General English Proficiency Test Research Articles

Academic success in English Medium Instruction programmes in Turkey: Exploring the effect of gender, motivation, and English language proficiency

This article reports a mixed methods study that investigated the influence of gender, English language proficiency, and general motivation (Instrumental and Integrative) on academic achievement in English Medium Instruction in Turkey. Student test scores on their EMI Business Administration courses (n=143) and a general English proficiency (GEP) test were collected from second-year students. Students also filled out Turhan & Kırkgöz's (2018) Motivation Scale. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted with a subgroup of students (n=21). Regression analyses revealed that gender had no statistically significant predictive power of EMI achievement, whereas both instrumental and integrative motivation were significant predictors. English language proficiency was the strongest predictor, explaining 90% of the variance in achievement. Interview data supported these quantitative findings. Pedagogical implications of these results for language educators, and EMI lecturers and students, as well as suggestions for further research are given.

An Action Research Study of Digital Storytelling Project-Based Course

This study is an action research study of a digital storytelling project-based course. The purpose of this study is to explore the way of implementing a digital storytelling project-based courses in order to make a local improvement rather than making a generalization. This paper reports the procedure of the Multimedia-Assisted English Education course, which was offered to the English language education majors for fifteen weeks in the spring semester in 2020 and its pedagogical effects in terms of the students’ competence both quantitatively and qualitatively. Quantitative and qualitative data collected included students’ general English proficiency test scores (Quick Placement Test, or QPT), virtual class recordings, group activity notes, mind maps, learning journals, student and instructor reflection notes, lecture evaluations, videos of a digital storytelling project, peer evaluations, self assessments, video critiques (Lacy, 2018), transcripts of students conversations (open channels), and core competency surveys conducted at the beginning and end of the semester. Due to the COVID-19, all the classes were delivered online, which made it possible to explore on-line interaction and collaboration among seventeen students in a non-face-to-face situation. In the course of completing a digital storytelling project in a group of 8-9 students, students were reported to enhance collaborative problem-solving and mutual communication competencies.

Speech Rate and Young EFL Learners’ Listening Comprehension

Speech rate is one of the salient characteristics that speakers modify their speech for second or foreign language learners to gain more comprehensive input (Krashen, 1987). For young EFL learners, a slower speech rate can be a critical factor that helps them properly process linguistic input and increase self-confidence in listening comprehension. The present study investigated the effect of speech rate on listening comprehension performance among young EFL learners in Taiwan. Sixty-six junior high school students from two homogeneous classes participated in two elementary-level listening comprehension tests. All participants took the first test at the delivery rate of 116 words per minute (wpm) set by Taiwan’s General English Proficiency Test. In the second test, the two classes of participants were examined at two slower delivery rates—98 wpm and 58 wpm, respectively. Results reveal a facilitating effect of the slightly slower speech rate of 98 wpm on the participants’ listening comprehension; however, slower speech does not make a significant difference at the much slower rate of 58 wpm. The results of the study are then discussed, and implications are drawn.

Discourse competence across band scores: an analysis of speaking performance in the General English Proficiency Test

Abstract While discourse competence (DC) has been identified as the core competence in English as a foreign language (EFL) learning and communication, only a few empirical studies have focused on DC in speaking assessments. This study investigates the discourse features (i.e., cohesion and coherence) of Taiwanese candidates’ performances in an argumentative exposition task in the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT) by analyzing the construction of cohesion and coherence across four band scores (i.e., Bands 2, 3, 4, and 5). Cohesion analysis showed that all the three types of cohesion devices (i.e., grammatical, logical, and lexical) develop linearly with increasing band score levels. The higher-score test-takers (Bands 4 and 5) adopted grammatically and semantically more appropriate references to establish an accurate relation with the referents. They also tended to use a higher frequency of overall conjunctions (particularly additive) and repetition to promote logical and lexical cohesion. Coherence analysis found that high-score candidates were more equipped to produce a response that complies with the expected generic structure of argumentative tasks. While more complex theme-rheme patterns appeared more frequently in the discourse of higher-score candidates, theme reiteration patterns were only observed in Band 2. These results illustrate how Taiwanese EFL learners demonstrate DC with cohesive and coherence strategies in speaking test performance across band scores. Pedagogical implications for language teaching and learning are then discussed.

