Relation Between English Language Proficiency and Academic Performance of International Students by Nazanin Sadeghian

Relationship between English Language Proficiency and Academic Performance of International Postgraduate Students

By NAZANIN SADEGHIAN January 2013

Abstract

With increasing number of international students enrolling in universities in English speaking countries such as Malaysia, the question of the level of English language proficiency (ELP) necessary for academic success becomes critical. One of the most widely-used tests for assessing the foreign students’ English language proficiency is the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The purpose of the present research study was to investigate the relationship between IELTS and academic outcomes, the students’ perception towards IELTS as an index to predict their academic performance and also to examine other student-related intervening factors that significantly contribute to the subsequent academic performance of postgraduate students at University Putra Malaysia. Data were collected using questionnaires from thirty international students and structured interviews from three of them. Correlation and regression analysis were calculated between the IELTS overall score of the students group under investigation and their first semester results: Grade Point Average (GPA). Positive correlation was found between IELTS overall score and GPA. The regression analysis also revealed that predictor variable IELTS was significant in explaining GPA. Students’ perception towards IELTS was positive in relation to their academic achievements especially in their writing skill. Finally, factors such as being motivated and having ability in the academic courses were identified as the most influential factors and having no interest in the related field of study, lacking background knowledge and homesickness were determined as the impairing factors in their academic performance. On the whole, most of the students believed that IELTS was a useful factor for them to be successful in their academic courses but other factors rather than IELTS should be considered. 1

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter provides an overview of the study. It first discusses the background to the study followed by the problem statement, the scope and the purpose of the study. Then it describes the specific objectives and then followed by the significance of the study. Finally, the last part of this chapter is the definition of terms, i.e. academic performance, language proficiency and IELTS band score. The summary of the chapter would be the end of this chapter.

1.0 Background to the study

This research examines the relationship between English language proficiency and academic performance of international postgraduate students at the University of Putra Malaysia. University organizations are being strengthened and developed at an international level. As universities in Malaysia pursue policies aimed at internationalization, increasing the number of international students and exchanges with overseas institutions, the question of the English language proficiency (ELP) essential for academic achievement becomes crucial. Internationalization of education itself is excessively getting outstanding in Malaysia as a consequence of which an international language might be presented as the medium of instruction. In Malaysian universities, English would be a conspicuous alternative. For instance, many Master or PhD courses are administered in English. English language has

become the focal point on which the educational wheel of Malaysia rotates. In addition, for the Malaysian institutions of higher education English medium instruction appears to be a vital circumstance for enrolling foreign students. One of the most important criteria for the Malaysian universities to measure the international students for the admission is through their IELTS or TOEFL scores. The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between ELP and academic performance for international students at the University Putra Malaysia in the faculty of Modern Languages and Communication. For the purposes of university selection, and therefore for this project, ELP is defined as a score on IELTS and academic success is defined by Grade Point Average (GPA) of the students’ first semester. IELTS may be considered as a better proficiency measuring test, than TOEFL. There were a number of criticisms directed towards the TOEFL test, but in this paper, we will only confine ourselves to describe IELTS as a type of language proficiency test. This study also investigated the effect of language proficiency on academic performance as well as the students’ perception of IELTS as a measure of language proficiency whether it helps them to improve their academic courses or their level of language proficiency has no or little effect on the improvement of their academic performance and examined the existing of other factors which may be influential in their academic performance. Many studies have researched the relationship between English language proficiency and the academic achievement of international students in different contexts. In these studies there is little agreement so far about the relationship between scores on tests for ELP and students’ subsequent academic performance. The English language proficiency requirement appears from an assumption that a certain degree of English

language competence is a pre-requisite to academic success. However, research has been inconclusive regarding the minimum level of ELP required. A number of studies have revealed that ELP is a better predictor of academic performance for low proficiency than for higher proficiency students (Graham, 1987; Elder, 1993) and that the relationship is the strongest at the end of the first semester (Light et al, 1987; Elder, 1993). Research also proposes that the relationship between ELP and academic achievement may differ between academic majors, based on their linguistics demands (Palmer & Woodford, 1978; Graham, 1987; Light et 9 1987; Criper & Davies, 1988; Elder, 1993; Davies 1988, 1990). What does emerge from these studies, however, is the suggestion that ELP is merely one of a number of factors affecting academic performance (Davies 1990; Criper & Davies, 1988). The relationship between studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; academic achievement and their language proficiency has been determined by researchers. Butler and Castellon â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Wellington (2000) made a comparison of the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; academic performance according to the content areas to coexisting performance on a language proficiency test and found a correlation between them. Ulibarri, Maria, Spencer and Rivas (1981) examined the relationship between the performance of the Hispanic students in an English language tests and their achievement in Mathematics and illustrated that the language test data were not very beneficial in predicting achievement in Mathematics. Bayliss and Raymond (2004) investigated the connection between academic performance and ELP and deduced that as students approach native-like proficiency levels, the relationship between academic achievement and language proficiency vanishes. Moreover, a number of studies are emerging in the findings on predictive validity studies on the IELTS tests. Firstly, there seems to be growing evidence that the lower the English language proficiency, the greater an effect this has on academic 4

outcomes (Elder 1993, Ferguson and White 1993). Secondly, there seems to be more likelihood to finding positive relationships between proficiency and academic performance when the variable of area of study is controlled (Bellingham 1993, Davies and Criper 1988, Elder 1993, Ferguson and White 1993). Lastly, any positive relationships found between proficiency measures and academic achievements tend to be weak. This may be because academic performance is affected by many others factors aside from language such as: homesickness, depression, family pressures and etc.

1.1 Statement of the problem

This study evolved from the need for international students in a Malaysian university to enhance their language proficiency in order to have a better performance in their academic courses. There has been a serious concern amongst the foreign students towards English language ability and the fear that they may not be able to perform well in their academic courses because of their weakness in English language proficiency. Over the last ten years, this has been an issue of growing importance as a result of the increased enrolments of international students at institutions around the world. However, despite the growth of the international registrations and the vital role these tests play, there is little clear evidence so far of the exact nature of the relationship between international studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; grades on proficiency tests such as IELTS and their academic outcomes in tertiary courses. A number of studies have researched the relationship between English language proficiency and the academic performance of 5

international students in different contexts. In these studies there is little agreement so far about the relationship between test scores for English language proficiency and students’ subsequent academic performance. It appears reasonable to suppose that students need to have an enough control of English language if instruction is administered in this specific language. In the United States and Great Britain surveys (Barber et al. 1987; Heikinheimo and Shute 1986; Kinnell 1990) demonstrated that foreign educators account language and communication to be main issues of studying in foreign countries. These researches revealed that note takings, essay writings, answering questions and understanding lecturers and tutorials are areas of peculiar problem for foreign students. However, there is no standard recognized theory on the exact nature of the relationship between foreign language proficiency and academic performance. The conflicting results from many studies which have investigated the relationships between English language proficiency and the academic performance of international students can be attributed to problems with: 

defining and measuring English language proficiency



defining and measuring academic achievement



the large number of uncontrolled factors involved in academic success or failure (Graham 1987).

