Predictive Validity of Saudi Admission Criteria for Freshmen Students’ English Performance: Experience of King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences

Abstract

This study examines the relationship and correlation between initial admission criteria and English performance of first year students at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences. The performance of 1,595 English language students was compared to the initial academic admission criteria to determine if a correlation exists between academic achievement pre and post admission. Admission criteria include high school grades, General Aptitude Test score (GAT), and Scholastic Achievement Admission Test scores (SAAT). Deep statistical analyses, including independent t tests and multiple linear regression reveal a correlation between pre and post admission performance. For this student population, GAT score was more predictive of English performance than SAAT scores, while the high school grade had no significant relationship to performance on the course. Furthermore, GAT had a higher predictive weight of 7% when compared individually with other admission criteria. However, in a combined model, all of the admission tests cumulatively predicted 17.3% of English performance. Such power is relatively low and requires additional variables to accurately predict a student’s final English score. This study provides unique analyses of performance within the Saudi higher education system and provides insight for those teaching or studying English as a second language. This study is therefore relevant for educators in universities using English for the instruction of non-English, native students and raises questions as to the value of current admission criteria.