The Measurement of Proficiency of High School Graduates
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Date
1982-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The historical development of the Ethiopian School
Leaving Certificate Examination (ESLCE) - the transition
from the General Certificate Education Examination (GCE)
to the ESLCE and the creation of a new curriculum suitable
for the Ethiopian context has been thoroughly discussed.
Several attempts have been made to change the form of the
ESLCE English examination from a subjective type to an
objective one and to s implify the difficult items. Arguments
for and against the subjective and the objective tests by
various concerned people have been briefed in the review of
literature . But the various attempts have not changed the
situation any better. As a policy , the purpose of the ESLCE
has been stated that the examination, at present, serves as
a hi gh school completion as well as college entrance examination.
No substantial inquiry has been made regarding the
dual nature of the examination . Due to its dual purpose,
the writer of this thesis has attempted to make a survey
study of the effectiveness of the ESLC English examination
as a pro f iciency t es t , and if necessary to propose an
alternative approach. Discussions are opened on the theories
and princi ples of tests.
Out of 758 freshmen students enrolled for the 1981-2
second semes ter, 350 students have been selected for the
study. Data have been collected for the 1980 ESLCE and the
1981 F _'eshmen English r esults by using a table of random
sampling. Using the model of linear correlation coefficient
attempts have been made to find out whether the 1980 ESLC
English results and the 1981 Freshmen English results of the
Same students correlate or not. Findings show that the
relation between the two examinations is very low. Those
students who have obtained good gr ades in the ESLC English
examination do not seem to show good English l anguage performance
at the University. Findings, therefore, prove that
the ESLC English examination is ineffective in predicting
the English language performance of twelve grade leavers
when they join the University. Conclusions are arrived,
based on the results, that the ESLC English examination is
ineffective as a proficiency test on the grounds that
(a) it cannot serve as a criterion for admission to the
University. (b) it cannot be a measure for predictin~
students ' language performance at the University level.
To avoid such ineffectivensss, the writer recommends as a
possible alternative approach that the Ministry of Education
and the Univer sity should set two s eparate examinations - the
Ethiopian School Leaving Certificate Examination (ESLCE)
and COllege Entrance Examination (GCE) respectively, specifying
the forms, contents and purposes of the two examinations.
The writ er makes it clear that the conclusion is not final
and perfect and sugges t s tha t further r esearch and
evaluation on other variables (syllabus, materials,
quality of teachers , methodology etc) are urgently
needed before moves ar e taken .
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Keywords
Measurement of Proficiency