VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACUTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES *************** NGUYỄN THỊ TRANG AN EVALUATION ON THE VALIDITY OF END-TERM ENGLISH TESTS USED FOR YEAR 11 STUDENTS AT A VIETNAMESE PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN THE NORTH EAST AREA OF VIETNAM (Đánh giá tính giá trị trong các bài kiểm tra hết học kỳ môn tiếng Anh của học sinh lớp 11 ở một trường công lập tại phía Đông Bắc Việt Nam) Field: English Teaching Methodology (Applied program) Code: 8140231.01 HANOI- 2019 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACUTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES *************** NGUYỄN THỊ TRANG AN EVALUATION ON THE VALIDITY OF END-TERM ENGLISH TESTS USED FOR YEAR 11 STUDENTS AT A VIETNAMESE PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN THE NORTH EAST AREA OF VIETNAM (Đánh giá tính giá trị trong các bài kiểm tra hết học kỳ môn tiếng Anh của học sinh lớp 11 ở một trường công lập tại phía Đông Bắc Việt Nam) Field: English Teaching Methodology (Applied program) Code: 8140231. Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Quỳnh Nguyen Thi Ngoc Quynh HANOI- 2019 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION The thesis entitled “An evaluation on the validity of end-term English tests used for year 11 students at a Vietnamese public high school in the North East area of Vietnam” has been submitted for the Master of English teaching methodology. I, the undersigned, hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. I have fully acknowledged and referenced the ideas and work of others, whether published or unpublished, in my thesis.
My thesis does not contain work extracted from a thesis, dissertation or research paper previously presented for another degree or diploma at this or any other universities. i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS On the completion of this paper, I would like to express my gratitude to all my teachers, my supervisor, the administrators, staffs, teachers, and students at a Vietnamese public high school in the North-East area of Vietnam, friends and family. First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratefulness to my supervisor. She gives me all the best consultancy, valuable comments and motivation as well.
Secondly, I highly express my gratitude to the teachers at Faculty of Post-graduate Studies of University of Languages and International Studies for their previous lessons in school year 2016-2018. They directly provided me with the understandings, the knowledge and skills relating to my field- English language teaching. Moreover, I sincerely appreciate the cooperation of the administrators, staffs, teachers and students at a Vietnamese public high school in the North- East area of Vietnam. Especially, I am so thankful to Ms.
A for providing me the data of two school years. Finally, I would like to thank my loved family, who have supported me throughout entire process, both by keeping me harmonious and helping me putting pieces together. I will be grateful forever for your love. ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT English is one of the main subjects in Vietnam education nowadays.
All fields are using English from business, commercial, transport, technology to tourism, education, and logistics. With the deep concerns about the importance of English, the researcher carried out study titled: “An evaluation on the validity of end-term English tests used for year 11 students at a Vietnamese public high school in the North East area of Vietnam”. The main purpose of this research was to find out the validity on the end-term English tests used for year 11 students. The participants were 2,481 test papers taken in two school years of a public high school.
The method was quantitative approach. All scores were analyzed to compare the progress of learning in two school years to find out the validity on the tests. The results showed that it appears no valid in the tests although the teachers and students always evaluate the progress of teaching and learning through only scores of end- term English tests for English subject. Basing on the findings, a number of suggestions for better end-term English tests were indicated and it helps both teachers and students have best look about measurement and evaluation their teaching and learning.
Therefore, the paper would be a good reference for researchers, teachers and students to have a closer look on the issue as well as to improve the end-term English tests. Key words: validity, evaluation end-term tests, high school students iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.
vi LIST OF TABLES. vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION. Rationale for choosing this topic. Scope of the study.
Aims of the study. Methods of the study. Design of the thesis. 4 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.
Basic concepts of testing. The relationship between teaching, learning and assessment. Testing and teaching. Testing and Learning.
Major characteristics of a good language test. Achievement test and its types. English learning and teaching at a Vietnamese public high school in the North East area of Vietnam. Students and their backgrounds.
17 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. The English staffs. Syllabus and its objectives. The textbook: “Tiếng Anh 11”.
English testing at a Vietnamese public high school in the North East area of Vietnam. The current final year-11 achievement tests. Data collection instruments. 25 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION.
Conclusion for Section 3. Summary of findings. Suggestions for further research. I Appendix I: Final 1st Semester achievement test in year 2015-2016.