In these predictive validity studies, English language proficiency is usually measured by scores on various commercial tests such as TOEFL and IELTS, or by locally-based institution specific assessment. In many predictive validity studies, the criterion most often for judging academic success is the first- semester Grade Point Average (GPA). It has been argued that GPA does not take into account the number 6

of subjects attempted by a student (Heil and Aleamoni 1974 in Graham 1987), nor does it take into account the nature and demands of different types of subjects. However, in support of the use of Grade Point Average in these studies, a large scale study of 2,075 foreign students in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) found that GPA was the best predictor of studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; subsequent academic performance (Sungimoto 1966 in Graham 1987). Other studies, including more recent studies on the predictive validity of IELTS (Bellingham 1992, Cotton and Conrow 1997, Davies and Criper 1988, Elder 1993, Ferguson and White 1993, Fiocco 1992, Gibson and Rusek 1992), have used different measures of academic performance. As a student GPA does not provide a complete measure of their performance, it has been suggested that more than one measure of academic performance should be used in predictive validity studies (Jochem et. Al. 1996 in Cotton and Conrow). The length of time between measures taken of English language proficiency and academic performance allows for differential rates of learning and a multiplicity of variables to influence outcomes (Davies and Clipper 1988). A range of other factors have a possible influence on academic achievement. These factors include: a studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; area of study (Light, Xu and Mossop 1987), cultural background and country of origin (Wilcox 1975 in Graham 1987), personality, attitude (Ho Spinks in Graham 1987), motivation, homesickness, attitude to learning, adjustment to the host culture ( Gue and Holdaway 1973 in Graham 1987) and age and gender ( Jochem, et. al. 1996 in Cotton and Conrow 1997). Such factors are often impossible to control in these studies and also can limit the degree to which generalization and comparisons can be made. Also, the nature of the relationship between all the factors is complex and thus not easy to determine. 7

This study was another step to examine the relationship between international students’ English language proficiency and their academic performance whether their language proficiency is an effective factor and paving the way to perform well in their academic courses or it is not that much effective for the students’ future academic success. It is also to distinguish the intervening factors that could be influential in the students’ academic success according to the students’ viewpoints towards these factors.

1.2 Scope of the study

The study determined the extent to which 30 international postgraduate students proficiency in English correlates with, and finally predicts their academic achievement at University Putra Malaysia. This research focused on both quantitative and qualitative method of research. On the one hand, quantitative method was used to collect information about the students’ IELTS band scores and their first semester results in order to make the correlation coefficient between their language proficiency and their academic performance. It is also to examine the effect of language proficiency on academic achievement. Besides, the students’ perception about the effectiveness of IELTS in their academic success was determined. On the other hand, qualitative method was used to examine other intervening factors on the students’ academic performance.

1.3 Purpose of the study

First of all, one of the purposes of the study was to explore the relationship between English language proficiency and academic performance of international postgraduate students in University Putra Malaysia. Secondly, this research determined the influence of the language proficiency on the academic achievement. Thirdly, this study made an attempt to identify the students’ perception of IELTS as a measure of English language proficiency as whether IELTS is a good predictor of their academic performance. The final goal of this research was to determine the existence of other intervening factors which may or may not influence the students’ academic success.

1.4 Specific objectives of the study

The purpose of this study was two-fold. The specific objectives of this study aimed to determine the relationship between language proficiency and academic achievement. Specifically, this study aimed:

1. to determine the students’ perception towards IELTS as a measure of language proficiency ,i.e., a) whether IELTS is a good predictor of students’ academic performance

2. to examine the relationship between language proficiency and academic achievement.

3. to examine the effect of language proficiency on academic achievement.

4. to determine other intervening factors affecting the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; academic performance

Based on the above specific objectives several research questions were formulated:

1. What is the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; perception of IELTS as a language proficiency measurement? e.g.

a) Is IELTS result an adequate measure of English proficiency? b) Is IELTS a fair test of English proficiency?

2. Is there any relationship between IELTS as a measure of language proficiency and academic achievement? 3. What is the effect of language proficiency on academic performance? 4. What are the other factors which can be influential on academic achievement?

1.5 The significance of the study

The results of this study will enable the students as well as teachers in International English language testing classes to see whether the improvement of English language ability will assist the students to perform well in their subsequent academic courses or English Language proficiency. The results from students’ perception of the impact of IELTS in their academic success will also help the students and teachers to improve their English language ability before sitting for postgraduate courses. The planners of curriculum and all educational stakeholders would be critical to the fundamental statue of English language in the process of general knowledge acquisition in formal education. It is hoped that the findings of this study would enable IELTS preparation lecturers such as the researcher, to facilitate students to better meet the challenges of the Gatekeeper especially in relation to the students’ future academic success.

1.6 Definition of terms 1.6.1 Language proficiency

Bachman (1990) describes language proficiency as “the language ability or ability in language use”. Oller (1983) asserts that” language proficiency is not a single ability, but that it includes of several separated but connected builds in addition to a general construct of language proficiency”. Farhady, et al. (1983) expresses that the term” 'proficiency' refers to the examinees’ ability in a specific 11

field of competency in order to examine the extent to which they are able to operate in a real language use situation”. According to Stern (1983),” proficiency can be viewed as a purpose and therefore be explained in terms of objectives or standards”. These can then provide as criteria to assess proficiency as practical fact, that is, the authentic performance of individual learners or groups of learners. Language proficiency or language competence is an evaluation of how efficiently and successfully an individual has obtained a language. Proficiency is measured in terms of receptive and expressive language skills, syntax, vocabulary, semantics, and other areas that illustrate language abilities. There are four areas to language proficiency: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Language proficiency is measured for an educator by each language, such that the student may be proficient in English and not expert in another language. Proficiency refers to the state of being competent or well advanced in one’s subject. i.e. skilled. It is a scale for rating English language proficiency. TOEFL and IELTS are two famous standardized language proficiency tests with high reliability. In this study IELTS (International English Language Testing System) which is a standardized English language proficiency test is used as a means of evaluating the international students’ level of English proficiency. IELTS test is used as an indicator of English proficiency for overseas (international) students. IELTS evaluates the proficiency in English as a second language (ESL) in terms of the four skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing (Taylor, 2001).There would be a band score of 1(no knowledge) to 9 (expert user) for each skill and also an overall score. Therefore, IELTS scores show the English language ability or proficiency of each student in the four skills. In this research the language proficiency of the foreign students was the predictive validity of IELTS scores which measured the students’ English language ability. Expected 12

students must have obtained an overall band score of 6.0 on IELTS, in order to be admitted into UPM.

1.6.2 Academic performance

Performance is observed to be the direct outcome of learning. Driscoll (2005:1) describes learning as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;persisting change in performance or performance potential that results from experience and interaction with the worldâ&#x20AC;?. Therefore, for learning to be considered to have taken place, there must have been demonstration through performance on related tasks. In educational institutions, success is assessed by academic performance, or how well a student carries out standards established by domestic government and the institution itself. Academic performance relates to how students attend to their studies and how they manage to fulfil different tasks given to them by their teachers. Academic achievement is the ability to study and remember facts and being able to convey your knowledge verbally or down on paper. Academic achievement is the result of education, the extent to which an educator, teacher or institution has attained their educational goals. In this study the academic performance of international students under investigation is measured by their first semester results and their CGPA as a criterion which most often used for judging academic success and was determined as the best predictor of studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; subsequent academic performance.

1.6.3 IELTS Band Score

On the basis of their test performance, IELTS candidates receive a test report which includes a band score of between 0 and 9 for each subtest (Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing) and the average of these results which is an overall score. The minimum score required by different tertiary institutions varies with most universities requiring a minimum of 6, 6.5 or 7 for postgraduate study. Overall score of 6 is the minimum requirement of most academic institutions. (See Appendix A) High-Proficiency: In this study, high-proficiency students are those students who have attained an overall band score of 6 and above in their IELTS test.(see appendix A). A band score of 6 is the minimum band score requirement of most academic institutions. (see appendix A).

1.7 Summary

This chapter has provided an overview of the study. Topics that provide basic information to the study have been discussed in this chapter. It has started with background to the study followed by problem statement, scope and purpose of the study. Then it has described the specific objectives and significance of the study. Finally, the definition of terms used in this study discussed as the last part of this chapter.

