VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES HOANG VAN SAU A STUDY ON THE VALIDITY OF END-TERM ACHIEVEMENT TESTS ON ENGLISH GRADE 12, HIGH SCHOOLS IN NORTHERN VIETNAM NGIIEN CUT TINT TEU LUC CUA CAC BAL KIEM TRA CUOLKY MON TIENG ANH LGP 12 TAI MOT SO TRUGNG THPT O MIEN BAC VIET NAM M.A THESIS FIELD: METHODOLOGY CODE: 60 14 10 HA NOT - 2609 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI COLLEGE OF FORKIGN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT OF POST GRADUATE STUDIES HOANG VAN SAU A STUDY ON THE VALIDITY OF END-TERM ACHIEVEMENT TESTS ON ENGLISH GRADE 12, HIGH SCHOOLS IN NORTHERN VIETNAM NGHIÊN CỬU TÍNH HIỆU LỰC CỦA CAC BÀI KIÊM TRA CUÔI KỶ MON TIENG ANH LỚP 12 TẠI MỘT SỐ TRƯỜNG THPT Ở MIEN BAC VIỆT NAM M.A THESIS FIELD: METIIODOLOGY CODE: 60 1410 SUPERVISOR: DR. HA CAM TAM HA NOT - 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS CANDIDATE'S STATEMENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: ABSTRACT LIST OF TABLES Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale of the study 1. Seope of the study 1.3, Aims of the study 1.
Research questions RYAN wee 1. Methods of the study 1. Organization of the study We Chapter 2; LITERATURE REVIEW 3. The relationships of language testing with teaching and leaming.
Objective testing kẻ b> Achicvcmecntt tcsts kẻ ” 2. Final achicvernent tests Cm Test specificalion 2. ‘Testing language components 2. Tests of grammar and usage 10 2.
Test of vocabulary 18 2. Test of phonology it 2. Validity ofa test il 2. Definitions and types of validity W 2.
Content validity ofa test 12 2. Construct validity of a test 14 2. Objeclives and Syllalus contents of English grade 12 2. Objectives of English grade 12 15 2.2, Syllabus contents of English grade 12 16 2.
Recommended test specification of final achievement tests, English 21 grade 12 2. Components’ contents of end-term achievement tests, English grade 12 2. Components’ conlents of Ihe 1* term achievernent lests. Components’ contents of the 2” term achievement tests Chapter 3: THE STUDY 3.
Findings and discussion 3. Content validity of test samples’ components 3. Contsr validily of phonctic items 3. Content validily ef grammar test ilerns, 3.
Content validily of vocabulary ilems 4. Construct validity ofthe test samples 3. Construct validity of phonetic test items 3. Construct validity of grammar test items 3.
Construct validity of vocabulary test items Chapter 4: CONCLUSION 4. Limitations and suggestions (ir further research, REFERENCES APPENDIX analysis of construct validity and content validity is discussed. Finally, the findings about conten! validity and comstruel. validity of the tes! samples arc taid au Chapter 4 ofits the conclusions that make clear the research questions.
Some implications are suggested to improve end - term achievement tests in terms of their construct validity and content validity. The liznilalions and directions to further esearch are also mentioned in this final chapter. - iv - LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Syllabus contents of English grade 12 17 Table 2: The rgcommended specification of the end-term achievement tests 21 ‘Table 3: Components’ contents of 1* term achievement tests 22 Table 4. Components’ contents of2 term achievement tests 23 Table 5: Content validity of test samples” components 26 Table 6: Construct validity of the test samples 28 - iv - LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Syllabus contents of English grade 12 17 Table 2: The rgcommended specification of the end-term achievement tests 21 ‘Table 3: Components’ contents of 1* term achievement tests 22 Table 4.
Components’ contents of2 term achievement tests 23 Table 5: Content validity of test samples” components 26 Table 6: Construct validity of the test samples 28 - iv - LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Syllabus contents of English grade 12 17 Table 2: The rgcommended specification of the end-term achievement tests 21 ‘Table 3: Components’ contents of 1* term achievement tests 22 Table 4. Components’ contents of2 term achievement tests 23 Table 5: Content validity of test samples” components 26 Table 6: Construct validity of the test samples 28 - iv - LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Syllabus contents of English grade 12 17 Table 2: The rgcommended specification of the end-term achievement tests 21 ‘Table 3: Components’ contents of 1* term achievement tests 22 Table 4. Components’ contents of2 term achievement tests 23 Table 5: Content validity of test samples” components 26 Table 6: Construct validity of the test samples 28 1.4, Rescarch questions In order to achieve these goals, the study is carried out to the answer the following research questions L-Do the end-term achievernent tests on English grade 12 ul high schvols in some Northern Vietnamese provinces possess content validity? 2- Da those tests possess construct validity? 1. Methods of the study This sludy is 2 combination of both quantitative and qualitative approaches.
First, z quantitative method was employed on the data collection fom 10 end-term achievement tests on English grade 12 of high schools in some nerthem provinces of Vietnam. The number of each language component of a test that possessed the content validity and construct validity has boon comlad and changed into percent Then from the quantitative statistics, qualitative method was employed to interpret the data into the meanings of test samples and their components in terms of content validity and construct validity. Organization of the study ‘The thesis is organized into four major chapters: Chapter 1 is the introduction thai preserts such initial information as the ralionale, aims, methods, research questions and the organizationof the study. Chapter 2 reviews all related literature that provides the theoretical basis for language testing and langig svatuation, Firsl, the tolationships of language Iosting with teaching and learning and objective testing are presented, Then, the achievement tests; tast specification; multiple choice questions and testing language components are discussed carcfully, Next, the most important theoretical part, validity in terms of content vatidily and construct validity are deeply taken into consideration.
