Test Of English As A Foreign Language Scores Research Articles

Comparing TOEFL and teacher’s assessment scores in measuring student’s English skills

Standardized English tests have long been used to determine English learner’s level of proficiency. Tests such as TOEFL (Test of English as a foreign language) and IELTS (International English language testing system) are arguably the most popular English tests in the world. On the other hand, English learners are consistently being assessed by their teachers through a performance-based assessment which provides a comprehensive description of student’s learning achievement in learning English. The results of these two forms of assessments were hardly compared and correlated. Therefore, this paper investigates the correlation between student’s TOEFL score and teacher score. Moreover, this study explores how teacher uses washback effects of TOEFL and class tests. Investigating 42 grade 12 students in an English immersion school in Indonesia, the result of this study indicated a positive but weak correlation between TOEFL and teacher’s assessment scores (r = 0.246, p = 0.116). This weak correlation indicates that the two types of assessments measure student’s achievement and performance differently. The washback effect of TOEFL is mainly in the form of teacher’s encouragement to the students to be more serious when taking TOEFL test so that they will be about to get higher scores.

Pembelajaran TOEFL sebagai upaya peningkatan kompetensi guru di MGMP Kabupaten Muara Enim

In Indonesia, TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) learning has become crucial in enhancing English proficiency, particularly for English language teachers across various regions. Proficiency in the English language serves as a key factor in meeting educational quality standards. Therefore, TOEFL training has become a necessary endeavor to support teachers' English language mastery and elevate the quality of instruction in the pursuit of standardized schools. This community engagement aims to provide TOEFL training as an effort to enhance English language proficiency among English teachers in Kabupaten Muara Enim, South Sumatra. The training was conducted online via the Zoom Conference application, with a total of 77 teacher participants. The training curriculum encompassed fundamental TOEFL skills, including Listening, Structure and Written Expression, and Reading. The training process involved several stages, including pre-test assessments, presentations, discussions, mentoring, and post-test evaluations. The results of the training demonstrated a noticeable improvement in TOEFL scores among the teachers. The average initial TOEFL score was 426, with the lowest score at 286 and the highest at 536. After the training, the average final TOEFL score increased to 432, with the lowest score at 296 and the highest at 557. Although the score changes were not statistically significant, they indicate an enhancement in the understanding and English language proficiency of the participants. The training proved effective in elevating English language comprehension among English teachers in Kabupaten Muara Enim. The effective delivery of training materials and interactions with resource persons positively contributed to the teachers' English language proficiency. It is recommended to conduct follow-up activities to assess the application of acquired knowledge after the training. Such initiatives are expected to further enhance the positive impact of the training on the teachers' pedagogical practices. Moreover, similar training activities could be extended to a provincial level, involving a larger number of teachers, thus fostering improvements in the education sector within the region.

The Effectiveness of Immersive Language Learning: An Investigation into English Language Acquisition in Immersion Environments versus Traditional Classroom Settings

This is a comparative kind of study research about traditional classroom learning efficacy in the acquisition of English and immersion learning. What actually distinguishes immersion learning from the conventional classroom learning setup is that immersion learning includes learners having to be exposed to the practicalities of using the targeted language in day-to-day life and having to use the language in authentic communication with native speakers concerning its grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Using a very strong sample of 60 non-native English-speaking learners, the research set out to measure the impact of these two methodologies on language proficiency, as quantified by the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). This suggests that those in the group of immersion learning had improved post-training TOEFL scores that were significantly higher than their counterparts in the traditional classroom setting. Such findings help explain the fact that, while immersion learning will do much more in improving English language capability, it will also suggest that such an experience environment could be most useful for learners looking to acquire this language effectively.

