Entrance Examination Research Articles

Effectiveness of Contextual Guessing Strategy on Reading Comprehension in Indonesian EFL Pre-University Students: A Mixed-Methods Study

This study examines the effectiveness of contextual guessing strategies in enhancing reading comprehension among Indonesian pre-university EFL students in Parepare. The research targeted students preparing for university entrance exams, employing a mixed-methods approach with a quantitative-driven design. A purposive sampling technique selected 30 pre-university students from various high schools in Parepare. Quantitative analysis of multiple-choice test scores before and after a targeted intervention, which trained students to use contextual clues (e.g., roots, prefixes, and suffixes) to infer meanings of unfamiliar words, demonstrated a significant improvement in reading comprehension (t(29) = 12.24, p < 0.05). Qualitative insights from interviews with these students revealed increased confidence, practical relevance, and engagement with texts. Students reported that these strategies helped them approach reading tasks analytically, manage their time effectively during exams, and reduce reliance on dictionaries. The findings underscore the critical role of contextual guessing strategies in EFL instruction, promoting effective reading skills and academic success for pre-university students in Indonesia. Integrating these strategies into the curriculum can substantially enhance reading comprehension and exam performance.

The Dilemma of Difficulty in Breaking through English Listening in the College Entrance Examination and its Coping Strategies

The Dilemma of Difficulty in Breaking through English Listening in the College Entrance Examination and its Coping Strategies

Selection effects in education and implications for educational opportunity: state of the field and future directions

ABSTRACT Whether intended by education policy (e.g., via school entrance examinations) or unintended (e.g., via social stratification), selection effects in education (who goes where, gets what, and how much) shape educational opportunities – influencing the life chances of individuals and groups, and the structure of societies. However, within the quantitative approach to educational research, current statistical methods can struggle to simultaneously evaluate both the presence and impacts of these effects. In turn, this methodological limitation impedes efforts to facilitate equality of educational opportunity. This paper responds with a critical overview of types of selection effects in education, their consequences for educational opportunity, and the statistical methods used for their identification. Two empirical illustrations show how a new statistical method (“airbag moderation”) can enable better detection and evaluation of selection effects in education and help direct future research into selection effects in education with a focus on opportunities for equality of educational opportunity.

A WAY TO COMPENSATE PHD STUDENTS' INSUFFICIENT EFL PROFICIENCY: FLIPPED CLASSROOM APPROACH

Background. The shift in standards in Russian education has led to certain changes on the tertiary level of higher education. Most notably the consequences have concerned the aspect of teaching a foreign language to postgraduate students. In particular Samara State University of Economics now does not have language entrance exams anymore and foreign language class time has been rather limited. Nonetheless the level of final exam requirements is yet quite high. The article is relevant due to the need to find a possible remedy to overcome a problem of a fairly low level of previous language training among a certain category of postgraduate students. Purpose. The research purpose was to determine the effectiveness of a flipped classroom strategy as a way to compensate insufficient level of English mastering among the students of postgraduate courses. Materials and methods. Flipped classroom acts as a well-proven approach that could solve the problem. The results of summative assessment are presented in this paper. The methodology adopted in this study is based on the needs analysis, mathematical statistics and content inspection of students' interviews. The range of students, whose needs to improve their language level were determined at the first stage of the experiment then took part took part in a flipped classroom project. At the final stage of the experiment the students were examined for their language performance. Results. The results of the experiment prove the effectiveness of the proposed format for teaching a foreign language for postgraduate students in a non-linguistic university as it increases the efficiency of mastering the skills for the successful exam pass. This study suggests that flipped classroom approach could be an effective remedy to overcome the challenges that teachers and students at postgraduate level are facing today.