Students' perceptions of the general english proficiency test: A study on Tishk International University students in Erbil, Iraq

Language Proficiency exams are run globally in different formats to assess students` performance at all stages. Accordingly, standardized or institution-based proficiency exams are common at higher education institutions to determine students` level and overall ability. This study was conducted in 2022-2023 Academic Year over a span of 4 weeks to examine the perceptions of prospective students who want to study in different faculties and departments of Tishk International University in Iraq. One thousand students were chosen as the sample by adopting convenience sampling method. The purpose of this study was to figure out prospective students` genuine opinions on revised Tishk International University General English Proficiency Exam. The students took the exam run by Tishk International University, Language Preparatory School and expressed their opinions about the exam through the interview. The findings revealed that watching movies, reading books, joining some training programs, following the news and TV programs in English affected their performance positively, whereas setting other priorities, focusing on other subjects rather than English, not studying well in advance, unable to manage the time and stress affected their results adversely. Additionally, the students stated once more that incorporating some of the questions from their grade 12 English textbook with those from the Cambridge Proficiency Exam 1 boosted their motivation to achieve high marks on the test. The findings of this study may have some implications for future studies related to English language proficiency tests.

Transfer of learning, fear of failure, procrastination, and self-efficacy in learning English: Any evidence from the arts?

Abstract This study examined the potential of “transfer of learning” for arts students and the relationships among students’ fear of failure, procrastination, and self-efficacy when learning English. Two studies were conducted; in the first study, we investigated transfer of learning for arts students between their majors and the English language. In Study 2, we explored the influence of the fear of failure, procrastination, and self-efficacy on students’ English proficiency levels. We implemented a structural equation model (SEM) to ascertain whether the fear of failure and procrastination played a mediating role between students’ self-efficacy and English proficiency levels. The participants consisted of 501 students majoring in arts. The research tools included the online General English Proficiency Test and a questionnaire. The results indicated that both hugging and bridging strategies were significantly correlated with students’ English language achievements. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that hugging strategies, such as setting expectations, matching, simulating, modeling, and practicing problem-based learning, were positive predictors. The SEM results indicated that self-efficacy had a negative effect on students’ procrastination, and both the fear of failure and procrastination played mediating roles between students’ self-efficacy and English language achievement.

Using the English GSAT for placement into EFL classes: accuracy and validity concerns

The English General Scholastic Ability Test (GSAT), a nationwide high-stakes college entrance exam in Taiwan, has commonly served as a placement test for streaming college freshmen into EFL classes. There has, however, been scant research reported on the feasibility of using an admission test for EFL placement. This study aims to investigate the accuracy and validity of placement decisions being made using the English GSAT scores, with a focus on its relations with the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT) and students’ subsequent performance in class. Quantitative data, including the English GSAT scores, the GEPT High-Intermediate Listening and Reading scores, and the English final course grades, were collected and statistically analyzed from four EFL classes with a total of 100 students at a university in Taiwan. The English GSAT was found to function well to place students into distinctively lower or higher level of EFL classes but did not discriminate well for the borderline cohort. A three-level placement using the English GSAT appeared to be a better differentiation between each proficiency cluster. High achievers in the English GSAT appeared to perform better on the GEPT listening and reading tests than did low achievers. Yet, apart from the GEPT reading test, the English GSAT yielded weak predictive power of student course attainment, which seemingly varied across classes, hinging on course designs and grading policies. Implications drawn from the results of the investigation were further discussed.

Advancing the International Recognition of the Locally-Produced GEPT: An Interview with Jessica Wu

ABSTRACT Jessica Wu is Research and Development Program Director at the Language Training and Testing Center (LTTC) in Taipei, Taiwan. Jessica has been deeply involved in the development and validation of the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT) in addition to a number of other foreign language testing programs. Her research focuses on speaking assessment and the impact of standardized language testing. Jessica is a founding member of the Asian Association for Language Assessment (AALA), for which she has served as both co-president (2016 to 2017) and president (2018 to 2019). She currently serves as an advisor for the development and administration of L1 tests (i.e., Hakka, Southern Min, and Indigenous language proficiency certifications) in Taiwan. Jessica has authored a number of publications, including articles and book chapters in the field of language testing, and has presented her work at conferences around the world. Most recently, she co-edited English Language Proficiency Testing in Asia: A New Paradigm Bridging Global and Local Contexts with Cyril Weir and I-Wen Su. Her contributions to language testing are significant and immeasurable, particularly with regard to Asia. The following interview with Jessica, which was conducted via an online meeting platform due to the COVID-19 pandemic, took place in January 2021.

