VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES ********************* LÊ THỊ NỤ NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE USE OF THE TOEIC LISTENING AND READING TEST AS A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT (Nhận thức và thái độ của sinh viên không chuyên tiếng Anh về việc sử dụng bài kiểm tra TOEIC hai kỹ năng nghe và đọc hiểu làm điều kiện tốt nghiệp) M. MINOR THESIS (Type I) Field: English Teaching Methodology Code: 8140231.01 Hanoi – 2019 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES ********************* LÊ THỊ NỤ NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE USE OF THE TOEIC LISTENING AND READING TEST AS A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT (Nhận thức và thái độ của sinh viên không chuyên tiếng Anh về việc sử dụng bài kiểm tra TOEIC hai kỹ năng nghe và đọc hiểu làm điều kiện tốt nghiệp) M. MINOR THESIS (Type I) Field : English Teaching Methodology Code : 8140231. Nguyễn Hòa Hanoi – 2019 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com DECLARATION I hereby certify the thesis entitled “non-English major students’ perceptions and attitudes towards the use of the TOEIC Listening and Reading Test as a graduation requirement” is the result of my own research in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts at Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
This thesis has not, wholly or partially, been submitted for an award at any other universities or higher education institutions. Hanoi, 20 July 2019 Le Thi Nu i LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my most sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. Nguyen Hoa, for his inspiring me to do this research. If it had not been for his invaluable guidance or insightful comments, my thesis would not have been accomplished.
My special thanks also go to all the professors and lecturers of Faculty of Postgraduate Studies at University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University, Hanoi for their valuable lectures, which have laid the foundation for this thesis. I am deeply appreciative to the participants of this study for their immense contribution by sharing their experiences and opinions. I also thank the director and employees of the center where the research took place. Finally, I am indebted to my friends, my colleagues and my family who have encouraged me in numerous ways to complete this study.
ii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ABSTRACT This mixed methods study investigated non-English major students’ perceptions of and attitudes towards the use of the TOEIC Listening and Reading Test as a graduation requirement in some Vietnam‟s HE institutions. Data were collected from 197 participants through survey questionnaires and eight semi- structured interviews at a TOEIC preparation center in Hanoi. The findings revealed that students generally hold positive attitudes towards the use of the TOEIC scores to determine their graduation eligibility and believe that preparing to take the test has a positive impact on their English language proficiency and future employment prospects. The TOEIC test scores are also perceived favorably by the respondents as having relatively high levels of reliability and validity; however, the cut-off scores set by some universities might be too low to motivate their students to study English harder.
The results further indicated that test-takers with better listening and reading skills as measured by the TOEIC tests have a significantly stronger preference for the requirement of an adequate level of speaking and writing proficiency before graduation, provided that tertiary-level English curricula could help students master the four English language skills. The study not only contributes to our understanding of students as the key stakeholders who define the context of the test use but also provides empirical evidence to support the use of the TOEIC test as a high-stakes standardized test for university exit requirement in Vietnam. Keywords: Perceptions, attitudes, high-stakes tests, English language proficiency, TOEIC, test impact, higher education in Vietnam, graduation requirement iii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS .iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS.
vii LIST OF TABLES. viii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION. Background of the study. Rationale of the study.
Aim of the study and research questions. Methodology and scope of the study. Significance of the study. Structure of the thesis .5 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW.
High-stakes tests. Reliability and Validity of standardized tests. Different reactions to high-stakes standardized testing. Setting standards of high-stakes testing.
Preparing students for high-stakes standardized testing. Perceptions and Attitudes towards high-stakes standardized testing. Definitions of Perception and Attitude .14 iv LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail. Importance of test-takers‟ perceptions and attitudes towards high-stakes standardized testing.
TOEIC as a high-stakes standardized test in Vietnam. What is TOEIC?. Use of the TOEIC test as a graduation requirement in Vietnam‟s HE institutions. Previous studies on the use of TOEIC as an exit requirement in Vietnam .20 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY.
Data collection methods. Data analysis procedures. Quantitative data analysis. Qualitative data analysis .29 CHAPTER IV: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION.
Research Question 1: What are students‟ perceptions of the English requirement policy for graduation?. Results from surveys. Results from interviews. Research Question 2: What are test-takers‟ perceptions of the appropriateness and effectiveness of the TOEIC as an exit test?.
Results from surveys. Results from interviews .39 v LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION. Implications of the study. Limitations of the study.