Last parts are spent for objectives an syllabus design of English grade 12, Recommended test specification of end- term achievement tesis on Tnglish grade 12 and components’ contents of end-lerm achievement tests. Chapter 3 is the main part of the study which shows the research design containing research questions, data. description, informan and analytical framewark, Next, dala 1.4, Rescarch questions In order to achieve these goals, the study is carried out to the answer the following research questions L-Do the end-term achievernent tests on English grade 12 ul high schvols in some Northern Vietnamese provinces possess content validity? 2- Da those tests possess construct validity? 1. Methods of the study This sludy is 2 combination of both quantitative and qualitative approaches.
First, z quantitative method was employed on the data collection fom 10 end-term achievement tests on English grade 12 of high schools in some nerthem provinces of Vietnam. The number of each language component of a test that possessed the content validity and construct validity has boon comlad and changed into percent Then from the quantitative statistics, qualitative method was employed to interpret the data into the meanings of test samples and their components in terms of content validity and construct validity. Organization of the study ‘The thesis is organized into four major chapters: Chapter 1 is the introduction thai preserts such initial information as the ralionale, aims, methods, research questions and the organizationof the study. Chapter 2 reviews all related literature that provides the theoretical basis for language testing and langig svatuation, Firsl, the tolationships of language Iosting with teaching and learning and objective testing are presented, Then, the achievement tests; tast specification; multiple choice questions and testing language components are discussed carcfully, Next, the most important theoretical part, validity in terms of content vatidily and construct validity are deeply taken into consideration.
Last parts are spent for objectives an syllabus design of English grade 12, Recommended test specification of end- term achievement tesis on Tnglish grade 12 and components’ contents of end-lerm achievement tests. Chapter 3 is the main part of the study which shows the research design containing research questions, data. description, informan and analytical framewark, Next, dala Vor the scope of this research, the end-term achievement tests on English grade 12 at high schools in Northern provinees of Vietnam have been collected and analyzed. Dus to the time limitation and research conditions, the end-of term achievement tests that have been done and scored by students cannot be collected.
That the reason why the reliability of those tests was nol chosen Io investigate in this siudy. Only the validity in terms of content validity and construct validity were taken into consideration, From the above reason, the author is encouraged fo conduct this study entitled “A Study on the Validity of End-term Achievement Testx on English Grade 12, High Schools in Northern Vietnam” with the desire of finding out how valid these tests are. Furthermore, the writer hopes that the findings of the study can be applied to improve the current ing in high schools. 11 is also inlouded to cneourage both tcachars and learnors in the teaching and learning process and to be the valuable source of reference tor test designers 1.2 Scope of the study Due to the limitation of time and research conditions, the author doesn’t have the ambition to cover all ths aspects of a good achievement test like reliability, validity, discrimination, backwash cffecls.cl, This study will mainly focus on the construc! validity and content validity of the end-term achievement tests on English grade 12 at high schools of some provinces in Norther Vietnam in school years of 2008 - 2009.
Ths study will give the findings about construct validity and content validity of those achievement tests and give suggestion to iraprove those tests as well as suggestions for fiarther studies. Aims of the stuiy The major aims of the study is to evaluate the validity of the cnd-term achievement tests on English grade 12 at high schools of some provinces in Northern Vietnam in school y rs of 2008-2009 wilh a special focus on those esis’ construct validity and content validity. The specific aims of the study are: % ‘To study and evaluate the construct validity and content validity of those end-term achievemen 1 ant To give out the strengths and weaknesses of the tests, CIIAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1. Rationale of the study In several decades recently, nglish language testing and evaluation has received a great interest ftom both sducators, researchers worldwide.
In Vietnam, for its important rolcs in educational ficld, English testing and evaluation has been focused in universities and educational institutions through researches, Master of Arts theses, doctoral theses in methodology, most of which aim lo eval wile reliability and vatidity, the essential andl ros important characteristics ofa test. ‘The raising interest towards English testing can be only explained by its importance to English loaching and English loaning. For Engtish toacking, testing ovatuation helps teachers check again the effect of the teaching procedure, fom which they could consider the contents and techniques used in teaching, On the other hand, through testing, students can adjust the Jearning process themselves in order to get better study results. There arc a munber of previous researches at Colloge of Foreign Languages — Vietnam national University that carried out on testing in terms of validity of tests.
For instance, Vu, Ba Tinh (2006); Nguyen, Thi Mai Phnong (2008); Tran. Thi Tliew Thuy (2008); Le Thuy Linh (2004), Nguyen, Thi Bich Hong (2008), cte. All of these tests are at college and university research area, However, we recognized that there is not any study aboul validily of tests at high schools. The interested research lapics are often about using, language skills, iochniquos in English teaching and tearing.
For cxample, Lar, Thi Thu Thuy (2008), Đân, Duy Lich (2007), Nguyễn Thị Nguyệt (2007), etc, This raises a question whether or not high school tests have reliability and validity. And if so, how could they be evaluated? One important thing when we mention to the testing and evaluation is the subjective factor of the test-makers.