Authenticated Spoken Texts for L2 Listening Tests

ABSTRACT L2 test developers often use scripted spoken texts in their L2 listening tests, because it is efficient and practical to create scripted spoken texts that meet predetermined test specifications. But because scripted spoken texts differ in a number of fundamental ways from unscripted spoken language, there are potential threats to validity when only scripted spoken texts are used to assess test-takers’ communicative competence. The present study seeks to firstly, examine the process of “authenticating” scripted texts (making changes to scripted texts to give them more of the lexico-grammatical, phonological, and speech rate characteristics of unscripted spoken language), and secondly to compare how test-takers perform on tests with “authenticated” versus scripted spoken texts. A total of 111 ESL and EFL participants took the listening section of the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT). For each language group, half of the participants heard the actual GEPT (scripted) spoken texts, and half-heard an authenticated version of the same texts. An analysis of group means using two-way ANCOVA indicated that the test-takers who heard the scripted texts scored higher than the group who heard the authenticated version in both the ESL and EFL groups, and marked differences between the two text types were found.

Intentional vocabulary learning via WhatsApp: Does the type of input matter?

Nowadays, vocabulary as an influential domain in mastering second/foreign languages has encouraged researchers to put forth conceptualizations that can substantiate the successful learning of words. This study used WhatsApp to investigate the different impacts of two input modalities (voice messages vs. written texts) on EFL learners' intentional learning and retention of words. To this end, 50 female EFL learners in two intact classes (n1=n2=25) were selected from a language institute in Khorramabad, Iran. The groups were randomly assigned to two treatment conditions. The results of a general English proficiency test verified their homogeneity at the outset. A standardized teacher-made vocabulary test assured the researchers that the words were unfamiliar to the learners. After the twelve-session treatment, which was integrated with conventional English teaching classes, another standardized vocabulary test was administered once immediately after the intervention and the second time after a two-week interval. The Friedman repeated measures analysis showed a significant difference between the pretest and posttests. However, the results of the statistical analyses showed no statistically significant differences between the participants' performances on the immediate and delayed posttests. Thus, the researchers concluded that the participants had not forgotten the words from the first to the second posttest indicating the efficacy of intentional vocabulary learning. Additionally, no significant differences were found between the two groups showing the similar impacts of the input modality. The study has implications for EFL teachers and educators whose focus is on TEFL.

The Effects of Using Audience Response Systems Incorporating Student-Generated Questions on EFL Students’ Reading Comprehension

While Audience Response System (ARS) such as Kahoot! can promote learner self-regulation and enhance comprehension by engaging cognitive processing on multiple levels, learning behavior in questioning with ARS was understudied. The present study explores the use of Kahoot! with student-generated questioning, to report the effect on students’ reading comprehension. This study involved two intact sixth grade elementary school classes, with a total of 48 students which were divided into an experimental group and a control group. All students first took the simulated GEPT (General English Proficiency Test)-Kids reading test as a pre-test. Each team was assigned a story commensurate with their reading level by the instructor. The experimental group used Kahoot! as an ARS to generate questions, while the control group presented their questions by PowerPoint. The data were analyzed in terms of the students’ pre-test and post-test GEPT-Kids scores, and the worksheets. The results indicated that although little significant improvement was recorded from the GEPT scores, the quality of the questions generated by the group using Kahoot! increased at a greater rate over time compared to the control group. The question-generation process showed that the Kahoot! group indicated a higher level of engagement and collaboration and also stimulated an active learning environment.

Gender-related Differential Item Functioning Analysis on an ESL Test

Differential item functioning (DIF) is a technique used to examine whether items function differently across different groups. The DIF analysis helps detect bias in an assessment to ensure the fairness of the assessment. However, most of the previous research has focused on high-stakes assessments. There is a dearth in research that laying emphasis on low-stakes assessments, which is also significant for the test development and validation process. Additionally, gender difference in test performance is always a particular concern for researchers to evaluate whether a test is fair or not. This present study investigated whether test items of the General English Proficiency Test for Kids (GEPT-Kids) are free of bias in terms of gender differences. A mixed-method sequential explanatory research design was adopted with two phases. In phase I, test performance data of 492 participants from five Chinese speaking cities were analyzed by the Mantel-Haenszel (MH) method to detect gender DIF. In phase II, items that manifested DIF were subject to content analysis through three experienced reviewers to identify possible sources of DIF. The results showed that three items were detected with moderate gender DIF through statistical methods and three items were identified as possible biased items by expert judgment. The results provide preliminary contributions to DIF analysis for low-stakes assessment in the field of language assessment. Besides, young language learners, especially in the Chinese context, have been drawn renewed attention. Thus, the results may also add to the body of literature that can shed some light on the test development for young language learners.

