Những tác động của kì thi chuẩn hóa đánh giá năng lực tiếng anh theo khung năng lực ngoại ngữ 6 bậc dùng cho việt nam vstep tới việc học tiếng anh của sinh viên năm nhất

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES ****************** NGUYỄN THỊ LINH IMPACTS OF VIETNAMESE STANDARD

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

******************

NGUYỄN THỊ LINH

IMPACTS OF VIETNAMESE STANDARDIZED TEST OF ENGLISH PROFICIENCY (VSTEP) ON THE FIRST YEAR STUDENTS’ ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AT UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES (ULIS), VIETNAM NATIONAL

UNIVERSITY, HANOI (VNU)

(NHỮNG TÁC ĐỘNG CỦA KÌ THI CHUẨN HÓA ĐÁNH GIÁ NĂNG LỰC TIẾNG ANH THEO KHUNG NĂNG LỰC NGOẠI NGỮ 6 BẬC DÙNG CHO VIỆT NAM (VSTEP) TỚI VIỆC HỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM NHẤT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ, ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111

Hanoi, 2016

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES

*******************

NGUYỄN THỊ LINH

IMPACTS OF VIETNAMESE STANDARDIZED TEST OF ENGLISH PROFICIENCY (VSTEP) ON THE FIRST YEAR STUDENTS’ ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING AT UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES (ULIS), VIETNAM NATIONAL

UNIVERSITY, HANOI (VNU)

(NHỮNG TÁC ĐỘNG CỦA KÌ THI CHUẨN HÓA ĐÁNH GIÁ NĂNG LỰC TIẾNG ANH THEO KHUNG NĂNG LỰC NGOẠI NGỮ 6 BẬC DÙNG CHO VIỆT NAM (VSTEP) TỚI VIỆC HỌC TIẾNG ANH CỦA SINH VIÊN NĂM NHẤT TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ, ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI)

M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS

Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 60140111

Supervisor: Tô Thị Thu Hương, PhD

Hanoi, 2016

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that my thesis submitted for the Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University has been composed by myself, apart from the help recognized This paper has also not been submitted for any other degree or processional qualification except as specified

Hanoi, 2016

Ngu n Thị Linh

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to send my thanks to many individuals for their invaluable help during the conduct of the research Without their help, the completion of this research project would not have been possible

First and foremost, I would like to express my special appreciation and thanks to my supervisor, Dr To Thi Thu Huong for her remarkable supervision, enthusiastic guidance, invaluable support and critical feedback throughout the research

Besides my advisor, I would like to thank all the doctors and lecturers of the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, University of Foreign Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their useful lectures, which are partly applied in this study

Next, I wish to send my big thanks to the first year students at University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS), Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) for their cooperation and the valuable information they provided in my research questionnaire

Furthermore, I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to my family and friends, especially my mother, for standing by me and for giving me their unconditional love, care, good assistance and patience

Finally, my sincere thanks also goes to graders and readers for their valuable evaluation and feedback on this thesis

ABSTRACT

Due to the globalization of the English language, a global testing campaign has been established, specially standardized English proficiency tests According to Templer (2004), these tests have increasingly controlled access into privileged educational and occupational paths in the professional and corporate world, and affected many local language policies In Vietnam, a new national English test - the Vietnamese Standardized Test of English Proficiency (VSTEP) applied at the University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS), Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) and other schools has gradually assumed a greater gate-keeping role This paper aims to investigate the impacts of the VSTEP as a graduation requirement on the first year university students‟ English learning at ULIS The paper begins with some background information about English language‟s role and certification exit requirements The next section discusses the context that induced the introduction and implementation of the policy of using VSTEP certificates to determine graduation eligibility The main part of this paper examines in detail the impacts of the VSTEP test on the learning of English of the first year students at ULIS Finally, the discussion section evaluates the efficiency

of the policy, followed by some recommendations

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ii

ABSTRACT iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iv

LIST OF TABLES vi

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS vii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 The English language education in Vietnam 1

