The washback effects of TOEFL ITP on first year non english major students’ motivation in learning english

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES - ĐINH THỊ HỒNG THƯƠNG THE WASHBACK EFFECTS OF TOEFL-ITP ON FIRST YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH (ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA KỲ THI TOEFL-ITP ĐẾN ĐỘNG LỰC HỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 HANOI - 2017 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES - ĐINH THỊ HỒNG THƯƠNG THE WASHBACK EFFECTS OF TOEFL-ITP ON FIRST YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ MOTIVATION IN LEARNING ENGLISH (ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA KỲ THI TOEFL-ITP ĐẾN ĐỘNG LỰC HỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN KHÔNG CHUYÊN NĂM THỨ NHẤT) M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111 Supervisor: Dr Trần Thanh Nhàn HANOI - 2017 DECLARATION I hereby declare that this thesis represents my own work for the Degree of Master in TESOL at the Faculty of Post-graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies - Vietnam National University, and that it has not been previously submitted to this University or any other institution in application for admission to a degree, diploma or other qualifications Hanoi,2017 Đinh Thị Hồng Thương i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all, I would like to acknowledge the debt of gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Trần Thanh Nhàn for her helpful suggestions, invaluable critical feedback and encouragement in the writing of this study Without her guidance and help, this work would not have been completed My sincere thanks go to all the staff at the Department of Post-graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for giving me assistance and the lecturers who conducted the Master's course for providing me with valuable knowledge I would also like to express my deep sense of gratitude to all students, whose participation in and dedication to the research remains invaluable Without their precious support, the thesis would not have taken shaped I am also indebted to my colleagues at Thai Nguyen University of Technology for their enthusiastic assistance and co-operation Finally, the support extended to me by the members of my family has been immeasurable I would also like to express my thanks to my parents and my husband for their wholehearted encouragement ii ABTRACT Test of English as a Foreign Language - Institutional Testing Program (TOEFL-ITP) is believed by authority makers to have positive influence on teaching and learning English However, as observation of the author and belief of teachers, TOEFL-ITP has negative consequence in students‟ learning English This paper explores the relationship between TOEFL-ITP requirements for graduation and program entrance and students‟ motivation in learning with regards to students‟ different learning background and various educational contexts and time schedule pressure of the test A sample of 147 students from two learning programs was approached to take questionnaire responses and ten students and three teachers were interviewed for more intensive data Both positive and negative impacts of TOEFLITP on students‟ motivation were clarified in the research Limited source of data, sampling procedure and length of the survey period in this study suggested other data collection source, sampling method and more longitudinal time for data collection for later research iii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Questionnaire items 20 Table 1: Students from Advanced program 23 Table 2: Students from standard program 24 Table 3: Students take part in interview section 25 Table 4: Teachers participated in interview 26 Table 5: Students‟ responses to Motivation intensity items 26 Table 6: Students‟ responses to Integrative motivation 27 Table 3.7 Students‟ responses to Desire to learn English 29 Table 3.8: Students‟ responses to Interest in learning English items .31 Table 9: Students‟ responses to Attitude towards learning English item 33 Table 10: Students‟ responses to Instrumental motivation items .33 Table 11: Students‟ responses to Attribution about past failures item .34 Table 12: Students‟ responses to Need for achievement items 35 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABTRACT .iii LIST OF TABLES iv TABLE OF CONTENTS v PART I: INTRODUCTION 1.Rationale of the study .1 2.Purposes and significance of the study 3.Scope of the study .3 4.Method and procedure 4.1.Subjects 4.2.Data collection method .4 4.3.Data analysis procedure 5.Organization of the study PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW .7 1.Theoretical backgrounds 1.1.Washback 1.2.Language test 1.2.1.Definition of language test .8 1.2.2.Nature of language tests 1.3.Motivation 1.3.1.Definition of motivation 1.3.2.Components of motivation 10 1.3.2.1.Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation 10 1.3.2.2.Integrative motivation and instrumental motivation 11 1.3.3.Role of motivation in foreign language learning 13 2.Review of literature 15 v CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 17 1.The context of the study 17 2.Participants 17 3.Instruments 18 3.1.Questionnaire 18 3.2.Interview 20 4.Data collection procedure 21 5.Data analysis 22 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS, FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 23 1.Demographic information of participants 23 1.1.Questionnaire survey respondents 23 1.2.Interview participants 25 2.Effect of TOEFL-ITP examination on students‟ motivation 26 2.1.Motivation intensity 26 2.2.Integrative motivation sub-system 27 2.2.1.Integrative motivation 27 2.2.2.Desire to learn English 29 2.2.3.Interest in learning English 31 2.2.4.Attitude towards learning English 32 2.3.Instrumental motivation sub-system 33 2.4.Attribution about past failures 34 2.5.Need for achievement 35 3.Findings and discussions 35 PART III: CONCLUSION 38 1.Summary of methodologies 38 2.Summary of findings 38 3.Limitations of the study and suggestion for further research 39 REFERENCES 41 APPENDIX .I vi PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study Testing plays a significant role in education The vital importance of testing is revealed in the way test results are used to make decisions on curriculum, on teaching and learning, and on students‟ future studies and career opportunities (Shohamy, 1992, p.513) This is especially true in the context of teaching and learning English as a foreign language with a desire to foster students‟ English competence, increasing their competitiveness in the international market In several countries, English proficiency tests as graduation requirements and program selection criteria were adapted in the curriculum, forcing students to study, teachers to teach and administrators to renovate the curriculum That implementation can have negative, positive or no impacts on teachers, learners and policy makers Of all participants influenced by such test scores, students or learners are directly affected from multiple aspects, especially their motivation in learning English Recently, in Vietnam, for instance, English proficiency tests, such as the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language - Institutional Testing Program (TOEFL-ITP) have been used as exit requirements in various universities and colleges and as selection criteria for some learning programs Among those educational institutions, Thai Nguyen University of Technology (TNUT), a technical university in Northern part of Vietnam, also adopts the TOEFL-ITP as a prerequisite condition for first year students to pursue their majors in Advanced Program (AP) and for other undergraduates to be accredited in this university AP is the program that TNUT was granted from Vietnamese Government to offer two Bachelor of Science programs, major in Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering The two courses have been implemented in English and established to meet the increasing trends of globalization on engineering items As the medium of instruction of AP is Heaton, J B (1990) Classroom testing Pearson PTR Johnson, D.M (1991) Approaches to research in second language learning Chapeter 5: Survey research London: Longman Kellaghan, T., Madaus, G F., & Raczek, A (1996) The use of external examinations to improve student motivation Review of Research in Education, 21, 1995-1996 Kleinginna, P J & Kleinginna, A (1981) Motivation and Emotion Littlewood, W (1995) Foreign and Second Language Learning Cambridge:CUP Madaus, G & Clarke, M (1999) The adverse impact of high stakes testing on minority students: evidence from 100 years of test data, High Stakes K–12 Testing Conference, Harvard University, December, 1998 Paper revised May 1999 Masoomeh, E (2013), Demestifying the complexity of washback effect on learners in the IELTS academic writing test, Study in English language teaching, 1, 211-226 McDonough, J., & McDonough, S (1997) Research methods for English language teachers Routledge Moore, K D (1992) Classroom Teaching Reading Skills Mcgraw-Hill, Inc Oxford, R.L and Shearin, J.