VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACUTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES PHAM THUY LY AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CONTENT VALIDITY OF THE ENGLISH ACHIEVEMENT TEST FOR GRADE 10 AT A BOARDING SCHOOL IN LANG SON PROVINCE của một trường nội trú trên địa bàn tỉnh Lạng Sơn) M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Major : Teaching English Methodology Code : 8140231.01 HANOI - 2024 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACUTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES PHAM THUY LY AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE CONTENT VALIDITY OF THE ENGLISH ACHIEVEMENT TEST FOR GRADE 10 AT A BOARDING SCHOOL IN LANG SON PROVINCE (Nghiên cứu tinh giá trị nội dung bài kiểm tra Tiếng Anh cuối ky lớp 10 của một trường nội trú trên địa bàn tỉnh Lạng Sơn) M. MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS Major : Teaching English Methodology Code : 8140231.01 HANOI - 2024 DECLARATION I hereby declare that the thesis named “An investigation into the content validity of the English achievement test for grade 10 at a boarding school in Lang Son province” is the product of my own work for the Degree of Master of Arts at the University of Languages and International Studies — Vietnam National University. I have fully acknowledged and referenced the ideas and work of others in my thesis, and the thesis has not been submitted for evaluation in any other universities or institutions.
Hanoi, 2024 Pham Thuy Ly Approved by SUPERVISOR (Signature and full name) Dr. Nguyen Thi Quynh Yén ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratefulness to my supervisor Dr. Nguyén Thi Quynh Yén. She provides me with the most advice, insightful feedback, and inspiration as well.
Thanks to her guidance and encouragements, I was in the right direction of the research to finish this work. Second, I want to express my gratitude to the professors who taught classes at the Faculty of Post-graduate Studies of the University of Languages and International Studies during the academic year 2020-2022. They provided me with the knowledge, perspectives, and abilities I need for my chosen field of work, teaching English. Moreover, I also want to thank the teachers and students at a boarding school in Lang Son province, who helped me and gave me valuable information and data for two school years.
If there was no enormous help from them, I could not have completed this thesis. Finally, I would like to thank my family and my friends, who have always support me throughout entire process. ii ABSTRACT In Vietnam education recently, English has become one of the key subjects. A study titled "An investigation into the content validity of the English achievement test for grade 10 at a boarding school in Lang Son province" was conducted by the researcher in response to concerns regarding the importance of English.
The primary aim of this study is to assess the content validity of achievement English tests given to grade 10 students. The participants were 30 test results from a boarding school's 2021-2022 academic year. The method was mostly applied in the context of qualitative method. The test was analyzed and compared to find out and evaluate the validity of the tests based on the equivalent between two test forms used in the same examination.
By comparing the achievement exam with test taker performance and test specification, the study demonstrates a comparatively high consistency of content validity. These data contribute to the confirmation of the test paper's content validity. Based on the results, some recommendations for better final achievement English tests were given and it helps both teachers and students have a better understanding of their teaching and learning measurement and evaluation. Key words: validity, content validity, evaluation achievement tests, grade 10 students, boarding school.
11 TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARA TION. HH HH HT HH Hà HH TT Hàn 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTTS.- SH HH HH HH ng HH ng ng 1 ABSTRACT. 11 LIST OF ABBREVIA TIONS. LH HH» HH HH HH tiệt vi LIST OF TABLES.- HH HH HH HH HH HH ưy vn LIST OF FIGURES 11.
viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.- 5 0 LH HH HH ng nưệt 1 1. Rationale for the Study. Aim and objective of the study. Gv HH nhu 1 1.
Research qU€SẨIOINS. Scope of the Study. Method of the Study. -- 5 c1 SH ng HH tt 2 1.
Significance Of the S{UCỈY.- - - c1 11119119 119 TH TH HH ng 3 1. 3 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEỀW. QQQ HH HH HH HH ng Hy 4 2. The connection between teaching, learning, and testing .- - ch HH HH HH 5 2.
AChHieVeMent teSt na. Validation 1n language f€SLITE.-- G3 1111 1n TH ng ng 9 2. Definition of Validity. ee ec «kh nh HH TH TH ng HH HT nành 9 2.
Aspects Of VAÏICÏIẨY.- G4 1n HH HT HH HH HH 9 2. Content VaÌICHIEY.-- Q Q n9 TH HH HH Tiện 12 2. LH HH ng ng ệt 14 3. The context of the SEUIy.
Án HH HT TH HH HH ng 14 iv 3. English textbook and syllabus for grade 1Ú. Teaching and testing situation at a boarding school in Lang Son province. - - - -- + + EEE E62 EEE11 1111111215555 111 ven 23 3.
- - - - - - << << < << << 1 1111111111111 11111111 EE SE E959 11 1k EEEEEEEEEreg 23 A number of websites to assist in analyzing the compatibility of the test content with the required content of the specification, such as Text inspector, Cambridge Dictionary, Readability Formulas are used. Through automated assessment, the textual characteristics that influence the readability and challenge of listening ACTIVITIES ATE ©XAITITC. 0 G0 9119019301 9001191 01 00g Hệ 24 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS. Data anaÌySIS.