1.2 Rationale of the study 2

1.3 The significance of the study 2

1.4 Aims of the study 3

1.5 Research questions of the study 3

1.6 Organization of the study 3

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 5

2.1 The VSTEP 5

2.1.1 The introduction of the VSTEP as an English certificate exit requirement at ULIS 5

2.1.2 The basic information of the VSTEP levels 3-5 6

2.2 Definition of impact and related studies 11

2.3 Impacts of some English tests as a graduation requirement 16

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 20

3.1 Introduction 20

3.2 Method of the study 20

3.3 Context of the study 21

3.4 Participants 21

3.5 Data collection instrument 22

3.6 Data collection and analysis procedures 26

CHAPTER FOUR: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 28

4.1 Some general information about the first-year students 28

Table 7: Students’ general information 28

4.2 Impacts of the VSTEP on students’ English learning 30

4.2.1 Academic impacts: Learning Content and Learning Methods 30 4.2.2 Affective impacts: goal orientation, motivation, self-efficacy and anxiety 34 CHAPTER FIVE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 42 REFERENCES 45 APPENDIX 1 I

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Format of the VSTEP 7

Table 2 VSTEP level conversion table 9

Table 3 VSTEP equivalency table 10

Table 4: Structure of the questionnaire 23

Table 5: Changes of some items in the edited questionnaire compared to original version 24

Table 6: Changes of some items between pilot and main questionnaire 26

Table 7: Students‟ general information 28

Table 8 Impact of the VSTEP on students‟ learning content 30

Table 9 Impact of the VSTEP on students‟ learning methods 33

Table 10 Impact of the VSTEP on students‟ goal orientation 34

Table 11 Impact of the VSTEP on students‟ motivation 35

Table 12 Impact of the VSTEP on students‟ self-efficacy 38

Table 13 Impact of the VSTEP on students‟ anxiety 39

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

VSTEP: Vietnamese Standardized Test of English Proficiency ULIS: University of Languages and International Studies

VNU: Vietnam National University, Hanoi

MOET: Ministry of Education and Training

TOEIC: Test of English for International Communication

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language

CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages DA2020: Đề Án Ngoại Ngữ Quốc Gia 2020

EFL: English Foreign Language

ASL: Arabic Second Language

HKCEE: Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination

NMET: National Matriculation English Test

GEPT: General English Proficiency Test

FCE: First Certificate in English

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

CET: College English Test

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 The English language education in Vietnam

As mentioned by Hoang (2011), English test is one of the six national exit exams at Junior and Senior Secondary School and English is studied as a compulsory subject by 94% undergraduates and 92% graduates at Vietnamese institution However, the teaching activities in classes are not delivered in an effective way for students to achieve sufficient levels of competence to pass the certifications required for recruitment Ha (2007) also argues that the level of communicative competence in English of most Vietnamese employees are still very low, and many freshly graduated students cannot get jobs in foreign companies because of the English language requirements The fact is that most Vietnamese learners still cannot use it effectively as a means of communication after a long period of learning English Pham (2004) estimated that in a class of fifty English major learners, fewer than ten graduates have the sufficient English skills for jobs such as interpreters, translators, tour guides or teachers of English Moreover, according to Ellis (1996) and Pham (2004), English classrooms in Vietnam continue

to focus more on grammar-oriented than communicative

The current issues point to the fact that Vietnam should upgrade the currently low English teaching and English use standards in order to catch up with the fast globalisation process, sizable inputs and major changes An innovation has been proposed in order to ensure higher standards of English proficiency among students graduating from Vietnamese tertiary institutions One of the main goals of the

“National Foreign Languages Project to the year 2020” (DA2020) is to strengthen students‟ English proficiency throughout the educational system A key feature of this English project is to impose graduation standards control; that is, to require graduates to achieve certain minimum standards before they could graduate from their study programmes Therefore, in early 2008, Vietnamese Ministry of Education & Training (MOET) gave an official instruction, requiring universities

and colleges to articulate their graduation standards, among which is the English requirement, by the end of the same year

1.2 Rationale of the study

Since August 15th, 2015, ULIS-VNU has used the VSTEP as an exit test for all students This proficiency test is completely new in Vietnam and there has no study on this Therefore, I would like to conduct this study in order to explore its impact on students‟ English learning at ULIS

Students at ULIS have to achieve certain level of the VSTEP required by the university before graduation Therefore, the test would have certain impacts on their learning Among students at different years, the first year students are those who just enter a new learning environment The transition from high school to higher education is considered the most stressful period for the first year university students Adapting to the new environment makes them experience many unexpected circumstances Different workload such as assignments, varied teaching methods, and working with other students and lecturers are some examples of these unexpected circumstances Thus, knowing the impact of the test on the first year students‟ learning of English would be helpful to both lecturers and students in their teaching and learning

As mentioned before, the VSTEP is a new test, so an investigation of its impacts on students‟ learning of English at ULIS-VNU could be seen as an example

of research on test impact, which has become a significant area of interest in language testing in recent years

