The perceptions of the students about the English Language Test implemented as a component of university entrance exam

Abstract

This study aims to reveal students’ perceptions about the Foreign (English) Language Test implemented as a component of University Entrance Exam. There were two groups as the participants of the study: the first group included pre-service English teachers studying in the English language teaching (ELT) Department and the second group consisted of cram school students preparing for the English Language Test. A questionnaire was implemented to both groups in order to reveal their perceptions about the English Language Test. The data derived from the questionnaires were analysed in a descriptive way through Statistical Package for the Social Sciences and the results were presented in a comparative manner. The results revealed that the rate of pre-service English teachers who think that English Language Test should include all of the language skills is higher than the rate of cram school students. In addition to that most of the pre-service English teachers are not pleased with the content of the test as they have faced with the problems related to the language skills after the onset of studying in ELT Department.

Keywords: Students’ perceptions, education policy, English language test.