Spanish University Entrance Examination Research Articles

Examining Feelings of Anxiety Experienced by Secondary Students in L2 Evaluative Situations

The main purpose of this study is to examine the potential impact of self-reported test anxiety on L2 academic achievement. The study sample consisted of eighty-five students from ten different state secondary schools in. Majorca. Data were collected using the Spanish version of the Cognitive Test Anxiety Scale (CTAS). The results show that participants suffer from moderate to high test self-reported anxiety levels, regardless of actual academic English proficiency. The findings reveal a significant effect of participants’ self-reported English proficiency on both general test anxiety, and test anxiety directly related to a high-stakes English test (the Spanish University Entrance Examination, SUEE), suggesting that self-perception of proficiency is a stronger predictor of test anxiety than actual academic grades. Additionally, a significant relationship between gender and self-reported test anxiety on the high-stakes English test was found, which indicates that female students tend to perceive certain exam situations as more personally threatening than males. In contrast, school setting (urban versus suburban) was not directly related to test anxiety.

Washback of Spanish university entrance examination on chemistry teaching in upper secondary education

ABSTRACT The washback effect is particularly relevant when it comes to high-stakes tests, such as university entrance exams. This article presents a research study performed with the aim of determining the current influence of these exams on the teaching of chemistry in upper secondary education. The study was based on a questionnaire distributed among chemistry teachers ‒447 participants‒ from across Spain. The results show that the chemistry content taught in upper secondary education is closer to what is requested in university entrance exams than to what teachers themselves believe to be important for students to learn. For the aspects examined, significant differences between regions were observed; in fact, relevant changes in the curriculum taught and the teaching methodology were apparent in those regions that incorporated content in their tests which was distinct from the traditional approach. Based on the findings, some implications and suggestions are drawn for future university entrance exams.

Método de transcripción del japonés al español: sonidos vocálicos, semivocálicos y consonánticos

The Foreign Language (FL) section of Spanish University Entrance Examination (EFL-PAU) has had few revisions over the last twenty years. The Spanish government has substituted the old EFL-PAU University Entrance Examination by a high stakes Baccalaureate Final Evaluation. However, further changes are expected in the coming years. Among the most important ones for the Foreign Language Section is a deep and necessary revision with the inclusion of new types of tasks. To try and inform the decisions made for the new Baccalaureate Final Evaluation, this article reports on the quantitative and qualitative analyses conducted thanks to a pilot oral test carried out with 772 recorded candidate performances. Three main goals were established for this research: 1) to find out the most important variables which characterize foreign language learning in secondary school in Spain; 2) to find out if there is any correlation between the oral competence of students at the end of their non-compulsory secondary education (as obtained from the pilot study) and the marks students obtain in the University Entrance Examination (which does not include the oral skill); and 3) to find out any aspects related to EFL teaching and learning which may potentially enhance oral performance. The results of this paper provide rich information on the students’ foreign language learning context, the strong correlation between the written and oral competences and the need to pay attention to three variables which foster the development of oral foreign language in secondary school classrooms.

Differences and Similarities between Oral and Written Competence in Spanish Pre-University Students: A Correlational Study

The Foreign Language (FL) section of Spanish University Entrance Examination (EFL-PAU) has had few revisions over the last twenty years. The Spanish government has substituted the old EFL-PAU University Entrance Examination by a high stakes Baccalaureate Final Evaluation. However, further changes are expected in the coming years. Among the most important ones for the Foreign Language Section is a deep and necessary revision with the inclusion of new types of tasks. To try and inform the decisions made for the new Baccalaureate Final Evaluation, this article reports on the quantitative and qualitative analyses conducted thanks to a pilot oral test carried out with 772 recorded candidate performances. Three main goals were established for this research: 1) to find out the most important variables which characterize foreign language learning in secondary school in Spain; 2) to find out if there is any correlation between the oral competence of students at the end of their non-compulsory secondary education (as obtained from the pilot study) and the marks students obtain in the University Entrance Examination (which does not include the oral skill); and 3) to find out any aspects related to EFL teaching and learning which may potentially enhance oral performance. The results of this paper provide rich information on the students’ foreign language learning context, the strong correlation between the written and oral competences and the need to pay attention to three variables which foster the development of oral foreign language in secondary school classrooms.

Viabilidad de la informatización del examen lengua extranjera de las Pruebas de Acceso a la Universidad

Following a Governmental decree announcing the inclusion of oral assessment in the foreign language exam within the Spanish University Entrance Examination to become effective in 2012, the authors set forth to analyse the possibilities of computerizing this exam and design a viable proposal to assess oral skills. To this end, a qualitative study with 286 participants was conducted. The results shed light on the initial acceptance of the technological solutions developed within a dedicated learning management system and on the feasibility of incorporating computerised oral assessment. Evidence that it is indeed possible to implement a computer-assisted foreign language exam adapted to the characteristics and requirements announced with regard to content, usability and security is also provided

Looking towards the Future of Language Assessment: Usability of Tablet PCs in Language Testing

This research addresses the change in how the Spanish University Entrance Examination can be delivered in the future. There is a wide acknowledgement that computer tests are very demanding for the delivering institutions which makes computer language testing difficult to implement. However, the use of tablet PCs can facilitate the delivery at even lower cost than the regular computer based language testing. 183 students in their last year of high school took a computer based language test which included reading, writing, listening and speaking. The research aspects were 1) whether they feel at ease with the tablet PC exam; 2) if they felt that visual aspects were accessible and 3) whether the interface organization was clear. The paper first has a brief description of the OPENPAU® platform, after it addresses the field study based on questionnaires and observations with students during the test delivery, finally the results indicate that this means of language test delivery could be adequate not only for the Spanish University Entrance Examination but for most standardized tests.