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction

This chapter presents a review of literature in relation to the topic of the study. The chapter also discusses relevant studies on the validity of English language proficiency tests, predictive validity of IELTS studies, English language proficiency, the relationship between language proficiency and academic performance and other topics related to it, other intervening factors which affect academic success, and the previous studies have been done in this field. The topic discussed will lay the foundation for the evaluation method used in this study while creating a baseline for the analysis and discussion of the findings described in subsequent chapters. This review was compiled from a plethora of sources including dissertations, books, and journal articles that focus on the IELTS examination and its relationship as a language proficiency with the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; subsequent academic performance. Literature in relation to validity, predictive validity and language proficiency were culled from UPM library website and Google via the key word search function. The International English Language Testing System Research Reports published by IDP Australia, proved particularly useful in providing a rare collection of academic research on the IELTS. The ensuing review of studies begins with a general definition of validity and the validity of LEITS test as a measurement of the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; English language ability. 15

Then the review proceeds to describe the predictive validity of IELTS as an important factor to predict the students’ future academic success. This is followed by a more specific focus on the relationship between language proficiency and subsequent academic performance and the related studies which have been done the similar research.

2.1 Theoretical framework

The theoretical framework of this study is based on Cummins’ framework (1984) which connects language proficiency to academic achievement among bilingual students. Necessarily, the framework makes an attempt to incorporate the previous contrast between basic interpersonal communicative skills (BICS) and cognitive/academic language proficiency (CALP) (Cummin, 1980s) into a more general theoretical model. The framework presented in Figure 1 suggests that “language proficiency” can be conceptualized along two continuums: First is a continuum relating to the range of contextual support available for revealing or acquiring meaning. The extremes of the continuum are defined in terms of “context-embedded” versus “context-reduced” communication. They are differentiated in such a way that in context-embedded communication the subjects can dynamically discuss meaning and language is supported by an extensive range of meaningful paralinguistic and situational signals. On the other hand, context-reduced communication depends on linguistic signals to meaning and may include the knowledge of the ‘real’ world in order to interpret the rational of the communication properly. 16

COGNITIVELY UNDEMANDING

CONTEXT

EMBEDDED

REDUCED

COGNITIVELY DEMANDING

Figure1. Range of Contextual Support and Degree of Cognitive Involvement in Communication Activities

On the whole, context-embedded communication traces from interpersonal entailment in a common reality which takes away the need for explicit linguistic explication of the message. On the other hand, Context-reduced communication arises from the fact that this common reality cannot be supposed, and thus linguistic messages must be explicate exactly and explicitly so that the risk of misinterpretation is decreased. Context-embedded communication is more usual outside of the classroom, however many of the linguistic demands of the classroom reflect communication which is near to the context-reduced end of the continuum. 17

The vertical continuum in terms of the degree of active cognitive entailment can be conceptualized in terms of the quantity of information that must be operationalized at the same time or in near succession by the individual in order to administer the activity. Thus, the upper parts of the vertical continuum which is cognitively-undemanding include communicative talks and activities in which the linguistic elements have become automatized to a large extent and therefore need a slight active cognitive involvement for proper and precise performance. At the lower end of the continuum that is cognitively-demanding are tasks and activities in which the communicative elements have not become mastered and thus need active cognitive involvement. The conceptualization of language proficiency signifies that, the more contextreduced and cognitively-demanding a specific language test, the more language proficiency will be connected to academic performance. Since classroom settings are mostly context-reduced and cognitively-demanding, this would reveal that international studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; academic performance is susceptible to their level of English proficiency.

2.2 Language Proficiency

Bachman (1990) describes language proficiency as “the language ability or ability in language use”. Oller (1983) asserts that “language proficiency is not a single unitary ability, but that it consists of several distinct but related constructs in addition to a general construct of language proficiency”. Farhady, et al. (1983) expresses that “proficiency refers to the examinee’s ability in a particular area of competency in order to determine the extent to which they can function in a real language use situation”. The urge for proficiency- its definition and measurement – originally came from US government agencies, first and foremost among them the training arm of the US Department of State and Foreign Service Institute (FSI). The original intend in proposing proficiency levels was to provide a means to identify, assess, and label foreign language skills with the goal of matching job requirements and employee capability. For The proficiency movement formally began within academia at a meeting with James Firth (then Dean at the Foreign Service Institute), James Alatis (Georgetown University), the American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages (ACTFL) in 1980 and heads of the American Associations of Teachers of various foreign languages. Over time, the Proficiency Movement and the subsequent development of communicative approaches to teaching have focused on improving students’ ability to use the foreign language rather than to know information about the foreign language. In most institutions that have moved from structural teaching approaches to communicative teaching approaches, student achievement has significantly 19

improved (Corin [1997]; Klee and Tedick [1997]; Leaver [1997]; Stryker [ 1997 ]), as measured by performance on an Oral Proficiency Interview ( OPI ) or similar instrument. Cummin

(1981)

associated

“language

proficiency”

with

“communicative

proficiency” to emphasise the importance of the broader social context in which language proficiency develops. Also, Cummin (1984) related language proficiency to academic performance among bilingual students (Cummins 1984). Language proficiency, according to this framework, may be presumed to modify alongside two continuums:

context-embedded

versus

context-reduced

and

cognitively-

undemanding versus cognitively-demanding. This way of viewing language proficiency indicates that, the higher context-reduced and cognitively-demanding a specific test, the better language proficiency will be linked to academic performance. This would signify that since classroom settings are mostly context-reduced and cognitively-demanding, international students' academic performance is susceptible and related to their level of English proficiency. The unavailability of an overall approved theory might account for the unstable research findings in relation to foreign language proficiency to academic achievement (Graham 1987). Graham (1987) and Jochems (1991) discussed the complaints about the methodology and constraints of the research. Graham (1987) indicated the issues related to research that tries to explain the relationship between language proficiency and academic performance, entailing the feature of the measures utilised to describe L2 proficiency; the interpretation of academic success, especially when the recorded Grade Point Average may be based on numbers which are not equal and/or identical courses; and the probable effect of

other factors in determining academic achievement. In the context of two professional programs, Bayliss and Raymond (2004) determined the connection between academic achievement and second language proficiency. They administered two studies. First, they determined the relationship between English as Second Language scores on an advanced ESL test and the grade point average (GPA) obtained throughout two semesters. Second, they examined the relationship between French as a second language scores on an advanced SL test and both and number of courses failed the first semester GPA.

2.3 Predictive validity

Predictive validity by definition refers to the productivity of a set of test or research results as a predictor of the consequence of prospect test. In her research, Kattan (1990) clearly states that concurrent and predictive validity belongs to the external or criterion-referenced part. The focus of this paper is on the predictive validity as an external or criterion-referenced part. The most typical use for predictive validity is necessary in the procedure of accepting students for universities. The criterion of the most universities to accept the students is based on measuring the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; language proficiency via a test to find the most intelligent and most committed educators. In this sense, the fundamental assumption is that a student with a high grade in the language proficiency test will achieve high grades at university. TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and IELTS (International English Language Testing System) are worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most common and famous high stakes English proficiency tests with high reliability. 21

In order to achieve this, the researcher tries to make a correlation between the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; language proficiency test result (IELTS or TOEFL) and their academic result (Grade Point Average). A high correlation illustrates that the chosen process worked perfectly while a low correlation shows that there is a problem with the approach. In this study IELTS was used as a language proficiency measurement. So, the correlation was calculated between IELTS overall score and academic result (CGPA).

2.4 Validity issues about IELTS

As far as language proficiency is considered there should be a valid test to measure the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; language ability. In this study IELTS considered as a measurement of language proficiency and its prediction for academic achievement. There is a question of whether IELTS outcomes can be utilized as a predictive grade for the academic achievement of a student has been studied by different academics in the past (Bayliss and Ingram, 2006). A test is valid if the test measures precisely what it is expected to assess and a test is a sufficient index of a given ability. Validity is explicate by Henning (1987: p.89) as follows: Validity in general refers to the appropriateness of a given test or any of its component parts as a measure of what it is purported to measure. A test is said to be valid to the extent that it measures what it is supposed to measure. It follows that the term valid when used to describe a test should usually be accompanied by the preposition for. Any test then may be valid for some purposes but not for others.