I Appendix II: Final 1st Semester achievement test in year 2016-2017. IV Appendix III: Final 2nd Semester achievement test in year 2015-2016 .VII Appendix IV: Final 2nd Semester achievement test in year 2016-2017. X v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CLT Communicative Language Teaching 1st The first 2nd The second LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1 A checklist for test evaluation Table 3.1 Detail subjects for each grade Table 3.2 Number of English periods in two semesters Table 3.3 Syllabus goal and objectives Table 3.4 Topics of English 11 Table 3.5 Specification of the first end-term test for year 11 Table 3.6 Specification of the second end-term test for year 11 Table 3.7 Average score of four achievement tests Frequency distribution of 1st final achievement test in year Table 3.8 2015-2016 Frequency distribution of 2nd final achievement test in year Table 3.9 2015-2016 Frequency distribution of 1st final achievement test in year Table 3.10 2016-2017 Frequency distribution of 2nd final achievement test in year Table 3.11 2016-2017 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 Test usefulness Figure 3.1 Histogram of Score distribution Figure 3.2 Histogram of Score distribution Figure 3.3 Histogram of Score distribution Figure 3.4 Histogram of Score distribution vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale for choosing this topic English is currently being used in at least sixty countries as the main language and nearly one hundred countries as the second language all over the world.
In affiliation and globalization period, all fields are using English from business, commercial, transport, technology to tourism, education, logistic. English is a useful tool for people in the world to understand together. Leading to the needs for learning and teaching English language in any part of the world is growing. With national education in many countries, English has become a compulsory subject.
Their target is help learners access the best things and have good jobs in the world. To meet these needs, the government and the education department need to find the best ways to help teachers and learners using proficiently English language. Fully recognizing the importance of English language, the government and the Ministry of education and training in Vietnam have required all students from grade 3 to grade 12 to learn English as a compulsory subject. Therefore, English has been taught at any primary, secondary and high schools in Vietnam aiming at equipping the students with a best tool to work in any field in their life.
Strongly knowing the importance of English language, a Vietnamese public high school in the North East area of Vietnam has taught English subject in all classes from grade 10 to grade 12. With oriented classes, there are at least four periods per week and others have three periods per week. Besides that, each year always has two semesters with overall for 111 English periods. However, after finishing a semester and a year, a test has not evaluated what students acquire English, how well they use English with taught lessons and at which level of English they are 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
In a public high school in the North East area of Vietnam, with English subject, teachers and students have followed the textbook named “Tiếng Anh 11” which has five main parts including these orders: reading, speaking, listening, writing and language focus. Nevertheless, in the end-term tests, only grammar knowledge is displayed on the test papers. So, do the tests meet the validity? Can students use English well to communicate outside? Seeing these points, I decide to undertake this study entitled “An evaluation on the validity of end-term English tests used for year 11 students at a Vietnamese public high school in the North East area of Vietnam” with the intention to find out how validity the tests are. More importantly, I strongly hope that the results of the study can then be applied to improve the current and to create a new really validity item bank.
It is also intended to encourage both teachers and learners in their teaching and learning. Scope of the study The scope of this thesis is limited to a research on examining the existing achievement test in terms of its validity for year-11 students at a Vietnamese public high school in the North East area of Vietnam. The study gives analyzed statistic data of the currently used tests and proposes practical suggestions to improve the tests. Due to the limitations of time and research conditions, it is impossible for the author to cover all used achievement tests for all high school students at a Vietnamese public high school.
Instead, only four tests are studied. Aims of the study The major aim of the study is to evaluate the currently used achievement tests for year 11 students at a Vietnamese public high school in the North East area of Vietnam with a special focus on the test validity. The specific aims of the research are: 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com To evaluate the test validity through initial score statistics obtained from the four achievement tests result of year 11 students at a Vietnamese public high school in the North East area of Vietnam. To pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of the test, and To provide practical suggestions for the test improvement.
Methods of the study In order to achieve the above-mentioned aims, the study has been carried out with the following methodologies. First, the author based herself both on the theory and on the principle of Language Testing, major characteristics of a good test, especially test validity, achievement test and statistical methods used in interpreting test results. From critical reading, the writer has gathered, analyzed and synthesized many reference materials to draw out a theoretical basis to evaluate the used achievement test for the 11 th year students in terms of its validity. Research questions This study is implemented to find answers to the following research questions: 1.
To what extent do the tests for year 11 students in a Vietnamese public school in the North East area of Vietnam meet the content validity? 2.