An Autoethnography about a Career Educator’ Experience of her Child’s College Entrance Exam Preparation Process

An Autoethnography about a Career Educator’ Experience of her Child’s College Entrance Exam Preparation Process

Overview of the Foreign Language Sections in the Matriculation Exam in Poland and the University Entrance Exam in Türkiye

This paper highlights the contrasting approaches to foreign language assessment in high-stakes examinations for university education in Poland and Türkiye, focusing on content, task types, and language skills. In Poland, language acquisition is seen as a tool for effective communication, while in Türkiye, it is often perceived as rote memorization of grammar and vocabulary. This difference in mindset is influenced by prevailing assessment practices, where Türkiye’s evaluation methods prioritize memorization, leading to a diminished emphasis on communication and practical language use. This disparity is reflected in the EF English Proficiency Index, with Poland ranking high and Türkiye ranking low in language proficiency. Neglected language skills, such as speaking and listening, further exacerbate the issue. Despite discussions on transforming assessment practices for decades, Türkiye has made little progress. The practicality of multiple-choice-based tests in Türkiye is noted, but their limitations in testing language skills comprehensively are acknowledged.

Factors Associated with Suicidal Ideation in Last-course High School Students Facing the University Entrance Test in Spain

Suicidal ideation has been associated in different studies with emotional disturbances, including anxiety, depressive symptoms and burnout. At the moment, there are not many studies that have explored this association in students who face the university entrance examination in Spain. In this research, our main objective was to explore the association between positive suicidal ideation and anxiety, depressive symptoms and burnout in students who were taking these tests. The study involved 402 last-course high school students who were taking the assessment tests in Granada (Spain), aged between 17 and 24. All of them answered to a survey containing sociodemographic variables, the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Zung’s Self-Rating Depression Scale, the one-dimensional scale of Student Burnout and the Positive and Negative Suicidal Ideation Inventory. The results obtained indicate a clear and sig-nificant correlation between positive suicidal ideation, anxiety, depressive symptoms and burnout. Of these three variables, the one that best predicts the presence of suicidal ideation is depressive symptoms. Knowing the presence of emotional disturbances and dysfunctional states in these students is important in preventing and intervening in this ideation in students.

Specifics of Forming Schoolchildren’s Creative Skills in the Process of Artistic Activity: Assessment of Professional Entrance Examinations Effectiveness

Introduction. The problem of formation of creative person skills in the process of artistic activity is currently topical and thus actively investigated in modern pedagogical science. The relevance of the research is due to the active development of modern rapidly changing reality, contributing to the making of an information technology developing society, which imposes new requirements on the formation of a creative personality. The purpose of the study is to determine the psychological and pedagogical conditions for the formation of creative skills of schoolchildren in the process of artistic activity and to assess the degree of readiness of schoolchildren for creative activity based on results of professional entrance tests. Materials and Methods. The important basis of the ongoing pedagogical research is the methodology of the personal-activity approach, in which creative activity is defined as one of the leading types of activity. This study was conducted from 2021 through 2023 in the logic of pedagogical experiment on the basis of the Childrenʼs Academy of Artistic Creativity and Design. The sample consisted of 155 schoolchildren studying in different areas of artistic and creative activity. Results. The authors show that the processes of education of creative personality are currently undergoing changes in the new conditions of information development and the need to form appropriate thinking. The authors substantiate that it is important to purposefully develop the creative activity of personality and it is necessary to start training from school years. The main and additional psychological and pedagogical conditions of formation schoolchildren creative abilities in the process of artistic activity are defined. The specificity of training of senior schoolchildren in the Children’s Academy of Artistic Creativity and Design in special artistic disciplines is shown. The results of evaluation based on the generalization of the data of the professional entrance test in drawing, painting are presented. Discussion and Conclusion. This research contributes to the development of pedagogical knowledge in the field of pedagogical conditions formation for the development of a person’s readiness for creative activity. The article will be useful to anyone interested in the study of theoretical and practical aspects of the formation of creative skills of schoolchildren in the process of artistic activity.