Uysal’s argumentation of the validity of the IELTS as a language ability measurement brings a new idea on the more widespread context of international high-stakes English language testing and the design of the test and its statues around the globe. The analysis defines the social, political, and economic forces which emphasise her discussion. Uysal questions many factors that influence the validity of the IELTS test. She suggests that the types of the task of the test do not correspond to the objective domain tasks and reminds that ‘coherence and cohesion’ have replaced ‘communicative quality’ within assessment criteria. These are the ‘good questions’ to which McNamara (2000) proposes that all tests are “vulnerable”. However, Uysal considers the IELTS test as fixed kinds of test, where complexities as well as defects are in-built and will remain refused and undecided by the designers of the test. In fact, the design of the test is a process in which testing organizations, involving IELTS, continually pursue to amend and improve a test’s ‘fitness for purpose’. In fact, Falvey and Shaw (2006: 8) note in IELTS’ own research with regards to the design of the test and correction: The project can never be described as a one-shot effort. The revision of a high-stakes examination should never be approached by means of a monolithic exercise without the opportunity to go back, to seek further insights and to be willing to adapt during the process by revising, amending or rejecting previous decisions in the light of further data analysis.

A key factor of Uysal’s explanation is the improvement of international English test as IELTS. She asserts and evaluates the ‘English as an International language (EIL) varieties’ (Jenkins 2006) and determines the complexities the speakers of these Englishes encounter in terms of prescriptive language standards and language testing.

In a discussion of ‘guiding principles’ to identify the content and linguistic features to be examined by IELTS, Taylor (2002) suggests the idea of the ‘dominant host language’ and notes: In the case of IELTS, which is an international test of English used to evaluates the level of language required for study or training in English speaking environments . . . test material is written by a trained group of writers in the UK, Australia and New Zealand . . . [reflecting] the fact that different varieties of English are spoken in the contexts around the world in which IELTS candidates are likely to find themselves. (p. 19–20)

Uysal affirms that the IELTS’s goal to evaluate international English is accordingly debatable, as IELTS has placed itself slightly different regarding English language and English-medium education. One of the important roles of IELTS is as an English language gatekeeper for those individuals who plan to work or study in a community where English is the language of everyday communication (IELTS Homepage). The test role is to help a range of stakeholders, such as potential students, university lecturers, etc. IELTS advocates declare that this English language test motivates, manifests and praises international variety and is just to those people who take the test, without regard to the background, nationality, lifestyle or gender. The phrase - International English Language - in the IELTS‘s name is important as it lays stresses on the scope of both the diverseness of English language to be measured and the population of prospective test takers. Chalhoub-Deville and Wigglesworth (2005) support this notion that in making the discussion for the designers of the international nature of IELTS refers to the international association of the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations and the British Council, on the one hand, and the IDP of Australia, on the other, as a significant scale of the test. One IELTS publication states: the fact that

test constituent elements are created in both the UK and Australia certifies that the content of each test is the image of an international measurement (IELTS, July 1996, p, 16). Chalhoub-Deville and Turner (2000) revise IELTS research documents and manuals and assert that: such collaboration and approach to test development is likely to avoid country- specific lexical or cultural knowledge that might disadvantage test takers who do not have specific knowledge. Nevertheless, this does not automatically render the test international. Research documenting claims that IELTS can be used as a measure of English as an international language needs to be made available. (p. 533.)

Ingram and Wylie (1993) argue that origin of the IELTS is more in the traditional skills and constituent models (e.g., Canale and Swain, 1980; Bachman, 1990; Bachman and Palmer, 1996). The IELTS collaborators maintain to be dedicated to the continual improvement of the test. The IELTS speaking, reading, listening and writing were reviewed in April 1995. An amending project for the Speaking Test was begun in 1998 and the corrected IELTS Speaking Test was presented in July 2001 (Taylor, 2001). IELTS presents a valid test with noticeable international reach and influence taken in 120 countries and with approaching 500,000 test takers each year,

2.5 Predictive validity studies of IELTS

Validation of the test should be accomplished on a continual basis. It comprises several researches to maintain the test up-to-date, intact and fruitful so that

the resolutions made about test respondents based on the conclusions from their test scores can be fully rationalized. Although there were a few published studies on predictive validity of IELTS, there exist some master theses which are not published yet. Among these studies are the ones conducted by Bellingham (1993), Gibson & Rusek (1992), Bellingham 1993 and a study by Broadstock (1995). In addition, Elder and Ficco in 1992, and Cotton and Conrow in 1998 prepared some reports on IELTS validation. McNamara (1996) discussed the fact that after releasing a test, the predictive validation will be done, and because of this, there would be no pressure on the constructors of the test. Furthermore, by changing the test's validity perspective, the process of validation for the constructors of a test and also for the test users, is not something to consider and these issues support the reason of conducting the present study. Researches that focused on IELTS predictive validations have been conducted in both quantitative approach and qualitative approach. The most common strategy in the quantitative approach is to investigate the correlation of the student's IELTS score and their academic results which comes subsequently. Some of those studies carried out by Bellingham 1993, Elder 1993 and Broadstock 1995 ,found a significant correlation, on the other hand ,some others, like a study by Fiocco (1992) reported a significant correlation between these two afore mentioned variables ; IELTS grades and future academic results. However, based on Fiocco (1992), Gibson and Rusek (1992) ,and Elder (1993) studies, in the qualitative approach, information is often gained from the students or the IELTS test takers to examine the possible relationship that exist between English language ability and subsequent academic performance in the universities that English is their medium of instruction. One of the most common criterions that is used is the perception of students, related 26

to the difficulties they may face to cope with the language require of their courses (Elder 1993; Fiocco 1992). More recently, the predictive validity of IELTS was investigated by Catherine Elder (1992) in a study conducted by the NLLIA Language Testing Research Centre at the University of Melbourne. Data on initial IELTS scores and subsequent academic progress at the end of first semester was obtained from a small sample of overseas students undertaking diploma of education courses at a number of institutions in Melbourne. Whilst the sample was small (n=32), the research findings indicated that there was a significant correlation between overall IELTS scores and course progress ratings of .35 (p=<.05) of first semester. On the other hand, a small scale investigation was administered by Gibson and Rusek (1992) in South Australia entitled, “The validity of an overall band score of 6.0 on the IELTS test as a predictor of adequate English language level appropriate for successful academic study.” A sample was collected of NESB students (n=63) who sat IELTS before entering one of the South Australian universities. These subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire on the same day they sat the IELTS test. 35 of these same students were subsequently interviewed at the end of first semester, 1991. In investigating the relationship between IELTS scores and academic outcomes at the end of first semester, the criterion for academic success was very broadly defined. From this evidence, the researchers carefully suggested that IELTS scores did not predict subsequent academic success. The available literature is mostly on the language tests' predictive validity. Generally, it seems that there is a common conclusion. The conclusion is that “English

proficiency is one of the factors that have effect on academic successâ&#x20AC;? (Graham, 1987). In addition ,other studies concluded that the relationship between English proficiency, which a standard test measures it , might vary when students are being grouped according to the academic disciplines .Students who gain higher scores on such a test will have more chances for academic success in the future. Various predictive validity studies have been conducted in relation to IELTS, and they indicate some correlation in the case of individual modules. Most of these studies could not discover a strong positive correlation between IELTS scores and subsequent academic performance. Studies on predictive validity did not come to the same result regarding the correlation findings of the IELTS entry level and Grade Point Average (GPA). Many studies have realized different positive relationship level between university performance and English language proficiency .Among these studies are studies carried out by Feast 2002, Kerstjens & Nery 2000 and Bellingham 1993. Others concluded a very little or not a significant positive overall correlation between the two variable under investigation (Dooey 1999). Cotton & Conrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (1998) study on 33 Tasmania University international students found out that , there is no need to have higher (7.0+) IELTS mark to guarantee the academic performance, a lower entry score (5.5) also is not an assured predictor of failure. In contrast, Elder (1993), who extended her predictive validity study of test scores and academic performance to an investigation of their relationship with course language requirements, cautiously suggested that subtest scores may predict subsequent complexities related to language in coursework reading, writing, listening

and speaking tasks. Finally, some scholars have demonstrated that language assistance presented to the students may be an important intervening factor in academic success (Fiocco 1992 in Cotton & Conrow 1998, p78; Kerstjens & Nery 2000). Similarly, Dooeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s studies at Curtin University found no proof to indicate that students who could not fulfil an entry criterion of IELTS 6.0 were more likely to fail (Dooey, 1999, p177).