1.3 The significance of the study

This is a small-scale empirical study of test impact in Vietnam It is one of the first studies exploring the impacts of the VSTEP - a new English proficiency test in Vietnam, so this study would fill in the research gap on the VSTEP The study is potentially significant in that it provides an insight into the impact of an exit test on English language learning in University of Languages and International

Studies (ULIS) Most importantly, the study highlights the voices of students, the very people at the centre of the learning process

The findings of this study should provide some important information to help the institution; on the other hand, to further improve the test itself for more beneficial impacts, i.e to enhance English teaching and learning through the design and administration of the test and to improve the policy and implementation of the English graduation requirement

1.4 Aims of the study

This study was conducted to investigate the impacts of the VSTEP on the first year students‟ language learning at University of Languages and International Studies (ULIS) – Vietnam National University (VNU) Following the study of Hongli Li, Qi Zhong and Hoi K Suen (2012), the researcher would like to investigate the impact of VSTEP on ULIS students‟ English learning in two ways: academic and affective The academic impact refers to the VSTEP‟s influence on

“students‟ English - learning behavior, as this pertains to learning content (i.e., what students study) and learning methods (i.e., how they study)”, whereas affective impact refers to the VSTEP‟s influence on “students‟ affective conditions, such as goal orientation, motivation, self-efficacy, and anxiety.” (Hongli Li, Qi Zhong and

Hoi K Suen, 2012: 82)

1.5 Research questions of the study

Research question 1: How does the VSTEP influence the students’ English

learning behavior in terms of learning content (i.e., what students study) and learning methods (i.e., how they study)?

Research question 2: How does the VSTEP influence the students’ affective

conditions such as goal orientation, motivation, self-efficacy, and anxiety?

1.6 Organization of the study

The study consists of 5 chapters

Chapter 1: Introduction of the research

Chapter 2: Literature review (Other researches on this topic are discussed)

Chapter 3: Methodology (the way the researcher collected the data as well as analysis them is showed)

Chapter 4: Findings and discussion

Chapter 5: Conclusion and recomendations

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

foreign language (TOEFL), either self-developed tests or external public tests, as the means of standards control ULIS is an example of this policy The institution has newly applied a national English proficiency test called Vietnamese Standardized Test of English Proficiency (VSTEP) and required all the students to submit evidence of the required English level measured by the VSTEP for graduation

The VSTEP is a standardized test designed to measure the English proficiency of undergraduate students at ULIS The test is based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and be relevant to the context of English use in Vietnam Students are expected to take the VSTEP from the end of their second year till the last year at ULIS The VSTEP are held several times a year; therefore, students can take the test many times while at the university The test targets level 3 to level 5 The students of ULIS need to achieve level 5 which is equivalent to the level C1 of the CEFR test Like most of the CEFR - based test, VSTEP consists of four sections: listening, reading, writing and speaking The innovation - setting the VSTEP as a graduation requirement – is expected to have impacts on what and how teachers teach and what and how students learn, thereby promoting students‟ English skills development

2.1.2 The basic information of the VSTEP levels 3-5

2.1.2.1 The origin of the VSTEP

It is clearly that English has played a predominant role in the foreign language teaching program at tertiary level in Vietnam for a long period (Hoang Van Van, 2008) In 1986, opening the door of Vietnam to the world and under the impact of globalisation and internationalisation in higher education lead to the demand for enhancing English language teaching and learning which is one of the most important purposes of higher education renovation in Vietnam The Vietnamese government also seems to prioritise this goal when it officially adopted the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) as the national framework of reference for foreign language education in Vietnam in 2008 under Decision 1400/QĐ-TTG Decision 1400/QĐ-TTG is to approve DA2020 and one of the duties of the DA 2020 is to design and apply a tool for assessing English proficiency of Vietnamese students

Therefore, linguists and educators created a local CEFR-V; that is, a Vietnamese version of the Common European Framework of Reference for

Languages, a set of standards used in teaching English in Vietnam According to

Circular No 01/2014 / TT – 01- Ministry of Education & Training on January 24th,

2014, Minister of Education and Training has issued the Vietnameses Standardized Test of English Proficiency (VSTEP) for levels from 3 to 5 It is applied to foreign language training institutions, language training, and language learning in the national education system

2.1.2.2 The format of the VSTEP

There are four parts in the test:

Part 1: Listening _40 minutes

Part 2: Reading _60 minutes

Part 3: Writing_60 minutes

Part 4: Speaking_12 minutes

Table 1 Format of the VSTEP

r of items/

tasks

Listening About 40

minutes (including time to transfer answers into the answer sheet

35 multiple-choice items (MCQ)