ALIGNMENT BETWEEN CURRICULUM STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENT IN UNDERSTANDING CHEMICAL REACTION PRINCIPLES AT UPPER-SECONDARY SCHOOLS

This study utilized the SEC (Survey of Enacted Curriculum) method to examine the alignment between Chinese high school chemistry curriculum standards (HSCCS) and the assessment of ‘Chemical Reaction Principles’ in the National College Entrance Examinations (NCEEs). The HSCCS and NCEEs were coded into two-dimensional matrices separately using SPSS, MATLAB, and EXCEL. The alignment coefficients were analyzed both macroscopically and specifically based on two dimensions: themes and cognitive levels. The findings indicated a generally low alignment between NCEEs and HSCCS in the ‘Chemical Reaction Principles’ domain, and no statistically significant alignment was observed. Comparing Porter alignment coefficients revealed a gradual increase in the overall alignment level between 2018–2022 NCEEs and HSCCS due to curricular reforms. Further specific analyses and comparisons highlighted significant discrepancies between NCEEs and HSCCS concerning themes and cognitive levels. Regarding themes, ‘Ionic Reactions and Equilibrium in Aqueous Solutions’ showed substantial alignment between NCEEs and HSCCS. However, for ‘Application of Ionic Reactions and Equilibrium’ and ‘Systems and Energy,’ NCEEs diverged significantly from or exceeded HSCCS requirements. Concerning cognitive levels, NCEEs demanded higher levels of student cognition compared to HSCCS. Keywords: alignment, chemical reaction principles, content analysis, curriculum standards, upper-secondary schools

1] Cao, Z. (2022). The Impact of Competence of University Teachers on Work Performance: An Analysis of the Regulating Mechanism Based on Perceived Organizational Support. Journal of Xingyi Ethnic Normal University, 4, 34-43. [2] Chen, N. (2022). Research

The essence of Chinese art is the crystallization of thousands of years of cultural accumulation, permeating the wisdom and emotions of the Chinese nation, and serving as the carrier and manifestation of the national spirit. However, due to historical reasons, a profound lack of this traditional artistic spirit is evident in modern Chinese art education. The most representative example is the complete focus on Western art as the assessment content and criteria in the art college entrance examination. This article will start with the differences between Eastern and Western artistic spirits to elucidate the uniqueness of Chinese art and ink painting. Furthermore, it will explore the influence of Chinese artistic spirit on the development of Western art from a historical perspective. By tracing its origins, the article aims to demonstrate the importance of Chinese artistic spirit in contemporary Chinese art and the necessity of incorporating it into higher education art examinations.

Teach Writing by Process Writing Approach

The college entrance examination (gaokao) has placed higher demands on students' writing skills, and traditional writing instruction methods no longer meet the needs of talent cultivation today. The process writing approach is one of the most popular methods for teaching writing. This article, based on a comparison of the product writing approach and the process writing approach, focuses on the characteristics and specific implementation stages of the process approach. Finally, two suggestions are proposed in the hope of assisting frontline teachers in improving English writing instruction in junior and senior high schools.

Navigating academia: Designing and evaluating a multidimensional recommendation system for university and major selection

AbstractSelecting the right academic major significantly shapes an individual's future career path, making it a longstanding focus of research. The shift to online platforms, accelerated by the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, has transformed counseling and guidance systems. Consequently, developing robust online support systems has become imperative for extending guidance to all students. This article introduces the design, development, and evaluation of “My Future Career,” a multidimensional recommendation system (RS) crafted to aid students in navigating university and academic major selection decisions. The system relies on three key student‐driven parameters: central university entrance exam scores, rankings, and occupational personality types, utilizing cosine similarity and normalized distance to align user and item profiles. Following the system's completion, an assessment was conducted using data from real users, revealing an impressive accuracy (hit rate 100%, precision 88%) in recommendations following the inclusion of contextual post‐filtering features. The findings not only highlight the system's effectiveness but also underscore the positive user experience, as students express contentment with its ease of use and practical utility. The results emphasize the endorsement of expert's regarding the system's consistency (52%), relevance (96%), and acceptance (96%) in providing recommendations.

Measures to Reduce Writing Anxiety in High School Students

Writing is a fundamental skill in modern English language education in China, serving as a means of language output and a crucial criterion for evaluating English proficiency. As teaching reforms progress and the college entrance examination system evolves, the significance of English writing has grown, accompanied by heightened expectations for high school students' writing abilities. However, the reality of high school classrooms often reveals students' apprehension and anxiety towards writing, impeding their progress in this area. Consequently, this study aims to delve into the origins of writing anxiety in high school English classrooms and propose constructive teaching suggestions to alleviate students' anxiety, ultimately enhancing the quality and proficiency of their English writing.