(1994) Language learning motivation: Expanding the theoretical framework The Modern Language Journal, 78, 12-28 Pan, Y C (2014) Learner washback variability in standardized exit tests.TESLEJ, 18(2), 19 Pan, Y C., & Newfields, T (2012) Tertiary EFL proficiency graduation requirements in Taiwan: A study of washback on learning Electronic Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 9(1), 108-122 Paul, R Pintrich & Dale H Schunk (2002) Motivation Education Rebecca & Jill Shearin (1996) Language Learning Motivation in a New key Inr Oxford 43 Shohamy, E (1992) Beyond proficiency testing: A diagnostic feedback testing model for assessing foreign language learning The Modern Language Journal, 76(4), 513-521 Shohamy, E (2001a) The power of tests Harlow: Pearson Education limited Shohamy, E (2001b) Democratic assessment as an alternative Language Testing, 18 (4), 373-391 Shohamy, E., Donitsa-Schmidt, S., & Ferman, I (1996) Test impact revisited: Washback effect over time Language testing, 13(3), 298-317 Spolky, B (1989), Conditions for second language learning, Ofxord university press Williams, M & Burden, R (1997) Psychology of language teachers Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 44 APPENDIX APPENDIX 1: Students’ motivation in learning English questionnaire I am Dinh Thi Hong Thuong, master of art students of University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University I am now conducting a research namely “The washback effects of TOEFL-ITP on first year non-English major students’ motivation in learning English” In this questionnaire, I would like to figure out the correlation between your motivation in learning English and the TOEFL-ITP examination Your responses to the questionnaire will be treated confidentially and only used for the stated purpose of the study The questions usually take about 20 minutes to answer Section 1: Full name: Major: Times taken TOEFL-ITP test: Section 2: Please grade the following on a 6-point scale by ticking in the corresp 1= strongly disagree 4= partly agree For example: I love learning English This means that you are strongly agree with the statement “I love learning English” I Statements When studying and taking TOEFL-ITP, I enjoy meeting people who speak English 2.When I pass TOEFL-ITP, I will give up the study of English because I am not interested in it I love learning English When studying for TOEFL-ITP, I make a point of trying to understand all English I see and hear Studying for TOEFL-ITP/ passing TOEFL-ITP is important because it will allow me to be more at easy with people who speak English When studying for TOEFL-ITP, I have strong desire to know all aspects of English Studying English is important because I need to pass TOEFLITP for my graduation/ for my further learning in the program Studying and taking TOEFL-ITP raises my interest in English I plan to learn as much English as possible 10 Knowing English isn‟t really an important goal in my life 11 I tend to give up learning English and not pay attention in English class when I don‟t get proper TOEFL-ITP result I need 12 I would rather spend my time on subjects rather than English 13 Studying for TOEFL-ITP/ passing TOEFL-ITP is important because it will enable me to better understand and appreciate the English way of life 14 When studying for TOEFL-ITP, I want to learn English so well that it becomes natural to me 15 To be honest, I have no desire to learn English 16 When studying for TOEFL-ITP, I want to spend all of my time studying English II 17 I really have no interest in English 18 Studying English is important because I will need it for my carreer 19 Not passing TOEFL-ITP, I‟m losing any desire I‟ve ever had to know English 20 Studying for TOEFL-ITP/ passing TOEFL-ITP is important because I will be able to interact more easily with speakers of English 21 Learning for TOEFL-ITP is a waste of time 22 I have desire to get high TOEFL-ITP score (more than the score I need for my graduation/ further study requirement) 23 Studying English is not enjoyable at all 24 My target when learning English is passing TOEFL-ITP 25 When studying for TOEFL-ITP, I just learn the tips for getting high TOEFL-ITP score but not trying to understand the more complex aspects of English 26 There‟s no need to be good at English Would you like to take part in an interview following this survey? Yes If “Yes”, you could be contacted via: Phone: ………………………… Email: ………………… Thank you for your time and cooperation! III APPENDIX 2: Phiếu khảo sát động lực học tiếng Anh sinh viên Tôi Đinh Thị Hồng Thương, giảng viên Bộ môn Ngoại ngữ, Đại học Kỹ thuật Công nghiệp, học viên cao học Đại học Ngoại ngữ, Đại học Quốc gia Hiện tại, tiến hành nghiên cứu “Ảnh hưởng kỳ thi TOEFL-ITP đến động lực học tiếng Anh sinh viên không chuyên năm thứ nhất” Phiếu khảo sát thiết kế nhằm tìm hiểu tương quan động lực học tiếng Anh sinh viên kỳ thi TOEFL-ITP Mọi câu trả lời phiếu khảo sát giữ kín sử dụng cho mục đích nghiên cứu Bạn cần khoảng 20 phút để hoàn thành toàn phiếu khảo sát Phần 1: Họ tên: Chuyên ngành: Số lần thi TOEFL: Phần 2: Bạn đánh giá phát biểu với mức tương ứng 1= Rất không đồng ý 4= Đồng ý phần Ví dụ: Phá Tơi thích học tiếng Anh Điều có nghĩa bạn đồng ý với phát biểu “Tơi thích học tiếng A IV Phát biểu Trong trình học thi TOEFL, tơi thích gặp người nói tiếng Anh để phát triển kỹ tiếng Anh nhiều Khi thi đạt TOEFL-ITP, khơng học tiếng Anh tơi khơng thích tiếng Anh Tơi thích học tiếng Anh Trong q trình học để thi TOEFL, tơi ln cố gắng hiểu hết tất liên quan đến tiếng Anh nghe thấy Học tiếng Anh để thi TOEFL/ thi đạt TOEFL-ITP quan trọng giúp tơi cảm thấy thoải mái gặp người nói tiếng Anh Anh Học thi TOEFL-ITP khiến muốn biết hết khía cạnh tiếng Tơi học tiếng Anh tơi cần thi đạt TOEFL-ITP để tốt nghiệp/ để tơi tiếp tục theo học chương trình Học thi TOEFL-ITP làm tơi thích thú với tiếng Anh Tôi dự định học nhiều tiếng Anh tốt 10 Biết tiếng Anh mục tiêu quan trọng sống tơi 11 Tơi có xu hướng muốn bỏ học tiếng Anh không ý lớp học tiếng Anh không đạt kết TOEFL-ITP mong muốn 12 Tơi học mơn học khác cịn học tiếng Anh 13 Học thi TOEFL-ITP/ thi đạt TOEFL-ITP quan trọng giúp tơi hiểu trân trọng cách sống người Anh 14 Trong q trình học thi TOEFL-ITP, tơi muốn học tiếng Anh tốt đến mức tiếng Anh trở thành tự nhiên với tơi 15 Thành thật mà nói, tơi khơng có mong muốn học tiếng Anh 16 Trong trình học TOEFL-ITP, tơi muốn dành tồn thời gian tơi để học tiếng Anh V 17 Tôi thực hứng thú với tiếng Anh 18 Học tiếng Anh quan trọng tơi cần cho cơng việc sau 19 Thi chưa đạt TOEFL-ITP, hết mong muốn có việc học tiếng Anh 20 Học thi TOEFL-ITP/ thi đạt TOEFL-ITP quan trọng tơi giao tiếp dễ dàng với người nói tiếng Anh 21 Học tiếng Anh lãng phí thời gian 22 Tơi mong muốn đạt kết TOEFL-ITP cao (cao mức cần để tốt nghiệp/ theo học chương trình) 23 Học tiếng Anh không thú vị chút 24 Mục tiêu học tiếng Anh để thi đạt TOEFL-ITP 25 Trong q trình học TOEFL-ITP, tơi học mẹo không cố gắng hiểu hết tiếng Anh 26 Tôi thấy khơng cần thiết phải giỏi tiếng Anh Bạn có đồng ý tham dự vấn sau phần câu hỏi khơng? Có Nếu “Có”, tơi liên hệ với bạn qua: Số điện thoại: ……………………… Email:………… Chân thành cảm ơn bạn dành thời gian cho nghiên cứu này! VI APPENDIX 3: Students’ interview note Interview questions: In your opinion, how does TOEFL-ITP requirement for your graduation/ further study in the program affect your learning English? Why you still learn English even if you have already met the TOEFL-ITP requirement? Students SS95 I know that E English and n TOEFL-ITP under 450 ca tricks so I w expected I go Then I decide again when I class Nevert SS8 I know that I so there‟s no other people am not fascin TOEFL-ITP immediately SS67 I find English the learning p the TOEFL-I fail, I will b Fortunately, h VII SS98 I have taken T my graduatio people say th quite easy to want to get requirement i English That want to be m 500 to gradua communicate “real” but no APS37 I have taken T learning I re enough to c TOEFL-ITP learning Eng TOEFL-ITP real situation However, it d which is not APS27 I have not tak exam My En continue my requirement t time learning speaking and learning expe my low bac improvement requirement a VIII program in E APS24 I have not tak which takes learning Eng knowledge s English I par classmates W speaking nigh learn English card There‟s having Engli important tha APS19 TOEFL-ITP but haven‟t g in high schoo afford it I tak besides learn upset and I m trying to un confused me TOEFL-ITP APS3 English is int with speakers we have to or IELTS bec which are sig in my learnin want to study much impact IX more suitable APS1 Learning TO ability to lear feel depresse classmates ar have study gr ability is limi X APPENDIX 4: Teachers’ interview note How does TOEFL-ITP requirement for graduation/further study affect students‟ motivation in learning English? Is there any difference between motivation in learning English of Advanced program students and that of standard program