Co-participation in Oral Paired Interviews: Preliminary Findings of the OPENPAU Project

The Ministry of Education is changing how Spanish University Entrance Examination (PAU) will be delivered in 2017. To test the construct, experimental oral interviews with potential candidates of the PAU were done. Purpose of Study: The research observed whether paired interviews favored the delivery and organization of the PAU test and if this type of delivery favors the students’ performance. This paper studies how students in paired interviews outperform the individual. Sources of Evidence: About ten interviews were delivered in the US and about 40 in Spain. They all were recorded and analyzed from the interaction and output quality. Analysis and results: The study indicates that co-construction of output may favor communication and improve the student's individual performance.

Integration of Web 2.0 Tools in a VLE to Improve the EFL Spanish University Entrance Examination Results: A Quasi-experimental Study

The article shows the results of a research project designed to improve the results in the English section of the Spanish University Admission Examination, or PAU, Prueba de Acceso a la Universidad (EFL-PAU henceforth). Using a quasi-experimental methodology relevant data was collected from both groups during a whole academic year just before their EFL-PAU. The hypothesis that students who used Web 2.0 based materials (forums, collaborative glossaries, social repositories with annotated past papers, podcasts, social bookmarking, a wiki and a blog) instead of traditional EFL (English as a foreign language) resources achieved better results was quantitatively confirmed. Furthermore, it was qualitatively proved that Web 2.0 tools in EFL increase motivation in students, a crucial aspect for the achievement of good scores in the English section of the EFL-PAU. All these Web 2.0 tools were located in a Moodle course, one of the most widely used virtual learning environments. Although not strictly speaking a Web 2.0 tool, Moodle facilitates interactive information sharing, online collaboration and is user/learner-centered, all of which are key features in a Web 2.0 digital education context.

Washback Factors and Inference Predictors in the Spanish University Examination: The OPENPAU Project (FFI2011-22442)

Background: University Entrance Examinations provide information the student's opportunities to succeed in their academic university career. However, the current foreign language paper of the Spanish University Entrance Examination does no permit to obtain enough evidence to make academic inferences. Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study was to determine if the new test would serve for these objectives according to the students' needs and expected use of the language. Sources of Evidence: Based on Chapelle (2007) and García Laborda (2010). Analysis and results: Primary findings indicate that the test requires a deep revision in the test items, task typology and, overall, the test definition.

Item transformation for computer assisted language testing: The adaptation of the Spanish University entrance examination

Since the Spanish Educational system is changing and promoting the use of online tests, it was necessary to study the transformation of test items in the “Spanish University Entrance Examination” (IB P.A.U.) to diminish the effect of test delivery changes (through its computerization) in order to affect the least the current model. The purpose of this study was to describe and suggest the properties of a new test item taxonomy for the Spanish University Entrance Examination. After a convenient study and piloting by using previous research in computer-based language testing, the researchers created a taxonomy of test items for the I.B. P.A.U.

Contextual clues in Semi-direct interviews for computer assisted language testing

Language testing is a relatively new field of interest that has become of common interest in the last twenty years not only for traditional purposes but because of the power that language testing has acquired in relation to immigration and also for its implications for educational reforms. The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical approach to how audiovisual clues help to contextualize the semi-direct interviews in the Spanish University Entrance Examination (P.A.U.) and how contextualization helps to trigger and improve the student's performance. The study suggests the importance of contextualization of speaking tasks and how computers can enhance language testing.

Does the English Test in the Spanish University Entrance Examination Influence the Teaching of English?

The effects of tests on teaching and learning referred to as “washback” or “backwash” in applied linguistics have been discussed extensively.1 However, there is considerable variation in the way th...

¿Qué técnicas de comunicación oral valoran más los profesores y alumnos en la clase de inglés?

This paper presents a research study on students’ and teachers’ perceptions, of several academic levels, in relation to several oral comprehension and oral production classroom techniques and provides information as to what extent these activities are considered useful for an efficient teaching and learning of English as a Foreign Language. To this purpose, a questionnaire including 12 oral comprehension and 11 oral expression variables has been administered to a sample of 400 students and 59 teachers of several academic levels, who have expressed their perceptions by using a Likert scale from 1 (= very little importance) to 5 (= very important). The results obtained illustrate the most important oral techniques for students and teachers in a classroom setting and the washback effect of the Spanish university entrance examination on the informants’ perceptions.

Rater discrepancy in the spanish university entrance examination

This study investigated the level of inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of thirty-two raters in the evaluation of the composition subtest of the English Test (ET) in the Spanish University Entrance Examination (SUEE). Raters were asked to evaluate ten compositions holistically on two different scheduled data collection sessions (PRE and POST). The results show that although there are no significant differences between the holistic PRE and POST scores, there exists a substantial discrepancy across raters in relation to consistency and harshness of scoring. On the contrary, results reveal that, in general, raters are self-consistent in the evaluation of compositions. On the basis of these results, and given the way SUEE scores will affect the career of a candidate, it is believed that much more emphasis should be placed on establishing an acceptable level of inter-rater reliability in order to ensure that SUEE results are as fair and consistent as possible.