I APPENDIX 1: SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE. I APPENDIX 2: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS. VII APPENDIX 3: SAMPLE TEST FOR TOEIC L/R. IX vi LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS EFL English as a Foreign Language ELP English Language Proficiency ETS Educational Testing Service, USA HE Higher Education MOET Ministry of Education and Training, Vietnam TOEIC Test of English for International Communication vii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Demographic information of participants .23 Table 2: Structure of survey questionnaire .25 Table 3: Students‟ opinions about the exit English requirement policy .32 Table 4: Students‟ opinions about the exit English requirement policy by their ELP .32 Table 5: Interviewees‟ perceptions of the exit English requirement policy .33 Table 6: Survey respondents‟ perceptions of the TOEIC as an exit test .36 Table 7: Survey respondents‟ perceptions of the use of the TOEIC as an exit test by their ELP .38 Table 8: Interviewees‟ perceptions of the TOEIC as an exit requirement .40 viii LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION This chapter introduces the study by outlining the context in which the research was conducted, the rationale of the study, the purpose and research questions, the significance of the study, the methodology adopted, and the structure of the thesis.
Background of the study 1. Social context Accompanying the globalization of the English language, a global commercial testing industry has been established, specially merchandising goods known as standardized English language proficiency tests. As Templer (2004) argues, these tests have increasingly controlled access into privileged educational and occupational paths in the professional and corporate world, and accordingly affected many local language policies. Heated discussions and concerns have centered on the impacts of standardized tests on societies and on languages other than English, and how national and local authorities manage entry to language education and language rights (Tollefson, 2002).
In Vietnam, among standardized English language proficiency tests, the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) introduced in 2001 has gradually assumed a greater gate-keeping role. Although it may not be as a well- known certificate as TOEFL (Test Of English as a Foreign Language) or IELTS (International English Language Testing System), TOEIC has become a popular English proficiency test not only in Vietnam but also in some other Asian countries like Japan, Korea and Taiwan. Being a tool to measure workplace English proficiency for non-native English speakers, TOEIC certificates are required for job application in many business corporations in our country such as Viettel, Vietnam Airlines, LG Electronics, Panasonic, and even in stated-owned financial institutions including BIDV and Agribank, etc. 1 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.
Educational context The importance of English as a lingua franca in the context of the fast globalization was early acknowledged by the Vietnamese government, and as a result, English education has been prioritized at all levels of the Vietnamese education system. At tertiary levels for example, undergraduates generally took 200 hours of English at university over four academic years (Ton & Pham, 2010). Yet, this instruction was delivered in a manner which did not allow the vast majority of students to achieve sufficient levels of competence to pass the certifications required for recruitment. As Ha (2007) indicated, the communicative competence in English of most Vietnamese employees was still very limited, and many freshly graduated students failed to find jobs in foreign companies because of the English language requirements.
Vietnamese decision-making bodies were aware that major changes should be made to upgrade students‟ English proficiency and get them prepared better for global competition at the workplace. Accordingly, the Circular No. 05/2012/TT- BGDĐT was issued by the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET), effective as from April 2012, indicating that non-English major graduates need to have English proficiency equivalent to B1 (CEFR), 450 TOEIC, 450 TOEFL ITP, or 4. As a result, the majority of HE institutions in Vietnam gradually have set a requirement for their students to achieve a satisfactory score on one of the recommended English language proficiency tests before graduation.
The statistics show that approximately 120 HE institutions in Vietnam, over 30 universities in Hanoi alone, are using TOEIC scores normally ranging from 450 to 550 as an exit requirement for their students. For example, the Decision No. 148/QĐ-ĐHBK-ĐTĐH dated 5 September 2017 by the Rector of Hanoi University of Science and Technology states that non-English majors need present the TOEIC certificate of minimum 500 points or equivalent certificates before being assigned a graduation thesis. While this university and some HE institutions such as People's Security Academy and University of Transport Technology cooperate with the only 2 LUAN VAN CHAT LUONG download : add luanvanchat@agmail.com ETS-authorized organization, IIG Vietnam, to set TOEIC-taking examinations for their own students; others request their students to take the tests at IIG Vietnam headquarter by themselves.
Obviously, the TOEIC test is now one privileged high- stakes standardized test in Vietnam. Rationale of the study The use of the high-stakes standardized test to determine graduation eligibility has a direct impact on students who take the test to meet the exit requirement, and it has important educational and economic implications for students and society at large. Language learners or students whose education and language learning are directly influenced by the implementation of the language graduation requirement policy are perhaps the most important stakeholders in this testing situation. However, their views on the policy implementation are rarely considered by university authorities.
Previous research has suggested that learners‟ attitudes towards and perception of a test and its use can affect their motivation and performance on the test (Bachman & Palmer, 1996). It has been about seven years since the TOEIC test was officially used as an exit English test at some HE institutions in Vietnam, but there is little research examining the appropriateness and effectiveness of the policy, despite its increasing popularity. This study is an overall investigation into the test- takers‟ own opinions on the English requirement policy for graduation and the use of the TOEIC certification as an exit requirement at tertiary education levels.