Assessing the lexical richness of figurative expressions in Taiwanese EFL learners’ writing

Abstract This study aimed to explore the lexical richness of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ figurative expressions, including quantity, diversity, and types of figurative meanings, and the extent to which learners at different proficiency levels display such characteristics in their writing. Data for analysis were 442 writing samples collected from the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT), a test commissioned by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education, across four proficiency levels. The procedure for identifying figurative expressions was adapted from the Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit. The results showed that metaphors were the most frequently used figurative function across proficiency levels, whereas similes were the least frequently used. Among the four proficiency levels, learners at the intermediate level were the most productive in engaging diverse figurative forms and functions. The findings will contribute to a refinement of the proficiency descriptors in the GEPT and foster a positive washback effect on EFL learners’ development of vocabulary knowledge.

Using a Listening Vocabulary Levels Test to Explore the Effect of Vocabulary Knowledge on GEPT Listening Comprehension Performance

ABSTRACTThe Ministry of Education in Taiwan encourages universities to adopt English ability as an exit requirement for graduates. Nearly 65% of universities use the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT) or other compatible standardized tests as an exit test for university graduates. However, it remains unclear what level of vocabulary knowledge a second language (L2) learner needs in order to achieve a passing score for listening on the exit test. The L2 vocabulary assessment literature also clearly shows a need for a test that measures aural English vocabulary knowledge. To address the gaps, this study explored the effect of vocabulary knowledge on performance on the GEPT listening subtest by using a validated Listening Vocabulary Levels Test to provide a more accurate estimate of the receptive vocabulary of L2 learners. The findings showed (1) a strong positive correlation between vocabulary knowledge and overall listening skills, with comprehension of short talks (Part III) most closely related to vocabulary knowledge and most challenging to participants; (2) no absolute vocabulary threshold above which L2 learners passed the GEPT listening subtest, although a substantial increase in passing rate was observed at the 3,000-word vocabulary level; and (3) a minimum vocabulary level of 3,000-word families is required for 98% lexical coverage in the overall GEPT listening subtest, and a higher level of vocabulary knowledge is needed for L2 learners to comprehend conversations and short talks, compared with comprehension and answering of questions. The study findings provide insight into the role of aural receptive vocabulary knowledge in listening comprehension, and the implications for language teachers, materials writers, and test developers are also discussed.

CORRELATIONS OF ENGLISH WRITING COMPLEXITY, ACCURACY, FLUENCY, AND TEST SCORES: A CASE STUDY OF STANDARDIZED WRITING TEST SAMPLES

The Limited Attentional Capacity Model (LACM) (Skehan & Foster, 1997, 2001) is believed to affect the memory processing system, leading to a trade-off model between the levels of complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) in writing output by EFL learners. Time may be one of the critical variables moderating EFL writers’ LACM, but few writers, least of all in the context of Taiwan, have studied the possible influence of LACM on the CAF relationship as demonstrated in timed writing,. What has not been properly investigated includes possible CAF interaction varying with Taiwanese EFL writers’ proficiency levels. This should also be examined, given the changes in the development of student writers’ skills as they learn, that is, mastering greater complexity, accuracy or fluency than before. To shed light on these aspects, the present researcher studied 150 timed writing samples created by 150 EFL test-takers who participated in the General English Proficiency Test High Intermediate. Both inferential and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. The research results indicate a possible shifting relationship between complexity and fluency/accuracy, suggesting that LACM impacts on Taiwanese EFL writers’ performance, mostly probably subject to the time factor, since no differences of any kind were found between the interrelationship of writing qualities and their CAF.