students? Whether students focus on developing all skills in English or just focus on learning TOEFL-ITP? Do students who have passed TOEFL-ITP still love learning English? Do students who have not passed TOEFL-ITP feel frustrated and want to give up learning? Do you have any suggestion or recommendation? Answer Teacher T1 In fact, TOEFL-ITP requirement asserts strong impact on SS because TOEFL-ITP assesses only skills listening and reading, causing students not focusing on other skills such as speaking and writing Furthermore, students who satisfy the requirement are able to remarked A for English in the program, resulting in withdrawal of students from the English learning program or non-registering in it It can be seen from the fact that the number of English class for the first year in second semester declined dramatically, which is an evidence for a down of motivation in learning English The lack of two skills in TOEFL-ITP format makes students ignore the integrated learning of the four skills For APS, because after the first year they must have 450 TOEFL-ITP, which is a target for students to achieve in short time, APS try all possible methods to get the necessary result It is a positive consequence of TOEFL-ITP However, TOEFLITP result of around 400 cannot exactly assess students‟ capacity At this level, students are able to retake similar questions; hence they still get the requirement without much effort APS must study in English from their second year It should be worried if they pass TOEFL-ITP but that‟s not their true capacity That students XI fail to get proper TOEFL-ITP result affects English but also their motivation in taking t students who have TOEFL-ITP show their d they want to register to learn other subjects In my opinion, the fact that TOEFL-ITP aff especially for those who are at lower level o other correlating factors such as low input r is not evitable enough to afford a year of le demotivation It can be easy to see this prob at the beginning of the second semester Ad learning program, which is communicative entrance requirement to continue studying practicing for TOEFL-ITP but not practicin I recommend that other assessment tools th applied to students so that they can learn an T2 TOEFL-ITP has both positive and negative learning English For APS, on the positive side, their TOEFL-ITP requirement is higher than that of SS and the time they have to fulfill it is shorter, which motivates them to study intensively They make their effort to learn by joining English clubs, English selfstudy groups and asking for assistance from teachers‟ and seniors‟ help from English Consulting Center On the opposite site, some students who are weak at English cannot study TOEFL-ITP which requires difficult academic vocabularies and complex grammatical structures compared to their English level If they are left behind by other better students, they don‟t want to go to class for studying or not pay their attention in class This accounts for a third of the APS For SS, they seem to calm with the requirement because they not need TOEFLITP immediately The effect can only be seen on some minor students who want to get TOEFL-ITP soon and to transfer their learning outcome to mark A when they satisfy the requirement That effect is not clear for other students However, the XII entrance university req in learning English Th the majority of them d Personally, TOEFL-IT such as IELTS, TOEIC suitable level to take appropriate to the corr T3 The requirement of TO irrelevant between the requirement asking fo SS, but APS is more e AP students learn all f skills in the second sem think that communica Students have to achie this cohort may be aff early to register to oth their semester Studen appear to be more mo as possible TOEFL-ITP is really a especially for studen background and variet think that they not It is my recommendat which can evaluate the which is beneficial for XIII ... limitation of time and references l and the context of the study, the researcher only focuses on washback effects of the TOEFL- ITP on English learning motivation of non- English major freshmen rather... conduct this research on ? ?The washback effects of TOEFL- ITP on first year non- English major students’ motivation in learning English? ?? Purposes and significance of the study The study aims to investigate... questionnaires and interviews The Conclusion summarizes the washback effects of TOEFL- ITP on respondents‟ motivation in learning English, gives implication in education, evaluates limitations of the