Test-takers listen to short exchanges, instruction/

announcements, coversations and longer talks and then do the multiple choice questions

To test different listening sub-skills from level 3/B1 to 5/C1: listening to specific

information, main ideas, opinions,

purposes inferences

Reading 60 minutes

(including time to transfer answers into the answer sheet

40 mutilple-choice items

Test-takers read 4 texts on various topics relevant to level 3/B1-level 5/C1, around 1900-2050 words

in total, then do the multiple choice questions

To test different reading sub-skills from level 3/B1 to 5/C1: reading for specific

information, main ideas, opinions,

purposes inferences, meaning of words

Writing 60 Minutes 2 tasks Task 1: Time limit: 20

minutes Length: 120 words at least Weighting:

10/30 Test takers write a (n) letter/ email in response to a (n) given letter/ email

Task 2: Time limit: 40 minutes Length: 250 words at least Weighting:

20/30 Test takers write

an essay on a given topic, using his/ her experience and knowledge to support his/ her arguments

To test written interaction skills and written production skills

Speaking 12 minutes 3 tasks Task 1: Social Interaction:

test-takers have to answer three to six questions of two different topics

Task 2: Solution Discussion: test-takers are provided with a situation and three proposed solution options and is required to give opinions about the best solution and counter-arguments for the others

Task 3: Topic

To test various speaking skills: interaction, discussion and presenting a topic to the audience

Development: test-takers develop a given topic He/

she can use the ideas provided in the form of a mind-map and/ or use his/

her own ideas to develop the topic, followed by some further questions

(My translation from http://ulis.vnu.edu.vn/taxonomy/term/205/3273)

2.1.2.3 Score conversion tables

Table 2 VSTEP level conversion table

Average

score

Proficiency level

General description

0 – 3,5 Not mention No description

4,0 – 5,5 3 Can understand the gist of a text or a standard speech

clearly on familiar themes in work, study, entertainment,

Can handle most situations occurring when travelling

in the areas where the language is used

Can write simple texts related to familiar topics or personal interests

Can describe experiences, events, dreams, hopes, aspirations and possibly give a short presentation of reasons explaining their ideas and plans

6,0 – 8,0 4 Can understand the main ideas of a complex text on

both specific and abstract topics, including

technological exchanges in their field

Can communicate fluently, naturally so that regular communications with native speakers do not make any difficulties for both sides

Can write texts clearly about different topics and can give explanation for their views on a topical issue, point out the advantages and disadvantages of different options

8,5 – 10 5 Can understand long and difficult texts and identify

implications

Can express the ideas fluently, promptly and do not take time to find words or phrases to express the ideas Can use the language flexibly and effectively serving the social/ academic/ professional purposes

Can write texts clearly and cohesively on complex topics, demonstrating the great ability of using types of writing organizations, conjunctions and linking words

or phrases

(My translation from http://ulis.vnu.edu.vn/taxonomy/term/205/3273)

Table 3 VSTEP equivalency table

The table below shows comparisons between various test scores and level systems (like TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS) and the VSTEP level system

Level

(VSTEP)

TOEFL ITP (310-677)

TOEFL iBT (0-120)

TOEIC (0-990)

Cambridge Tests (0-100)

IELTS (0-9,0)

45 - 59 FCE

4,0 – 5,0

(The above scores are minimum that test takers need to achieve)

(My translation from

2.2 Definition of impact and related studies

Recently, in language testing research, some researchers have distinguished between „washback‟ and „impact‟ According to Wall (1997), test impact is “any of the effects that a test may have on individuals, policies or practices, within the classroom, the school, the educational system or society as a whole” whereas washback is “the effects of tests on teaching and learning” (p 291) Bachman and Palmer (1996) considered washback as one dimension of test impact; thus, the impact of the test is divided two levels: the micro level, such as the effect of a test

on individual students and teachers, and the macro level, such as the impact on society and its educational systems These definitions made the assumption that

“tests or examinations can or should drive teaching, and hence learning” (Cheng & Curtis, 2004: 4)

At micro level, since the 1990s, the term „washback‟ (Alderson & Wall, 1993) in the field of applied linguistics and „backwash‟ (Biggs, 1996) in general education has been used to refer to the impact which occurs in the form of teaching and learning directed towards a test, in terms of both intended positive effects or unintended effects and perhaps negative effects (Alderson & Wall, 1993; Bachman