English Language Exposure and Literacy Rate toward Language Proficiency: A Cross-country Analysis

Globalization has made English more important than ever. Through time, curriculum designers and teacher practitioners remain steadfast in finding ways to advance the quality of student learning. To ascertain the quality of language teaching and learning, parameters like standardized tests are set. This paper examined, at the cross-country level, the difference between the 2009 and 2013 Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT scores and the effect of language exposure on the test takers’ scores. It further investigated the correlation between literacy rate and English language use in the scores obtained. Using paired t-test to determine the English proficiency of the test takers and Pearson r to test the correlation of the literacy rate and language use in the scores obtained, the findings showed a significant difference in the mean scores between 2009 and 2013 scores in TOEFL. The results also revealed a strong positive linear relationship between TOEFL scores and literacy rate, while no association exists between TOEFL scores and language exposure. The quality of comprehensible input is more important than the quantity of language exposure. Active immersion in a language is still an acknowledged fact that contributes to effective language learning. Literacy remains a foundational competency that is of primary importance to language learning. It is then imperative that schools revisit language learning curricula and emphasize quality instruction through authentic language tasks and activities.

The obstacles faced by the junior lecturers of Syiah Kuala University in achieving the required TOEFL scores

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is an examination used to evaluate a non-native English speaker’s proficiency in the English language. This study was conducted to investigate the obstacles faced by the junior lecturers of Syiah Kuala University in achieving the required TOEFL scores. This research applied a focused description as a method of collecting the data and was located within qualitative research. The population of this research was 23 junior lecturers of Syiah Kuala University who were participating in a training class at the Language Centre of Syiah Kuala University and are in preparation for further study in either home country or overseas universities. The instrument of data collection is a questionnaire guide with google form that was sent to 23 junior lecturers. The questionnaire was used to find out the obstacles faced by the junior lectures in achieving the required TOEFL scores. The collected were analysed by using compiling the percentage, adopting the formula proposed by Sudjono. The finding shows that junior lecturers faced obstacles in answering listening to long conversations with a percentage of 93.3% and avoiding similar sounds with a percentage of 80%. The specific obstacles in the structure written expression section were the skill in answering coordinate connectors, agreement after certain words, and parallel structure with coordinate conjunctions questions with the percentage 60%. The other obstacles were skills in answering agreement after prepositional phrases and skill in agreement after prepositional phrases questions with the percentage 67.7%. Then, the obstacles faced by them in reading comprehension were in recognizing main ideas and determining meanings of difficult words questions with the percentage of 67.7%. It is suggested that the junior lecturers should improve their English proficiency before they take the TOEFL test.

Peningkatan Kompetensi Bahasa Inggris bagi Dosen-dosen Unma Banten melalui Pelatihan “TOEFL Strategies and Predictions”

IMPROVEMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCE FOR UNMA BANTEN LECTURERS THROUGH TOEFL STRATEGIES AND PREDICTIONS TRAINING. English language training activity in community service is intended to improve English language competence, especially when answering questions in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) for lecturers at Mathla'ul Anwar University (Unma), Banten. This training was conducted in the form of a short one-day training with 12 lecturers taking place in the Unma Banten hall. The material covered was TOEFL at glance, 12 Strategies for Listening comprehen-tones, 25 strategies for Structure and written expressions, and 6 strategies for reading comprehension. The training begins with a pre-test and ends with a post-test TOEFL questions as well as a prediction of scores and how to calculate TOEFL scores obtained by all trainees. The methods used in community service activities were lecturing, question and answer, discussion and demonstration methods. Based on observations during the community service activities, several positive results were obtained including: (1) The participants showed very high attention to the training material, (2) The participants showed a positive reaction to the material in answering the questions about the questions and how to calculate their values in the training, (3) The participants actively asked questions and revealed the problems they were experiencing. during this time and they are eager to implement strategies/skills in doing on the TOEFL problem, (4) The participants looked serious and confident in discussing the exercises on the TOEFL questions. The result of this community service is the increasing insight of Unma Banten lecturers about the TOEFL and how to answer questions and how to calculate the TOEFL score. In addition, they are more confident in using English and are motivated to learn English well.