A number of previous studies on predictive potentiality of IELTS recorded different outcomes due to many factors. The most important factor is the academic success criterion. Based on Gibson & Rusek (1992) definition, it is an improvement in semester 2. Fiocco (1992) utilised semester weighted academic results. What Elder (1993) used was the ratings of the development of the academic course for both the first and the second semester. Bellingham (1993) employed the academic average of first semester. First Semester Grade Point Average was used by Broadstock (1995) and Cotton & Conrow (1998) applied three measures, the first one is the academic staff ratings, the second is Grade Point Average, and the last is the self-rating of students based on their own performance. The next factor that makes the findings of IELTS predictive studies rather unclear is their participants as the population sample. Almost all the studies that have been done previously employed very heterogeneous samples. These samples were not homogeneous in terms of their age, gender and ethnicity. Samples in Fioccoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s study include NESB permanent residents and students from overseas and from several countries. The Gibson & Rusek (1992), Cotton & Conrow (1998) and Broadstock (1995) samples contained students from overseas and from several countries with

different gender and age.

The third factor is the academic disciplines with a wide range and level of study that the subjects would pursue in the samples. Normal practices and handbooks for IELTS (UCLES 1995, 1997) in different universities of Australia would discriminate two types of academic course based on the course language requirement. Language demanding courses are Library Studies, Medicine, Linguistics, Law, and Journalism courses with high demand of language are Telecommunication, Agriculture, Technology, Pure Mathematics and Computer-based work (UCLES 1995:27) and for these two types of courses, each university, for its undergraduate or postgraduate courses, requires different level of IELTS .For example, University Putra Malaysia requires IELTS 6.0 for international Postgraduate students in all faculties. Melbourne University requires IELTS 6.5 for Undergraduate courses at all Faculties. For Postgraduate level, Architecture, Building & Planning, Arts, and Education require IELTS 7.0 whereas Engineering, Music, Science require only 6.5 or 6.0. Monash University requires 6.0 for Undergraduate level and 6.5 for Postgraduate level. Evidently, there is a hypothesis that various majors and different academic levels require different language demands for the overseas students. Thus, it is reasonable to determine the relationship between IELTS and academic results within a peculiar type of course in terms of the assumed language demand of the academic course and within a precise study level (postgraduate vs. undergraduate) which the previous studies on IELTS predictive validity seem to lack in some way. The study of Elder (1993) and that of Bellingham (1993) are two expectations. These two studies utilized students fulfilling a specific course, (Diploma in Education in Elderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s study and National Certificate of Business Studies 30

in Bellingham’s study) which explicated the high correlations found which was quite reasonable: 0.35 in Elder’s study and 0.523 in Bellingham’s study. In this study the researcher focuses on international postgraduate students of faculty of Modern languages and Communication and the subjects are those who got at least 6.0 in IELTS test. So, the subjects would be more homogenous in order to reach to a better result. Alongside the above studies, which have described the relationship of students’ IELTS entry scores and their academic achievement and problem, this study includes the students’ perception of IELTS as their language proficiency measurement to confirm the relationship between language proficiency and academic performance that is the students’ performance in the IELTS test predicts their success in academic courses. In this discussion, language proficiency will relate to the students’ general language ability. Academic performance refers to how the students’ cope with their academic courses within discipline specific contexts.

2.6 The relationship between language proficiency and academic achievement and the previous related researches

As described previously, the aim of this study is to confirm the relationship between language proficiency and academic performance of international postgraduate students. A review of the literature suggests that over the past two decades, there have been very few studies in this area in an Australian university context. Elder (1993)

examined the relationship between English proficiency as measured by IELTS tests and course progress ratings (i.e. performance) on postgraduate diploma of education courses by 32 international students at six different educational institutions in Melbourne over two semesters. Based on a correlational analysis, Elder found a positive correlation of 0.35 (p < 0.05; R2 = 0.12) between IELTS and academic performance in the first semester. Elder argued that this degree of the relationship could be as high as a study could expect due to the inevitably reduced sample (the analysis excludes people with lower IELTS scores who did not gain entry into the program). Hill, Storch, and Lynch (1999) employed a survey research method with international undergraduate students at the University of Melbourne. Through a correlational analysis of IELTS scores and Grade Point Average (GPA) amongst 35 international educators, a moderately strong correlation (r = 0.54, p < 0.05; R2 = 0.29) was found. In their other research questions, Hill et al. (1999) found that there were a number of non-linguistic factors including inadequate background knowledge, poor study skills and ESL support that might have affected their academic performance. Kerstjens and Nery (2000), through survey research, investigated the relationship of IELTS performance and academic performance (GPA) among 113 first-year international students (TAFE and higher education levels) enrolled in the Faculty of Business at RMIT University in Melbourne. Through correlational analysis, Kerstjens and Nery found no relationship between IELTS performance and GPA. Through a survey method, Huong (2001) explored the relationship of IELTS performance and GPA among 202 Vietnamese university students from 29 Australian universities. In this study, Huang standardized the GPA for the data 32

analysis because different universities employed various grading system. Huong found a positive correlation of 0.34 (p < 0.05; R2 = 0.12) in first semester. Feast (2002) examined this relationship among 101 international students at the University of Southern Australia. Through the use of regression analysis, Feast found a positive relationship between IELTS and academic performance (regression coefficient of 0.39, p < 0.05; R2 =0.15). At the University of Sydney, Woodrow (2006) examined the relationship of IELTS performance to academic performance among 62 international, postgraduate students through the use of survey questionnaires. She found a positive correlation between IELTS scores and academic success (r = 0.40; p < 0.01; R2 = 0.16). Woodrow (2006) found a correlation of 0.52 (R2 = 0.27) between IELTS scores of 6 and 6.5 and academic achievement, but did not find a statistically significant correlation between IELTS scores of 7 or above and academic performance. This finding, as Woodrow argued, implied that at the lower end of the entry requirement, language proficiency is critical to academic performance. In some previous studies the researchers have used either quantitative or qualitative method or mixed-method to find the relationship between language proficiency and academic performance. In the quantitative approach, the typical method used was to correlate the students’ IELTS overall scores as the measure of language proficiency with their subsequent academic results (Grade Point Average) and to examine the relationship between students’ language proficiency and the students’ academic performance (Bellingham 1993; Cotton & Conrow, 1998). Sugimoto (1966) found out that GPA was the best predictor of students’ subsequent academic performance.

In qualitative approach information was usually taken directly from the students or IELTS test takers to obtain some perception of IELTS and its relationship with future academic success. (Gibson & Rusek 1992: Huong, 2001) Apart from looking at the predictive validity of IELTS tests, these previous studies employed other qualitative methods such as interviewing international students with regards to their learning difficulty. A range of individual and contextual factors that might interact with language proficiency, including subject knowledge, study skills, motivation, welfare, homesickness ,

levels of study engagement, and ESL and

academic supports, have been identified. The table in (Appendix B) summarises these studies in terms of the setting, participants, research questions, data analysis and findings.