& Palmer, 1996; Cheng, Watanabe, & Curtis, 2004; Hughes, 2003) Concurring with this, Taylor (2005) also said that washback can be considered positive (beneficial) or negative (harmful) Positive washback encourages good teaching and learning practices while negative washback encourages bad teaching and learning practices Shohamy (1992) also focuses on washback in terms of language learners

as test-takers by describing "the utilization of external language tests to affect and drive foreign language learning in the school context" (p 513) Alderson and Wall (1993) proposed the washback hypotheses which provide clear guidelines on the areas that might be influenced by washback For example, a test will influence teaching and learning; a test will influence what learners learn and how they learn; and a test will influence the rate, sequence, degree, and depth of teaching and learning Similarly, Hughes (1993) pointed out that a test will first influence the participants‟ perceptions and attitudes, then how they perform, and finally the learning outcomes

In a broader way, Bachman and Palmer (1996) argued that washback was a more complex phenomenon than simply the effect of a test on teaching and learning They think the impact of a test should be evaluated with reference to the contextual variables of society's goals and values, the educational system in which the test is used, and the potential outcomes of its use Hughes (2003) also had the same opinions as Bachman and Palmer when he defined washback as “a part of the impact a test may have on learners and teachers, on educational systems in general, and on society at large” (p 53)

Despite different terms defined by different researchers, they all referred to different aspects of the same phenomenon Research studies showed that impact/ washback was an educational phenomenon related to (1) the relationship between teaching, learning and testing, and the relationship between different curriculum components, and to (2) curriculum change and innovation

The term „washback‟at a micro level used interchangeably with impact was chosen in this study as it was the most commonly used in the field of applied linguistics Moreover, Wall (1997) interpreted washback that it includes test effects

on teaching and learning For the purpose of this study, the term impact meaning

„washback at micro level‟ is completely suitable as it covers the impact of the VSTEP as a graduation requirement on the first year students‟ learning at ULIS

The influence of washback has been observed on various aspects of learning and it has been found that the washback was generated by numerous mediate factors There have been many research projects looking at washback carried out in several different countries and contexts such as: Netherlands school language exams (Luijten, 1991); a needs-based exam at a Turkish university (Hughes, 1988); the national university entrance examination in China (Li, 1990); the various exams and exam revisions in Hong Kong (Andrews, 1994; Cheng, 2005; Fullilove, 1992; Lam, 1994); the reformed high school entrance exam and a new test in Taiwan (Chen, 2002; Shih, 2007); washback in language testing (Balley, 1999) It is worth examining some of these studies in a little more detail

Shohamy (1993) and Shohamy et al (1996) conducted two research projects

in the Israeli context to examine the washback of an interactive English Foreign Language (EFL) oral matriculation test on teaching They concluded that test impact was multi-faceted towards teaching Based on their conclusion, Ferman (2004) later used questionnaires to explore students‟ views of the English Foreign Language (EFL) oral matriculation test and found differential washback on learners, according to proficiency level The researcher found that low ability students prepared for the test more intensively, including private tutoring and memorising prompts These students generally believed that they could improve their scores by cramming, and studied independently for areas of the test that were not covered in class Additionally, students at the middle ability level said that they experienced the highest average levels of anxiety and felt that the test was one of the most important factors leading to improvement in their language skills Therefore, washback appeared to be most intense for students at this level

In a study investigating the impact of an Arabic Second Language (ASL) test, Shohamy et al (1996) found that the ASL test did not generate a high degree of washback on students‟ learning, and the effects decreased as time went by In spite

of changing teaching and learning, the test had not successfully raised the role of Arabic It is found that the stakes of the test were low and teachers thought that the

test was not useful for facilitating higher-level learning; therefore, the influence of the ASL test only lasted for a short period of time Shohamy et al draw a conclusion that washback could change over time due to the language status, the importance of the test, , the purpose of the test, the format of the test, and the skills tested

Cheng (1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005) conducted a large-scale quantitative and qualitative empirical study with the aim of investigating the influences of the modified Hong Kong Certificate of Education Examination (HKCEE) which was taken by most secondary school graduates In order to find out the washback of HKCE on students‟ learning, she used questionnaire and received responses from