IMPROVING STUDENTS’ TOEFL-LIKE SCORE THROUGH STUDENT TEAM ACHIEVEMENT DIVISION (STAD)

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is an internationally-standardized English proficiency test that is widely used in Indonesia for scholarship selection purposes, graduation and recruitment requirements and placements for English language schools. However, many students, especially D3 English Study Program, State Polytechnic of Bengkalis students still faced difficulties in achieving TOEFL score required. This paper tries to propose Student Team Achievement Division (STAD to improve students’ TOEFL-Like score. It is a five interlocking components: class presentations, teams, quizzes, individual improvement scoring, and team recognition. The research was conducted in two cycles. The results found that STAD increases students’ TOEFL-like scores. The average score of students’ TOEFL-like score before applying STAD was 372. At the cycle 1, there was a slight increase to be 401,9. Then, at the end of the cycle 2, it increased to be 457.73. It means that STAD was effective in improving students’ TOEFL-like score. Therefore, it is suggested to be beneficial strategies applied in teaching and learning TOEFL to improve students’ TOEFL scores.

Affordances of TOEFL writing tasks beyond university admissions

Abstract This review describes in brief the writing sub-sections of the internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and discusses its use in university admissions decisions and potential use as a tool for course placement. The primary purpose of the TOEFL is to measure the academic English proficiency of non-native English speakers seeking admission to English- medium universities. The writing portion of the TOEFL consists of an independent writing task and a second writing task that requires test-takers to integrate reading, listening, and writing skills to compose a written text. Currently there is only is limited evidence supporting the use of TOEFL scores for placement (either in ESL programs or in university composition courses), but the review offers guidelines for further investigation into the TOEFL’s potential as an assessment tool for placement.

Implementing a Cultural Model to Increase English-Language Proficiency at an International College

Research Question: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the addition of an American Cultural Model to an existing English as a Second Language (ESL) program improved the performance of international students. Idea: The English language proficiency is essential for students in global emerging economies in order to be competitive, and our study can be generalized to learning other languages within the respective cultural model. Motivation: The results of our study can be applied to higher education worldwide since currently the international business language is English. Data: The data collected were analyzed and interpreted to determine whether cultural training improved scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Tools: Two groups of incoming students were compared as the treatment and control groups, using the t-test with appropriate statistical package. Findings: Data analysis showed a statistically significant difference in TOEFL scores between the control group and the experimental group benefiting from the implementation of the Introduction of the American Cultural Model. Contribution: The English language proficiency is essential for students in global emerging economies in order for them to be competitive, and our study can be generalized to learning other languages within a respective cultural model.

Predictive validity of pre-admission assessments on medical student performance.

ObjectivesTo examine the predictive validity of pre-admission variables on students’ performance in a medical school in Saudi Arabia. MethodsIn this retrospective study, we collected admission and college performance data for 737 students in preclinical and clinical years. Data included high school scores and other standardized test scores, such as those of the National Achievement Test and the General Aptitude Test. Additionally, we included the scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) exams. Those datasets were then compared with college performance indicators, namely the cumulative Grade Point Average (cGPA) and progress test, using multivariate linear regression analysis.ResultsIn preclinical years, both the National Achievement Test (p=0.04, B=0.08) and TOEFL (p=0.017, B=0.01) scores were positive predictors of cGPA, whereas the General Aptitude Test (p=0.048, B=-0.05) negatively predicted cGPA. Moreover, none of the pre-admission variables were predictive of progress test performance in the same group. On the other hand, none of the pre-admission variables were predictive of cGPA in clinical years. Overall, cGPA strongly predict-ed students’ progress test performance (p<0.001 and B=19.02).ConclusionsOnly the National Achievement Test and TOEFL significantly predicted performance in preclinical years. However, these variables do not predict progress test performance, meaning that they do not predict the functional knowledge reflected in the progress test. We report various strengths and deficiencies in the current medical college admission criteria, and call for employing more sensitive and valid ones that predict student performance and functional knowledge, especially in the clinical years.