2.7 Summary

Despite different studies have been done previously, there exist clear gaps in the reviewed studies. Firstly, in the previous studies the researchers did not conduct any research on the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; attitude and perception toward IELTS and its relationship with their subsequent academic success while in this study the researcher has focused on this important matter as well. Secondly, most of the researches focal point was the GPA of first or second semester and IELTS scores, and administered few researches on other intervening factors which would be influential on the international studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; future academic performance rather than IELTS as the language proficiency. Thirdly, in spite of all the research works, the majority of the studies and projects about IELTS were carried out in the Southern hemisphere with 34

international students studying in Australia and New Zealand (e.g. Bellingham, 1993; Huong, 2001; Lai, 2008). A few researches were conducted in Malaysia.

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY

3.0 Introduction

This chapter first describes the theoretical framework of the study. It then proceeds to the details of the research design and then followed by a description of the participants of the study. Then it describes the data collection methods the researcher used in order to collect the data. It is followed by the process of data collection. The last part of the chapter focuses on the data analysis procedures.

3.1 Research design

The overall strategy for answering the research questions determined the design of this study. This study used a mixed- method approach. The quantitative method used as a survey research, specifically questionnaire as a kind of descriptive correlational research. This questionnaire administered to the selected sample. In this study, questionnaire used to answer the first three research questions, i.e.; the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; perception of IELTS, the relationship between IELTS and academic performance and the effect of IELTS on academic performance. Thus, the first semester Grade Point Average was the measure of academic performance, and the IELTS overall score was used as the measure of language proficiency. The software SPSS was used to calculate the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; perception of IELTS. Correlation

between IELTS overall scores and first semester GPA was calculated to determine the relationship between English language proficiency and subsequent academic performance. Also, by using regression analysis the effect of language proficiency on academic achievement was examined. Moreover, a small part of the questionnaire allocated to the students’ opinion about other factors affecting their academic studies.

The qualitative data from structured interview with the international postgraduate students gave the researcher a meticulous understanding of the existence of other intervening factors which contribute to postgraduate students’ future academic success. There might be other factors rather than IELTS which impacted the students’ subsequent academic performance. Thus, through structured interview the researcher tried to examine the types of these factors and their effect on the students’ future academic achievement.

3.2 Participants of the study

The participants of this study consisted of 30 international postgraduate students. They were students who registered at the faculty of Modern Languages and Communication. All of them have obtained IELTS band 6.0. Participants were registered in different semesters of their studies programme. The type of this study sampling is a nonprobability sampling which includes procedures such as purposive sampling. Purposive sampling includes the selection of a sample which the researcher believed to be the representative of a given 37

population. In this study the researcher identified the foreign students who had sat for IELTS before entering UPM and obtained as overall band 6. All these students should have completed the first semester of the programme. In this study our sample size was one third of our questionnaire samples which was approximately 3 out of those 30 international students.

3.3 Data collection methods

Several methods have been used to collect data: 1) Questionnaire to collect data for the students’ perception of IELTS, relationship between language proficiency and academic performance and effect of language proficiency on academic achievement. 2) A structured interview to obtain more data about the existence of other intervening factors which students may face during their academic process.

The questionnaire based on Davies (1988), Elder (1993), Fiocco (1992) and Ferguson and White (1992) was adapted for this study. This questionnaire was divided to four sections: demographic data, academic qualification, students’ perception of IELTS as an effective factor in their academic performance and also students’ viewpoint of other intervening factors. The five point Likert -Scale 1) Strongly disagree 2) Disagree 3) Unsure 4) Agree 5) Strongly agree was included for the responses of the various items of the questionnaire.

The questions of section C were sought about students’ perception of: 

The students’ opinion about the predictive validity of IELTS



the extent to which their academic performance has improved alongside their language proficiency improvement



the existence or inexistence of the relationship between ELP and academic performance



the degree of difficulty experienced with their studies in relation to their IELTS scores



the fairness of IELTS



their view point toward IELTS test as an effective factor for academic success



the self-assessment in IELTS test



the amount of practice undertaken prior to IELTS test and its effect on academic success



the self-assessment in academic courses regardless of IELTS scores

Some of the interview questions are similar to the questions of the questionnaire and some were around any factors which affect their academic success such as; welfare difficulties, depression, culture adjustment, difficulty to understand the lecturers’ accents and many other facets which may impair their ability to do well in their studies. In addition, students were asked to supply more detailed information about any difficulties experienced with the language demands of their course of study. Also, they needed to provide any other factors which help them to be more successful in their academic studies rather than being proficient in IELTS or impair their ability to do well. During asking questions, the researcher used an audio

recorder to record their answers in order to revise and recheck the answers and therefore doing the analysis.

3.4 Data collection procedures

In this research in order to find the relationship between students’ IELTS scores and their academic success, their perception of IELTS and the impact of language proficiency on the students’ academic achievement, the researcher needed to have at least 30 international students who were willing to take part in this study. Thus, firstly, the researcher tried to have the students’ consent by asking them and/or by sending them an email. For reaching a good research result researcher asked the participants to write their academic results, CGPA and IELTS scores truly and honestly in their specified places in the questionnaire because it will definitely affect the research result. The researcher tried to convince them that this information will remain confidential as some students did not desire to reveal their scores. Secondly, the researcher distributed the questionnaire to each of the students whom she could meet in the faculty or in the classrooms and tried to collect them right at a time and also by sending the questionnaires to them via email and receiving the answers either through email or by hand. Thirdly, for investigating the effect of other factors in the students’ academic success, the researcher made an attempt to interview almost 3 out of those 30 international students who had already taken part in the first phase of this study. The researcher asked them any day and time they were free during their academic

semester to interview them one by one. The researcher took down their responses to the questions.

3.5 Data analysis

The main objective of this study was to determine the relationship between IELTS and academic performance. In the Faculty of Modern Languages and Communication, the minimum overall IELTS score for entry requirement must be 6. Thus, those students with at least IELTS overall 6 were under investigation. For the first research question which was examining the students’ perception of IELTS, the data of the questionnaire was analysed via Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) in order to reveal the students’ viewpoints of IELTS. With regards to the second research question, correlational analysis was employed to examine the relationship between independent and dependant variables. Pearson correlation was utilized to determine the relationship between IELTS score and students’ academic final results. The researcher calculated the correlation coefficient between IELTS overall scores and the students’ first-semester Grade Point Average, through correlation coefficient formula based on Pearson’s Product Moment correlation coefficient. The correlation coefficient takes on values ranging between +1 to -1. -1 and +1 which implies a perfect negative/positive relationship between the variables, while 0 implies no relationship. A positive correlation coefficient indicated that as the specific independent variable increases, the dependant variable also

grows. A negative correlation reveals that if the specific independent variable increases the dependant variable will decrease. To answer the third research question regression analysis was calculated to show the extent of the impact of IELTS on academic performance. And finally, the last question touched on the factors that affected the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; academic performance as measured earlier in this chapter through structured interviews. The data here were collected and later transcribed. The transcribed data were then analysed for the respondentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; expectations on the factors that affected their academic performance.

3.6 Summary

This chapter has provided an overview of the methodology of the study. Topics that provide information to the study have been discussed in this chapter. It has started with the theoretical framework of the study followed by the research design. Then it has defined the participants who had taken part in this study. The data collection methods and procedures have been discussed respectively. Finally, the data analysis has been reviewed as the last part.

CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

4.0 Introduction

This chapter reports the quantitative and qualitative results of the study. It begins with a discussion of the results of the survey together with the description of the open ended questions in section C and D. Finally, it discusses the results of the structured interview.

4.1 Results of the Questionnaire

The following sections discuss the result of the questionnaire.

4.1.1 Section A (Demographic data)

Table 1 shows the frequency and percentage for gender in this sample. Out of entire 30 valid responses from the final sample, 30% (n = 9) were male and 70% (n = 21) were female, indicating that there were more female respondents than male respondents.

