of academic IELTS on intermediate learners in Iran. Besides, learners’ attitude toward the strategy teaching was investigated as well. According to the descriptive statistics and t-test results, those learners who received strategy teaching outperformed those who had not received strategy teaching in reading section of IELTS.According to t-test results, there was a significant difference between the mean scores of the two groups since the p value was lower than .05 (p < .001). Furthermore, the learners had positive attitudes toward receiving strategy teaching since there was a significant difference between the obtained mean score and the presupposed average because the p value was lower than .05.

Highlights

Nowadays, international tests such as International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or TOEFL are becoming outstanding in test-takers’ lives on the ground that the mentioned tests play a gate-keeping role for many purposes in different countries around the world, and Policy-makers make vital decisions with regard to test-takers academic and professional lives based on their performance on these language proficiency tests
The present study explored the effect of strategy teaching- namely wash-back effect on reading section of academic IELTS on intermediate learners in Iran
It has been suggested that equipping learners and test candidates with test-taking strategies which are taught in preparatory courses could be an effective way to improve their scores in the test

Summary

Introduction

International tests such as IELTS or TOEFL are becoming outstanding in test-takers’ lives on the ground that the mentioned tests play a gate-keeping role for many purposes in different countries around the world, and Policy-makers make vital decisions with regard to test-takers academic and professional lives based on their performance on these language proficiency tests. They refer to developing the whole curriculum on the bases of a test, putting the objective of the test as the objective of the course instruction and practicing past papers in the course as the most unethical practices in preparatory courses It should be kept on the mind that not all the strategies which test-takers apply in an assessment are directly taught by the instructors. Cohen (1998) has classified strategies into language use strategies and test-wisenessstrategies He defines language use strategies as test-takers’ conscious actions for improving their use of second or foreign language during a successful language task Test-management strategies are logical and purposeful and reflect the underlying trait being tested, but test-wiseness strategies are just confined to tech-

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