Exposure to violent and sexual media content undermines school performance in youth

Background: Humans are hard-wired to pay attention to violent and sexual cues. Because humans have limited attention capacity, attention allocated to violent and sexual cues decreases attention that can be allocated to encoding important information in school. This study examined the effects of exposure to violent and sexual media on general school performance and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores in Turkish youth. Methods: The relationship between exposure to violent and sexual media on school performance was assessed in a sample of 1545 Turkish adolescents. Then, we compared the TOEFL scores of 143 Turkish boys aged 14 to 18 divided in 71 living in dormitories in which consumption of media was strictly regulated and 72 living at home. Results: A significant negative relationship was found between exposure to violent/sexual media and school success. The effects remained significant even after controlling for the total amount of media exposure. In addition, boys living in the dormitory in which consumption of media was strictly regulated outscored those living at home on the TOEFL post-test immediately after the end of the study, and on a delayed post-test one week later. Conclusions: Because there was no difference between boys living at home and those living in a dormitory on the pre-test, the post-test and delayed post-test differences cannot be attributed to initial differences in English language proficiency. These results suggest that exposure to violent and sexual media impairs adolescent school performance and foreign language memory.

Linguistic and nonlinguistic factors determining proficiency of English as a foreign language: a cross-country analysis

This article is one of the first studies to use econometric techniques to examine the factors influencing proficiency of English as a foreign language. Specifically, this article aims to investigate, at cross-country level, the linguistic and nonlinguistic factors influencing the variation of proficiency in the use of English as a second language. As a proxy for English proficiency, we use the average Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores achieved by residents of a total of over 60 countries. The regression results suggest that linguistic factors such as historical affinity and similarity in word order between English and a given language have an influence on the proficiency in English achieved by people whose native language is not English. Among the nonlinguistic factors, expected years of schooling and degree of globalization have a positive relation with proficiency in English. These results seem robust, even when the computer-based TOEFL score is used in place of the paper-based TOEFL score and even when the overall score is replaced by the respective score in listening comprehension, structure and written expression, and reading comprehension.

Relationship Between TOEFL Score and Academic Success for International Engineering Students

BackgroundTests that classify English ability, such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), are often the only application metric common to international applicants from a wide variety of academic backgrounds. As such, these test results are sometimes used beyond their intended scope to predict student academic success.Purpose (Hypothesis)This study evaluated relationships between TOEFL scores and several measures of academic success for students at an American university abroad. Characterizing these relationships helps assess the scope of the TOEFL score's use in admissions decision making.Design/MethodLinear and logistic regression were used to evaluate TOEFL score relative to overall grade point average (GPA), GPA for courses in engineering and in humanities, rate of passing a Comprehensive Assessment Examination (CAE), and graduation rate. High school GPA, gender, and nationality were also included as independent variables.ResultsA positive, statistically significant relationship was identified between TOEFL score and GPA, although weaker for engineering students than students in other fields, and for engineering courses than non‐engineering courses. TOEFL score was also statistically significant in logistic regressions of CAE pass rate and graduation rate, indicating increasing probability of success with increasing TOEFL score. However, model goodness‐of‐fit measures were relatively low, indicating many students whose performance defies general trends.ConclusionsIn spite of correlations between TOEFL score and academic performance, TOEFL scores should not be used in admissions beyond assessing individual students' English proficiency. Additional research is warranted to investigate trends that were identified related to gender effects and engineering‐specific student learning styles.

Validation of the TOEFL as a Canadian University Admissions Requirement

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is widely used to screen university applicants for whom English is not their native language. Although the cutoff scores vary, in Ontario those with scores much lower than 550 are rarely admitted to any university. Two exceptions are the University of Western Ontario and its affiliate, Brescia University College, where the TOEFL is required but no cutoff is used. Instead, students are admitted based on their overall prior academic performance along with their TOEFL scores. The outcome of a longitudinal investigation recently undertaken by the Registrar's Office at the University of Western Ontario to evaluate this procedure questions the appropriateness of relying largely on the TOEFL cutoffs in making admissions decisions.