Table 1: Frequency and Percentage of Gender Gender Frequency Male 9 Female 21 Total 30 43

Percentage 30.0 70.0 100.0

Table 2 tabulates the distribution of respondents according to their age. The majority, 53.3% of the respondents aged less than 30 years old. This is followed by 36.7% of the respondents were between 31 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 35 years old. 6.7% of the respondents aged 36 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 40 years old and only 3.3% or only one respondent aged over 40 years old.

Table 2: Frequency and Percentage of Age Age Less than 30 31-35 36-40 Over 40 Total

Frequency 16 11 2 1 30

Percentage 53.3 36.7 6.7 3.3 100.0

Table 3 describes that according to nationality, the majority of the subjects were Iranian, which is 76.6% (n = 23). Six respondents or 20% were Arab, 3.3% (n = 1) was from other nationalities. This indicates that the Iranian respondents represented the majority of the sample size.

Table 3: Frequency and Percentage of Nationality Nationality Frequency Iranian 23 Arab 6 Others 1 Total 30

Percentage 76.7 20.0 3.3 100.0

Table 4 reveals the distribution of respondents in terms of their native language or mother tongue. The majority of the respondentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; native language was Farsi, which is 76.7% (n = 23). Meanwhile, 20% (n = 6) spoke Arabic as their native language, and only one respondentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother tongue was Indonesian (3.3%). This illustrates that the respondents who speak in Farsi as their native language represents the majority of the sample size.

Table 4: Frequency and Percentage of Native Language Native Language Frequency Farsi 23 Arabic 6 Others 1 Total 30

Percentage 76.7 20.0 3.3 100.0

Table 5 tabulates the distribution of respondents according to their ability of speaking other languages. The results show that four respondents (36.4%) out of only 11 respondents could speak French, only one (9.1%) could speak Spanish and six respondents were able to speak other languages.

This indicates that not many

respondents speak other languages than English.

Table 5: Frequency and Percentage of Other Language Language Frequency French 4 Spanish 1 Others 6 Total 11

Percentage 36.4 9.1 54.5 100.0

Table 6 shown the field of study, 90% (n = 27) respondents were majoring in Linguistic and Language, followed by 6.7% (n = 2) of sample size were from others category of field of study. Meanwhile, only 3.3% (n = 1) was from TESL. This result illustrates that the majority of respondents were majoring in Linguistic and Language.

Table 6: Frequency and Percentage of Field of Study Field of Study Frequency Linguistic & Language 27 TESL 1 Others 2 Total 30

Percentage 90.0 3.3 6.7 100.0

4.1.2 Section B (Academic qualification)

Table 7 shows that the students’ Bachelor degree. It shows 36.7% (n = 11) respondents were major in Linguistics & language, likewise; 36.7% (n=11) were major in the field of Literature. Meanwhile 26.7% (n = 8) were majored in other categories. This result indicates that the majority of respondents’ field of study were in Linguistics and language and literature of their Bachelor’s degree.

Table 7: Frequency and Percentage of the emphasis of Bachelor's degree Frequency Percentage Linguistics & language 11 36.7 Literature 11 36.7 Others 8 26.7 Total 30 100.0 46

Table 8 illustrates that 36.7% (n = 11) of the respondents have been studying English language between 6 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 10 years, which represented the majority of the respondents. Nine (30%) respondents reported studying English language between 11- 15 years. Meanwhile, 20% (n = 6) have been learning English language less than five years , and finally only four respondents or 13.3% have been studying English language more than 15 years. This revealed that most of respondents have been studying English language between 6 to 10 years.

Table 8: Frequency and Percentage of Studying English Language Frequency Percentage Years <5 6 20.0 6-10 11 36.7 11-15 9 30.0 > 15 4 13.3 Total 30 100.0

Table 9 shows the distribution of respondents according to their perception of the proficiency in English. More than half of the respondents (53.3% ) perceived that they were good in English. Whilst, 30% (n = 9) admitted that they were excellent in English language. Finally, only 16.7% (n =5) respondents perceived that their proficiency in English language was fair.

Table 9: Frequency and Percentage of Proficiency in English Frequency Percentage Excellent 9 30.0 Good 16 53.3 Fair 5 16.7 Total 30 100.0

4.1.3 Section C (Students’ Perception of IELTS)

Table 10 shows the distribution of students’ perception of IELTS. The results show that 66.7% (n = 20) respondent’s perceived the benefit of IELTS at moderate level. Meanwhile, 33.3% (n = 10) respondent’s perceived the benefit of IELTS to their academic performance at high level. Table 14 reveals the level of perception towards IELTS among postgraduate international students at UPM.

Table 10: Level of Student’s Perception towards IELTS Frequency Percentage Perception towards IELTS Low (1.00 – 2.33) Moderate (2.34 – 3.67) High (3.68 – 5.00) Total

20 10 30

Mean 3.46

SD .431

66.7 33.3 100.0

The results reveal that the overall of the respondents’ scores for this study were in moderate level (M = 3.46, SD = 0.431). The item no 16 with statement, “IELTS is an internationally-recognized qualification” recorded the highest means score that is 4.47 with a standard deviation of .819. This indicates that the students perceived the IELTS as an internationally- recognized qualification.

This study also reports that the item no 11 recorded the lowest mean score that is 2.10 with a standard deviation of 1.062, which brings the statement “In my experience, all students who get the same overall IELTS score have the same academic performance”. This result reveals that the respondents did not agree that all

students who have the same overall IELTS scores also have the same ability in academic performance. The mean score and standard deviation for each item is shown in Table 10. Overall, this result demonstrates that the students’ perception of IELTS was good and positive and that program could improve their language proficiency, thus also may affect their academic performance.

Table 11: Mean and standard deviation of socio-economic views No. Items Mean 1 My overall IELTS score is a good predictor for my 3.83 academic success. 2 IELTS overall score of 7 or 5.5 will not predict my success 3.24 or failure in my future academic performance. 3 My academic performance is improving alongside my 4.38 language proficiency development. 4 The level of my language proficiency will strongly affect 4.30 my future academic performance. 5 Understanding the courses contents is difficult for me 2.33 although I have a good mark in IELTS test. 6 I easily comprehend my lecturers’ explanation as I have a 3.53 high score in the IELTS. 7 The IELTS system prepares us well for academic uses of 3.45 English. 8 My English ability had been adequate for studying in the 3.77 first semester of my courses according to my IELTS overall score. 9 In my opinion, the IELTS entry score required by the 3.83 university is an accurate measure of academic performance necessary to succeed at university. 10 IELTS test is a fair kind of test to evaluate the students’ 3.60 language proficiency. 11 In my experience, all students who get the same overall 2.10 IELTS score have the same academic performance. 12 I need a higher IELTS score to do well in the first semester 2.57 of my courses. 13 It would be impossible to become successful in the 2.97 academic courses by having low scores in IELTS. 14 Getting overall score of 6.5 and over in IELTS test will lead 3.50 the students to be successful in their subsequent academic performance. 49

SD 1.117 1.215 .728 .651 1.295 1.196 .948 1.006

1.020

1.221 1.062 1.104 1.098 1.253

15 16 17 18 19

The IELTS test gives me the best chance to get into university in an English speaking country. An IELTS is an internationally-recognized qualification. My IELTS score was an important factor in determining which faculty/university I could get into. I think the purpose of IELTS test is to help a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chances of getting into a faculty/university of choice. In my idea, the goal of IELTS test is to distinguish those students who could be successful in their subsequent academic performance according to their IELTS overall score. Total

4.14

.915

4.47 3.33

.819 1.348

3.27

1.172

3.60

1.133

3.46

.431

According to the open-ended question 1 of section C, out of 30 students ,almost 54% (n=16) of them have agreed that IELTS could be very beneficial in their future academic performance and stated that by getting low score in IELTS the students will face difficulty in their subsequent academic performance. However, the rest 46% (n=14) have not agreed on this matter and they asserted IELTS could be merely a measurement scale to evaluate the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; English language proficiency to assist them to be accepted by colleges and universities around the world.