Spirituality and health of medicine students

Spirituality has been linked to medicine since ancient times, but over time beliefs about spirituality were replaced by scientism and technicality. In the field of medicine, this impact was very significant, because the act of caring is essential, and this care was gradually lost.Recent studies such as the one by ATARI et al., (2020) have been evaluating the effects of adopting spiritual practices such as mindfulness meditation by university students and have observed various types of benefits in mental health, body relaxation, sleep quality, self-knowledge and well-being. be.This study aimed to analyze the possible relationship between spiritual practice and the emotional stability of young people and how spirituality can contribute to the strengthening of medical students who have just entered the course and the challenge of preparing for admission exams. This is known to be a phase of a lot of pressure and anguish, given the wide competition and stress of the candidates, as well as showing the students’ relationship with spiritual or spiritual practices.A quantitative-descriptive study was carried out with 123 students entering the Medicine course who attended the 1st and 2nd semester of the years 2020 and 2021. Data were collected through a Google Forms questionnaire, with multiple-choice questions and the term of consent for data collection. Then, the data were tabulated in Microsoft Excel for the stratification of responses and interpretation of results.Of the students who answered that they practice some spiritual activity or meditation linked to spirituality, there was a discrepancy: 23.39% of them managed to keep their focus on studies and managed well the pressure of the entrance exam against 12.9% of the group that does not practice any spiritualist activity. or declared himself an atheist.Another parallel is that the non-practicing group totaled 34.68% of them reported a lot of difficulty under the pressure of vestibular exams against only 19.85% of the group that had a life with regular activity and spiritual connection.The observed data infer that women, are more involved with religious practices ,but due to the small sample of man,any conclusion regarding gender was discarded.In conclusion,we can say that the results obtained in the study suggest that it is possible to have in spirituality a resource to assist in emotional management and maintain focus on studies,since the data allow associiating a direct relationship between the practice of spirituality or (Faith) and the greater ability to withstand pressures such aas studies for entrance exams.

A Review of Research on Error Correction in English in College Entrance Examination in China from 2013-2022

Error correction in English is the constructional question type of the compulsory English test in the college entrance examination, including modification, addition and deletion, and the content involves morphology, grammar and syntax. In this paper, from two aspects of research methods and research content, quantitative and qualitative analysis methods are used to review the research papers on essay error correction in CNKI academic journals. The results show that the research method is single and the research tool is simple. In terms of research content, there are some defects in the depth and breadth of domestic essay error correction research, the proportion of introduction and problem-solving skills is too large, and the proportion of empirical research is insufficient, which needs to be expanded in depth. Finally, combined with the latest development of foreign error correction research, the development direction of the research is prospected from the aspects of research content, level and research methods, and some suggestions and references are provided for future related research.

Exploring Strategies to Alleviate Writing Anxiety among High School Students in the Context of the New College Entrance Examination

Currently, in the context of the new curriculum and the new college entrance examination, English writing has occupied a considerable proportion in various exams, and its importance is self-evident. However, precisely because of its importance and difficulty, students are prone to experience writing anxiety during the writing process, which affects the completion of writing tasks and hinders the development of writing skills. In this regard, this article primarily targets high school students, and based on existing materials and research, explores the causes of their writing anxiety, in order to propose four teaching measures aimed at alleviating high school students' writing anxiety: increase the inspiration and Cultivation of writing thinking; select and expand appropriate teaching materials; training writing strategies to improve writing effectiveness; confident writing, maintain a positive attitude. Through this article, both teachers and students can pay more attention to writing anxiety, take it seriously, and better improve our writing teaching.