The impact of TOEFL scores on placement and performance of international students in the initial graduate accounting class

This paper examines, in a US context, the relationship between performance in the initial required graduate financial accounting class and Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores for a sample of international MBA students. Other variables that have been shown in the past to be associated with superior performance in that class for other samples are also considered for this international sample. These relationships have not been analysed by any previous studies. The results show that TOEFL scores are not associated with superior performance in graduate accounting for the international students. The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score is the factor most associated with superior performance in graduate-level accounting for international students. This result is consistent with the result reported in Krausz et al. (Advances in Accounting Education, 3(3), 169–177, 2000) for a sample of domestic US students.

Why do some countries publish more than others? An international comparison of research funding, English proficiency and publication output in highly ranked general medical journals.

National factor(s) influencing publication output in the highest ranked medical journals are largely unknown. We sought to examine the relationship between national research funding and English proficiency on publication output. We identified all original research articles appearing in the five highest ranked general medical journals between 1997 and 2001. Using the country of the corresponding author as the source nation for each article, we determined a standardized publication rate across developed nations. We used multiple regression techniques to determine the influence of national expenditures on research and scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), a surrogate for English proficiency, on publication output. There was a significant relationship of national spending on research and TOEFL scores to publication output of developed countries (p = 0.04; p < 0.01, respectively). These two variables explained approximately 71.5% of the variation in publication rate across developed nations around the world (R = 0.85; p < 0.01). Normalized for population size, English-speaking nations and certain northern European countries such as Denmark, The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Sweden had the highest rate of publication in the five highest ranked general medical journals, while Asian countries had generally low rates of publication. Research spending and English proficiency were strongly associated with publication output in the highest ranked general medical journals. While these data cannot be considered definitive due to their observational nature, they do suggest that for English-language medical journals, research funding and English proficiency may be important determinants of publication.

Reply to the Universities' Reaction to the Canadian Psychological Association's Position Statement on the Test of English as a Foreign Language

Summary: The Canadian Psychological Association recently issued a position statement on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The purpose of the statement was to alert university officials to serious shortcomings in the use of the TOEFL as an admissions screening device for nonnative English speaking applicants. The present report, written in response to reactions from several universities, contains a detailed critique of the evidence cited by the Educational Testing Service in favor of the TOEFL and therefore provides further reason for exercising considerable caution when making admission decisions based primarily on TOEFL scores.

Use of the TOEFL as a Standard for University Admission: A Position Statement by the Canadian Psychological Association

Nearly all Canadian universities employ, as a standard for university admission, the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). In light of considerable evidence indicating only a weak relationship between TOEFL scores and academic achievement, the Canadian Psychological Association recently issued a report containing a position statement that called upon Canadian universities to refrain from employing the TOEFL in this manner. Because the concerns raised in the report are likely to apply to many universities outside Canada, the entire report is reproduced in this article.

Economic, statistical, and linguistic factors affecting success on the test of English as a foreign language (TOEFL)

Adults' success in learning English - measured by TOEFL scores - is regressed as a function of GNP per capita (proxying instructional efforts); share of foreign trade in GNP (proxying everyday exposure to English); percentage of speakers taking the TOEFL (for comparability of populations); and the diachronic relatedness of English to one's native language, indicated by the Indoeuropean language tree. All four regressors are significant. The relatedness variable affords, for the first time, statistical evidence that difficulty in second language learning is not intrinsic to the target language, but relative - a function of the historical relatedness of the target and native languages.

How Reliable are TOEFL Scores?

The reliability of scores on four forms of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) was estimated using a hybrid IRT model. It was found that there was very little difference between their overall reliability when the testlet items were assumed to be independent and when their dependence was modeled. A larger difference in reliability was found when test sections were analyzed individually. Then we found as much as a 40% overestimate in reading comprehension testlets, with the longer testlets of the newest form of TOEFL showing the most local dependence. The listening comprehension testlets exhibited much less local dependence. We also found that the test was unidimensional enough for the use of univariate item response theory (IRT) to be efficacious, and that the reading comprehension testlets showed essentially no differential functioning by sex.