42 students The students' data revealed that the HKCEE played "a 30% role in their learning," followed by the influence of future jobs, their parents' concerns, and competition with their classmates (ibid., p 47) Thus Cheng (1997) concluded the students felt that the exam is the single greatest factor influencing their English progress In her later 1998 study, Cheng found that students still retained their original learning processes, learning strategies, and individual motivations to learn English although they shifted their attention after the test content was change With respect to washback from HKCEE on students‟ feelings and attitudes, Cheng (1998: 296) pointed that students expressed mixed feelings towards the test itself They recognized that they had motivation to achieve good scores due to the test; on the other hand, they thought that exams were not an accurate reflection of all aspects of their study

Li (1990) did a research titled “the National Matriculation English Test (NMET)” for entrance examination to all universities in China The aim of NMET was to produce a positive washback effect on school teaching and learning Li suggested that due to a large number of people taking this test annually (about three million), it could be seen as a high-stakes test Li discovered that while teachers felt uncomfortable with the NMET, students were much more adaptable and accepted

the new testing methods quite readily, due to the significant influence of the test on their future opportunities

Chen (2002) explored the nature and scope of the impact of a reformed high school entrance exam associated with educational reform Chen found that there was a mismatch of goals between the new curriculum and the reformed test The new curriculum aimed to promote a communicative syllabus for classroom teaching and learning However, it was unclear towards how students‟ communicative competence could be assessed and whether washback from the test made classroom teaching more interactive because the new test used multiple choice format and it excluded oral and aural tests

Shih (2007) investigated the washback of the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT) on English learning in Taiwan According to the researcher, the GEPT had made various but limited degrees of washback on learning Although it had no impact on some students, it motivated other students to study English for a short period of time Students reported they often used commercially-written practice books as materials for test preparation after school Besides, they took preparatory courses at cram schools as learning strategies Based on these, Shih drew a conclusion that the GEPT generated little washback, because of the status of the test, students‟ learning attitudes, and departmental policies

From the review of these studies, it is suggested that tests have an intense impact on students‟ learning, and that individual learners have experienced this influence in different ways

Besides the listed studies, there have numerous studies also examining the nature of washback, how it works, and its effects A summary offered by Wall and Horak (2007) showing that a number of studies have examined the impact of international tests such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (Alderson &Hamp-Lyons, 1996; Hamp-Lyons & Brown, 2005), the First Certificate

in English (FCE) (Tsagari, 2006) and the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) (Green, 2006; Hawkey, 2006; Hayes & Read, 2004) The most

common findings from these studies are that these tests do influence teaching and learning Nevertheless, Wall (2000) found that most studies have investigated how testing influences classroom teaching, whereas studies on how testing influences students‟ learning and their behaviors are relatively few

2.3 Impacts of some English tests as a graduation requirement

There have been many studies related to the today‟s trend in language testing field which are using English proficiency tests as a graduation requirement for students Among several studies, there are three studies which are worth focusing

on in more detail

The first study was conducted in context of Taiwan titled “The impact of implementing English proficiency tests as a graduation requirement” at Taiwanese universities of technology by Hui-Fen Hsu (2009) The researcher explored the impacts of a new educational policy on two groups of university students: non-English major students who had to pass one of a set of English proficiency tests at a specified level as a graduation requirement and major English students who did not prescribe any English graduation requirement The results of the study showed that washback on students‟ learning related to three aspects: students‟ learning context, students‟ perception of the impact of the test and their learning With respect to the students‟ learning contexts, the implementation of English proficiency tests as a graduation requirement did have a minimal washback effect on the classroom activities and it did not encourage more English-medium activities outside class With regard to students‟ perceptions of the impact of English proficiency tests, although students really did not like examinations, examinations seemed to be one

of their key motivations for learning English, indicating the important role of examinations in students‟ lives The study revealed that imposing the new regulation might have changed certain aspects of the students‟ attitudes towards teaching and learning, but the regulation did not seem to have changed their attitudes towards the function of examinations With regard to students‟ learning, students who had to comply with the graduation regulation seemed not to be making

a concerted effort to prepare for English proficiency tests As a means of motivating students to engage in more English language learning, the graduation requirement was not proving effective

The second study titled “the TOEIC® Test as an Exit Requirement in Universities and Colleges in Danang City, Vietnam: Challenges and Impacts” carried out in Vietnam by Thuy Nhan (2013) The researcher drew a conclusion from her personal experience and the data from the questionnaires The policy to use TOEIC® to decide students‟ graduation eligibility in Danang‟s institutions has increasingly confirmed the gate-keeping role of the English language and accordingly, disadvantaged certain groups of students There are many factors affecting to the effectiveness of the test and learning enhancement such as social and educational backgrounds and demands for learning English The researcher pointed that the effectiveness of the policy in Danang City is yet to be seen This policy has existed many problems that need to be solved Therefore, English programs and teacher training should be modified in a way that could encourage learners‟ production of the target language and make them have enough time and attention to improve English skills and practice for the English exit tests