LH HH HH HH HH 25 4. Analysis of test specification with the syllabus and test confent. Analysis of task and items in designing test. QuiHư 33 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION.
LH ng Hn HH gi, 35 5. Summary of the findings .- -- «x11 xxx TT ngàng gà 35 5. Suggestions for further r€S€arCH. -- -- s13 119111211 ng ng rưy 36 REFERENCES 008686868.
Official Letter No.- 5 55s +s+sccsseeseess I Appendix II. The final achievement test Form 1 .- «+ << *£+s++sesees IV Appendix III. The final achievement test Form 2. cece eecesecesecseeeseeeseesserseeeaees IX Appendix IV.
The full adapted test specification. 555-555 **+*svsssesesee XV Appendix V. Standards of knowledge, skills and requirements needed to achieve in student development quality and Capacity. -- 5c 3S seeireeereseerse XVII LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ER error identification GF gap- filling M.A Master of Art MCQ multiple-choice question MOET the Ministry of Education and Training ST sentence transformation vi LIST OF TABLES Table 3.
Syllabus goal and Objectives .- -- c1 SH ng ng 15 Table 3. Topics of English T(.- 5c 3 1 3311113111191 1 81111 11 11 1 ng ryt 16 Table 3. Summary of standards of knowledge, skills and requirements needed to achieve in student development quality and CapaACIYY. Summary of the specification of the achievement test for grade 10 (adapted).
Content of grammar component compared to the test specification. Summary of the texts for item 18-22. Summary of the texts for item 23-27 oe eeeeeeseescecesreeeseeeeaeeesaeeeneeeeaes 31 Table 3. Summary of the texts for item 28-3.- sgk rey 32 Table 3.
Description of language levels for words of items 31-32 in the DJUsoiie:10i0 1. Description of language levels for words of items 33-36 in the JMöuip [vi i0. 33 Vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3. The analysis of pronunciation part .2 The analysis of pronunciation part.
The analysis of vocabulary part. Word Level of cloze-test reading passages (extracted from Oxford Text 0. Word Level of reading comprehension passages (extracted from Text Inspector of English PTOfIÏ€).-- «+ + 1 3 93 9 9 TH Hàn HH ng tiệt 32 Viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale for the study Atthis time, English 1s used as both the primary language and the second language in every country in the world.
People using English for different purposes such as business, commercial, tourism, education, etc. English has become a mandatory subject in many countries in the world as part of the national education program with the goal of helping learners to access better jobs and opportunities. To do this, the government and the education department must figure out the best ways to support teachers and learners in their use of the English language. In Vietnam context, the government and the Ministry of Education and Training have made English a compulsory subject for all students from primary to high schools to prepare them well for any work field in life.
From grade 10 to grade 12, English has been taught in every class at every high school in the province of Lang Son for at least three periods each week. Each school year always has two semesters with around 105 periods in English subject. However, after the semester ended as well as a school year, the test has not evaluated what students actually leant and how well they use English as well as their level in English acquisition. In the chosen public high school in Lang Son province, the textbook named “Tiéng Anh 10” is used in teaching and learning English subject.
This textbook consists of five main parts: reading, speaking, listening, writing, and language focus. However, in the final achievement test, only listening, reading, writing and grammar knowledge are assessed and shown on the test papers. Considering these factors, I decide to conduct the study named “An investigation into the content validity of the English achievement test for grade 10 at a boarding school in Lang Son province” to find out how the content validity the tests are. Aim and objective of the study In the small scope of an MA thesis, this study only aims at investigating the content aspect of validity of the currently used achievement tests for grade 10 students at a boarding school in Lang Son province.
1 The purpose of the study is to evaluate the achievement test's content validity for grade 10 students studying at a boarding school in Lang Son. This study also aims to determine whether the achievement test meets the specified requirement of high school students’ proficiency in English and whether the test specifications are appropriate and relevant. Research questions This study is conducted to find answers to the main following research question: e To what extent do the end-term tests for grade 10 students in a boarding school in Lang Son province meet the content validity? Also, this study aims at find out the answer for the two sub-research questions: - To what extent is the test specification’s designed in accordance with the syllabus? - To what extent is the test designed in accordance with the test specification? 1. Scope of the study The study aims to investigate the validity of the existing achievement test for grade 10 students at a boarding school in Lang Son province, which is in the North of Vietnam.
Because of the time and research limitations, the author cannot examine all used achievement tests for all students at the selected high school. Instead, only the achievement test from the second semester of the school year 2021-2022 is analyzed. The author chose the final achievement test of the second semester to analyze as the sample of the study. This test consists of two test forms: Form 1 and Form 2, which are equivalent to the odd code and even code of the test.
Method of the study This study was conducted using the qualitative technique, which primarily employs test analysis. To be specific, firstly, the researcher collected data of the English achievement test on grade 10 at a boarding school in Lang Son province in school year of 2021-2022.