The Impact of Remedial English on the Improvement of English Proficiency: The Case of the United States International University-Africa

Abstract

This study probes the effect of a remedial English course in raising the level of English proficiency of freshmen at the United States International University. Using a quasi-experimental design, it tracks 46 underprepared students, admitted to the USIU in the Summer Semester of 2011 who failed to make the threshold for university course in a placement test (pretest) and went through a remedial English course for 14 weeks. On completion of the course, they were given the same placement test (posttest). Comparisons between the scores in the pretest and those on the post-test are used to determine the significance of the change the treatment gives the students. Further comparisons are made between the scores in composition and in the grammar sections of the pretest and posttest and variation between the scores of students. T-tests establish a significant and positive difference at p value of p=0.00 between overall performance between the pretest and posttest and between grammar and composition aspects of the tests. The conclusion is therefore that the remedial class raises the English proficiency of the students.