The third study is the one conducted by Hongli Li, Qi Zhong and Hoi K Suen (2012) titled “Students‟ Perceptions of the Impact of the College English Test” Based on evidence from the questionnaire survey, the researchers found out that the College English Test (CET) has a greater impact on students‟ learning content than

on their learning methods In addition, among communicative skills, students focused more on listening and reading than on writing and speaking Moreover, although students‟ self efficacy in regard to their overall English ability and to different English skills was increased as a result of preparing for or taking the CET, they felt more pressure and anxiety In general, the researchers concluded that the CET has certain impacts on students‟ English learning both in term of their English learning behaviors and affective conditions

Regarding affective impact of tests, in an extensive literature review, Kirkland (1971) concluded that tests had impact on some factors such as a student‟s self-concept, motivation, level of aspiration, study practices, and anxiety Firstly, test scores impact students‟ self-concept Based on students‟ opinion towards the test results, their performance on the test and others, the researchers pointed that tests can influence a student‟s self-concept in positive or negative way Secondly, the test can influence a student‟s motivation in regard to the stakes of a test, the frequency with which it is given, and expectations of success or failure on the test Thirdly, students expecting to reach level of aspiration refers to the level of achievement that a student expects to reach is also related to both self-concept and motivation If they perform the test successfully, it will increases the level of aspiration but if they fail the test, it will decrease their aspiration Fourthly, it is the ways students study in preparing for a test There are different types of tests, such as open-book versus closed-book, multiple-choice versus essay questions, which influence students‟ study practices in different ways Finally, taking tests always bring anxiety and tension to students Students find the tests difficult may often experience more anxiety than those who have no such expectations In particular, Harlen and Deakin-Crick (2003) reviewed the impact of tests on student motivation They found that there is a complex interaction between motivation and other factors, such as effort, goal orientation, locus of control, self-efficacy, sense of self

as a learner, self-esteem, self-regulation, and interest

It can be seen that most studies have focused on academic factors, while students‟ affective conditions have been somewhat neglected As mentioned in chapter 1, part “aims of the study”, this study followed the study of Hongli Li, Qi Zhong and Hoi K Suen (2012) and investigated the VSTEP‟s impacts on students‟ learning in two ways: academic and affective The academic impact relates to the VSTEP‟s influence on “students‟ English - learning behavior, as this pertains to learning content (i.e., what students study) and learning methods (i.e., how they study)”, whereas affective impact refers to the VSTEP‟s influence on “students‟

affective conditions, such as goal orientation, motivation, self-efficacy, and anxiety.” (Hongli Li, Qi Zhong and Hoi K Suen, 2012: 82)

Summary: In this chapter, two main aspects of the research that are the

VSTEP and impact are mentioned In other words, their concepts, classification are listed The impacts of some studies on English proficiency tests as a graduation requirement are discussed as the last part These contents are pointed out with an aim as a base to build up the questions in the questionnaire and the determination of the research design

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

As established in the part “Brief literature review”, the majority of previous studies on test impact focused on how testing influences classroom teaching or on both teaching and learning, whereas studies on how testing influences students‟ learning behaviours and their affective conditions are fewer Moreover, some studies investigated the impact of tests as a graduation requirement but their participants were those who both had taken and would take the test Whereas, VSTEP is a new official test in Vietnam based on the CEFR and the participants of this study were only the first year students, so there has been no study about its impact on students‟ learning

This gap in the literature served to inform the design of the present study This part explained and discussed the methods used to collect data and context and participants of this study in order to investigate impact of the VSTEP for the first year students‟ learning at ULIS

3.2 Method of the study

Because my intention was to explore washback effects on learning only, so the design of the study needed to capture a small picture Accordingly, I decided to conduct a questionnaire survey study As Fritz Scheuren (2004: 9) defines “Survey

is a method of gathering information from a sample of individuals.”