Stress Reduction Program Design for High School Teachers in a Private School in Jiangsu Province

With the continuous development of the times, the reform of China's education system is deepening, and science and technology are gradually penetrating into education, which brings certain challenges to the teaching work of high school teachers. At the same time, since 1977, the college entrance examination has been given important significance by the society as a whole and is recognized as an important breakthrough point in life. Under the influence of the college entrance examination system, high school teachers have to bear more pressure compared to teachers in other basic education levels. Therefore, based on reviewing the literature, this study used the questionnaire survey method and interview method to investigate the stressors of high school teachers by taking high school teachers of a private school in Jiangsu Province as the research object, and designed a stress reduction program for high school teachers of this private school in response to the findings of the study. Through the study, it was found that high school teachers in this school mainly have the pressure of teaching work, the pressure of work other than teaching, the pressure of interpersonal communication, the pressure of school management, and the pressure of the society, and finally, the stress reduction program for teachers was designed to alleviate the pressure of teachers' work, so as to promote the physical and mental health development of teachers and serve the cause of education in a better way.

MATHEMATICAL SUBJECTS AND THE ENTRANCE EXAM AS PREDICTORS OF THE ACADEMIC SUCCESS OF GEODESY STUDENTS

<p class="ABSTRACT">All the neighboring countries are facing rapid depopulation, and thus decreasing number of high school graduates. On the other hand, it is needed to select the best quality candidates to enroll colleges/universities in order to be trained for future profession in shortest study time and solid passing rate. The most effective forecast for success in studying (graduation) is during candidate testing (entry exam) and during their first year of studies.</p> <p class="ABSTRACT">This paper shows analysis of factors that determine enrolment of candidates to geodesy study program; marks and passing mathematics (during the first year of study); status of enrolled students and completion of studies, as well as connection between the length of studying and academic results in the secondary school and results of entry exam and possibility of foreseeing successfulness of studying – graduation.</p>

The Construction of Wushu Teaching Strategy in Higher Education Based on WSR Theory

Background and Aims: The document of the Ministry of Education pointed out that physical education in colleges and universities should be student-oriented, adopt teaching methods that students are more willing to accept, and get close to life so that participants can feel the charm of martial arts courses, and obtain psychological baptism while learning sports skills. The objective of this study is to construct a promotion strategy of college wushu courses based on WSR theory. Materials and methods：This research is an investigation based on WSR theory. The participants were divided into three groups :(1) The first group of 7 experts served as a focus group discussion to study the status quo of Wushu elective courses in universities; (2) The second group of 22 experts drafted the promotion strategy model using Delphi method; (3) The third group of 9 experts used appreciation method to confirm the promotion strategy model. The index system was established by means of mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation and P-value. Max, weight, consistency index and consistency ratio were used to determine the index weight. Results：The results show that the promotion strategy model of Wushu elective courses in colleges and universities conforms to the Chinese WSR method, which has 39 three-level indicators. There are three first-level indexes, which are Wuli, Shili and Renli. 10 secondary indicators, namely material resources, funding, teachers, training plan, organization, curriculum plan, teaching planning, publicity, cognition, performance; Equipment support and management, the number of venues, the size of the use of 39 three-level indicators. Conclusion: This study combines WSR theory to construct the promotion strategy of the wushu course in the college entrance examination, which conforms to the writing idea of scientific research and is recognized by theory and practice.

The attitude of occupational health and safety engineering students towards the field of study and future career at Ilam University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: One of the important factors of students' success is a positive attitude towards their field of study and future career. Occupational health and safety engineering is a science that works in the field of employee health and work environment safety. Therefore, it is very important to know the factors affecting the attitude of students in occupational health and safety engineering. Methodology: In this study, 62 students of occupational health engineering of Ilam University of Medical Sciences were examined in the academic year of 2020-2021. The data were collected using the questionnaire of the University of Minnesota, containing 17 questions with a Likert spectrum scale. The data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results: From 66 questionnaires, the mean and standard deviation of the attitude score towards the field of study (28.97 ± 4.25) and the mean and standard deviation of the attitude score towards the future career (24.8 ± 4.7) were calculated. Considering the score of 22 and 19 as the average score of the attitude towards the field of study and future career, the scores obtained are more than the acceptable score. Conclusion: The findings of the present study show a positive attitude towards the field of study and future career. Matching the capacity of accepting students with the needs of the labor market, familiarizing students with university courses before the national entrance exam, providing advice and support to students in justifying the course and work environment, and better communication between industry and university will improve students' attitudes.