Effectiveness of a dynamic usage based computer assisted language program

Abstract The current paper explores whether a Dynamic Usage Based (DUB) approach – which takes authentic meaningful language use with repetition and scaffolding for comprehension as its basis – can also be implemented in a CALL environment. The effectiveness of the DUB-CALL program was tested in a semester-long experiment, comparing it with a teacher-fronted DUB program (using the same materials as the CALL program) and a traditional CLT program; 228 university undergraduates in Sri Lanka participated. Language gains were assessed in a pre-post design with an objective General English Proficiency (GEP) test and a writing task. The results show that the students in the DUB-CALL condition performed significantly better on the GEP test than the students in the two teacher-fronted classes. The results of the writing tests show that all groups improved significantly, but here there were no differences among groups.

How Effective Can Additive Assigned Extracurricular Reading Be? More Good News

This paper reports the effect of additive assigned extracurricular reading at the tertiary level of education in Taiwan. Chiang [1] implemented additive assigned reading after school in a college English course and used the General English Proficiency Test for the measurement of students for three consecutive academic years. The pre-/post comparison showed significant gains over all three years. The current study repeated the procedure and reported on the 4th and the last year from of study before course reform took place. The results continuously showed significant improvement in GEPT scores between the pre-/post- tests. Implications of the results for potential factors such as reading amount and frequency are discussed.

Acquisition of Adjective Placement by L3 Learners of English: Evidence for the L2 Status Factor

This study attempts to tease apart the effect of first (L1) and second (L2) language knowledge on the acquisition of syntactic properties of L3 English in order to test current generative theories in the field of third language acquisition (L3A). The property under investigation is adjective placement. Participants are L1 Azeri / L2 Persian, and L1 Persian learners of English as a third and second language respectively. To fulfill so, 180 bilingual and monolingual university students from Arak and Miyandoab took a general English proficiency test, a background questionnaire, and a syntactic structure test. The L3 proficiency was also considered. The data, then, were analyzed through utilization of descriptive statistics and two-way ANOVA. In relation to the hypotheses, results indicated L2 status as the determining factor in the acquisition of English adjective properties by Azeri-Persian bilinguals. Proficiency level in the L3 also proved to have a significant role. The implications of the study can be utilized in developing an educational and linguistic methodology for bilingual learners of English as an L3 in Iran.

A comparability study between the General English Proficiency Test- Advanced and the Internet-Based Test of English as a Foreign Language

BackgroundThis study examined the comparability of reading and writing tasks of two English language proficiency tests—the General English Proficiency Test-A (GEPT-A) developed by Language Training Center, Taipei and the Internet-Based Test of English as a Foreign Language (iBT) developed by Educational Testing Service, Princeton.MethodsData was collected from 184 test takers, 92 in Taiwan and 92 in the USA. Three specific analyses were conducted: First, a content analysis was performed on the passages in the GEPT-A and on the iBT reading passages. Second, a task analysis of the construct coverage, scope, and task formats used in the reading sections, and third, a test performance analysis of scores on the two tests were conducted.ResultsThe results of the text analysis showed the reading passages on the two tests are comparable in many ways but differ in several key regards. The task analysis revealed that the construct coverage, item scope, and task formats of the two tests are clearly distinct. Analysis of test performance showed that scores on the GEPT-A and iBT are highly inter-correlated with each other. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the test score data indicated that the two tests appeared to be measuring reading and writing ability but emphasize different aspects of the reading construct.ConclusionAlthough the two tests are comparable in many ways, the reading passages differ in several key regards. Analyses of participant responses indicated that the two tests assess the same reading construct but emphasize different aspects of it.

Comparing Learners’ General Proficiency Levels with Their Writing Productive Ability: How Correlated are They?

Since complexity, accuracy and fluency (CAF) have been suggested as measures of language development (Larsen-Freeman, 1978), a heated debate has surrounded the issue of whether they can sufficiently capture the multi-dimensional facets of language proficiency and be reliable indices of language proficiency levels. Contributing to this debate, the present study investigates the correlation between L3 English proficiency and CAF measures in writing. It recruits 88 semester-one 2 nd year Baccalaureate students who were divided into nine groups of general proficiency using the 9-point Stanine scale based on their scores in a general English proficiency test. The scores for the proficiency test were obtained based on the holistic scoring method. We, then, assigned the participants a writing task which we evaluated in terms of CAF. We used the number of dependent clauses per T-unit to measure complexity, the ratio of error-free T-units to the total number of T-units to measure accuracy and number of words per minute to measure fluency. The results showed a strong correlation between proficiency levels and CAF measures, thereby proving that CAF measures serve as a framework suitable for benchmarking language proficiency development. In light of the results, some implications are made for future research targeting language development.