Due to the purpose and the limited length of the thesis, I chose a single method approach to collect data Using a questionnaire was the most possible method which should be employed in this study Moreover, the review of washback studies in Chapter 2 showed that methods employed to elicit data in previous research studies tended to involve questionnaires, interviews, testing measures and classroom observations A number of studies have drawn on students‟ self-report responses to questionnaires on the effects of standardised testing (e.g, Herman & Golan, 1991; Shohamy, 1992) Therefore, questionnaire tends to be suited to

involving a large number of subjects, as they allow a structured approach, but the result is that they can generate a large volume of numerical data Therefore, the data

in this study would be analyzed quantiatively Questionnaire has the possible advantage that they can be administered without the presence of the researcher, particularly when they consist largely of closed questions These have the further administrative advantage that the answers to a questionnaire are often comparatively straightforward to analyse (Cohen et al., 2007; Gillham, 2007) The results are more comprehensive and representative than data obtained from studying individuals

Moreover, the research aims in the present context is to explore the impact of the VSTEP as a graduation requirement on students, so questionnaires would be an appropriate method in order to allow a considerable number students to voice their opinions

3.3 Context of the study

This study was taken place at ULIS_a famous university in Hanoi capital, which is one of the high-ranking universities in Vietnam As the university requires its students to have high college entrance examination scores in order to enroll, its students‟ English language proficiency is generally higher than the national average Therefore, ULIS really needs to upgrade their educational quality, including English language Using the VSTEP as a national standard certificate is an instance of a significant change in education and language policy at ULIS

3.4 Participants

The researcher chose students whose major was English at ULIS to be the participants of the study on the basis of their agreement to participate The sample

included 150 first-year students from 10 classes

The researcher chose the first year students as participants of the study but not the second-year/ third-year or last-year students because of two reasons Firstly,

it related to the purpose of the study The researcher would like to explore impacts

of the VSTEP on the first year students‟ English learning at ULIS so that even

better English learning/ teaching assistance to the first year students could be provided Secondly, the VSTEP is a new test used as a graduation requirement for students at ULIS The first year students were those who just entered the university and approached the test for the first time They all have not taken the test before Moreover, English levels among the first-year students were surely different Before entering the university, they came from different learning environments and had different language learning background They might follow the seven/ ten/ twelve-year English program Many of them came from rural or remote areas where English grammar was mainly taught and hardly had chance to learn English with native teachers, whereas others came from urban areas or gifted schools might have more chances to learn both grammar and communicative skills VSTEP focuses on four macro skills which are listening, speaking, reading and writing For this reason,

it can be seen that some students could do grammar test well but they could not speak or listen as well as other students English proficiency varies greatly among students from different social and educational backgrounds Therefore, they would have different attitudes toward the test

3.5 Data collection instrument

As mentioned before, to collect data for the study, a questionnaire was used This study replicated and modified six tables from the research titled “Students‟ perceptions of the Impact of the College English Test” conducted by Li, Zhong and Suen (2012) at a university in Beijing because of two reasons Firstly, these two studies have similar context The previous research was taken place at a university

in Beijing, China where English is considered as a foreign language This is similar

to the context of Vietnam in the current study Although both universities are ranking ones and their students‟ English language proficiency is generally higher than the national average, English tests often put pressure on students and affect their learning in many ways Secondly, the study being conducted and the research

high-in Chhigh-ina have the same goal when focushigh-ing on the exit test In both studies, English test is used as a precondition for students to earn a bachelor‟s degree

In term of the structure, the questionnaire items in this study were arranged

in a similar order to the one in the research carried out in China Items in the questionnaire were also arranged in categories such as learning content, learning methods, goal orientation, motivation, self-efficacy, and anxiety Besides, the questionnaire consisted of two parts The first part comprises students‟ general information and the second part comprises 4-option, forced-choice Likert-type items asking students to select whether they strongly agreed, agreed, disagreed, or strongly disagreed with each statement about the impact of the VSTEP To be more specific, part one aims to ask students about some specific information such as English program of study they took, their English result at ULIS‟s entrance exam, whether they are informed of the VSTEP as an English exit requirement by their institution and the required level/ score is achievable for them or not Part two consists of six sections corresponding to table 8 through table 13 as in Li, Zhong and Suen (2012) study Table 8 includes five items related to students‟ reported learning content Table 9 comprises four items about their learning methods Three items in table 10 focus on students‟ goal orientation Table 11 is about students‟ motivation with twelve items There are six items in table 12 which investigate students‟ self-efficacy The last table includes five items focusing on students‟ anxiety

Table 4: Structure of the questionnaire

Part one Students‟ general information (English program of study they

took, their English result at ULIS‟s entrance exam, their knowledge about the VSTEP)

4

Part two Impact of the VSTEP on students‟ learning content 5

Impact of the VSTEP on students‟ learning method 4 Impact of the VSTEP on students‟ goal orientation 3