The Determinatio N of the English Language Proficiency of freshmen: An Exploration Of Some of the Variables That Contribute To Proficiency in English
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Date
1984-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study is an attempt to assess the influence of a number of
variables on the English language proficiency of first year students
at Addis Ababa University . The selected variables were the
exposure to the English language formally or informally , the reading
resources , the reading background , and the quality of instruction.
To achi eve this goal, a questionnaire entirely devoted to the
students ' senior high school English background was distributed to
140 Freshmen , out of which 106 were taken as full participants in the
study .
The subjects were given two language t ests :
(i) The ~Ii chigan Test of English Language Proficiency (offered by
the English Language Institute of the University of Michigan), and
(ii) The Addis Ababa University Freshman English lOl-A Course Test.
The students' responses t o the questionnaire were tallied, coded
and computed to see the correlation between the responses to the selected
variabl es, and the subjects' performance in both t ests.
On the average , the group with the highest positive responses
to the selected variables was found to be the "A" students in the J: ests .
Those who had the l east positive r esponses were the "F" students.
The differences among the "All , Hn" I and "e" , and nDUstudents
were also significant: the study r evealed that as the amount of positive
responses to the selected variables increased. performance also
increased . The reverse was also true.
The multiple regression analyses showed a positive correlation
between the selected variables , and the tests' results. Moreover , the
variation in the students' performance in the tests was accounted for
by the coefficient of determination.
On the basis of these findings. recommendations are made to provide
the senior high school students with what they lack . These
recommendations are worth considering if Freshmen are to do b e tter
at university level.
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Keywords
English Language Proficiency