As of question number 2 of section C, 30% ( n=9) of the students related IELTS as means of improvement in their academic writing and 30% (n=9) stated that IELTS could be important for their all skills in their academic courses. The rest of the students related IELTS to vocabulary and grammar improvement or it is just a motivation and only a way to enter the academic institutions.

4.1.4 Section D (Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; view point of other intervening factors)

Table 12 shows the distribution of respondents according to their view point towards other intervening factor rather than IELTS which would be influential in their academic success. The majority of the respondents which represent 40% (n = 12), agreed that having a good ability in the academic courses would also influence their academic success. Meanwhile having experience in the related academic courses and not being interested in the field of study are also effective on their academic success which represented 20% (n =6) respondents respectively. Other factors that would be influential in their academic success are personal problems and getting knowledge assistance from outside which is 10% (n = 3) respectively. Finally, adjustment to life in Malaysia was not the factor that could influence the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; academic successes. These findings indicated that having a good ability of students in academic courses was essential in academic success beside the IELTS factor.

Table 12: Frequency and Percentage of studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; view point towards other intervening factor

No 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Statement Having good ability in the academic courses Personal problem Getting knowledge assistance from outside Adjustment live in Malaysia Having experience in the related academic courses Not being interested in the field of study

Frequency 12

Percentage 40.0

3 3

10.0 10.0

0 6

0 20

With regards to the last open-ended question of section D which related to the final research question, 46% (n=14) out of 30 students connected the problems to other factors such as; not having a good ability in academic courses as most of them referred to, also, not being interested to the field of study, having personal problem, social stability and encountering new environment and culture. Approximately 44 % (n=13) of the students asserted that IELTS is just a measurement of students’ English language proficiency and does not relate to their academic improvement. Finally, the rest of the students, 10% (n=3), expressed that other problems could be related to their misunderstanding of the lecturers’ explanation. This is because it is difficult to the foreign students to understand the lecturers’ accents clearly and appropriately which this problem put the students in danger of getting low grade in that course.

4.2 Results and discussion of the relationship between language proficiency and academic achievement

In this study, in order to find the relationship between the independent variable (language proficiency) and dependant variable (academic achievement), the researcher initially provided the students’ IELTS overall score through questionnaire. Table 13 shows the distribution of students according to their performance in IELTS. According to this table, 36.7% of the respondents of this study obtained IELTS overall score 6, 23.3% obtained 6.5 in IELTS, only one student (3.3%) achieved 6.6, eight students (26.7%) achieved 7.00 in IELTS as their overall score. Two students obtained 7.5 and finally, only one student received IELTS score 8. Generally, these

findings reveal that the international students at UPM have passed their IELTS by obtaining quite good score.

Table 13: Frequency and Percentage of IELTS Overall Bands of Participants IELTS bands

Frequency

Percentage

6.00

36.7

6.50

23.3

6.60

3.3

7.00

26.7

7.50

6.7

8.00

3.3

Total

100.0

Then, the researcher presented the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; first semester Grade Point Average (GPA) as the academic performance via questionnaire.

Table 14 portrays the level score of GPA. According to the results, 43.3% (n = 13) students gained GPA between 3.76 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 4.00 point, 36.7% (n = 11) students obtained GPA ranged from 3.51 to 3.75. Meanwhile, 16.7% (n = 5) students achieved GPA between 3.01 to 3.50, and finally only 3.3% (n = 1) student obtained GPA ranged from 2.75-3.00. This indicates that most of respondents did well in their academic courses.

Table 14: Frequency and Percentage of GPA Score

Frequency

Percentage

2.75-3.00

3.3

3.01-3.50

16.7

3.51-3.75

36.7

3.76-4.00

43.3

Total

100.0

Finally, correlation is needed to be calculated to examine the relationship between language proficiency and academic performance which is as follows.

4.2.1 Correlation Analysis

To answer research question number two that is, the relationship between language proficiency and academic achievement, correlation was calculated based on Pearson-Product Movement Correlation. Table 15 shows the correlation analysis results. This study found that the positively significant relationship between IELTS overall score and GPA (r = .457, p < 0.05). It indicates that the students, who got excellent overall score in IELTS , also could perform well in their academic performance.

Table 15: Correlation Analysis Variables Score Score 1 GPA 457* *p; Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level

GPA 1

4.2.2 Regression Analysis

To answer research question number three which is the effect of language proficiency on academic achievement, a predictor multiple linear regression model was proposed to explain the variation of academic achievement as their Grade Point Average (Y).The predictor variable proposed was IELTS overall score (X1). To indicate to what extent the research data match the proposed multiple linear regression model, the enter regression method was used. Enter regression method means that each independent variable was entered in usual fashion. In this study, the independent and dependent variables were entered into the regression analysis. Based on the enter method used, predictor variables (IELTS overall score) was significant for predicting GPA (Y). This suggests that the IELTS overall score was fully supported by the research data. As depicted in the coefficient table (see Table 16), the estimates of the model coefficients for b0 was 2.080 and b1 is .242.

Table 16: Regression Analysis Dependent Independent variable variable GPA (Y) Constant Score 2 R .209 F 7.408 Sig F 0.011

Î˛ 2.080 .242

BETA

.457

t 3.548 2.722

Sig. .001 .011

The R-squared of 0.209 signifies that the IELTS overall score explicated about 20.9% of the variation in the academic performance [GPA(Y)]. This is quite a good and acceptable result. The ANOVA table illustrated that the F-statistics (F = 7.408) 55

was quite large and the corresponding p-value was significant (p = 0.011) or lower than the alpha value of 0.05. This indicates that the slope of the estimated linear regression model line is not equal to zero confirming that the research data fit the proposed linear regression model of the study. This finding suggests that the IELTS was significantly influenced GPA.

As depicted in Table 16, the beta coefficient obtained was .242 for IELTS overall score (X1) and this corresponds with t-statistic of 2.722. This means that this variable made the unique contribution in explaining the dependent variables, which in this study is academic performance. It suggests that once the standard deviation increases in IELTS overall score which is .242 the standard deviation increases in academic performance (GPA). Thus, this study proposed that the IELTS overall score is important in influencing the academic performance (GPA) among international postgraduate students in the University Putra Malaysia.

4.3 Discussion of the Findings

The findings from this study illustrates that there is a significant relationship between English language Proficiency and academic achievements of the subjects studied (r = 0 .457). This proposes that the students with better IELTS score could have better performance in their academic studies. In other words, as language proficiency increases, the academic achievement grows. These findings support the

views of other scholars that there is a correlation between language proficiency and academic achievement of learners (Ajibade 1993; Feast 2002; Graves 2001). In previous studies, Feast (2000) found a positive and significant relationship between English language proficiency and academic achievement at a University measured by Grade Point Average (GPA). This study demonstrated that English language proficiency did have a significant influence on academic performance of foreign postgraduate students at UPM (F = 7.408: P< 0.05). This means that the students with better language proficiency obtained higher academic achievement scores and vice-versa. This finding matched well with the discovery of Stern (1992)â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that the Iranian undergraduate students with low overall language faced difficulty in the process of their academic performance in the semester examinations of the university.

4.4 Results of the Structured Interview

The interview with several postgraduate international students revealed various factors affecting their academic achievements. However, in this study consideration has been given to a few of the more obvious factors namely, English language assistance received, depression, cultural adjustment, homesickness and welfare difficulties experienced by the students. These factors will be discussed individually in the following sections.

4.4.1 English Language Assistance

One of the factors pointed out is English language assistance. To investigate this, the students were interviewed about the type of English language assistance they had received from various sources.

Approximately, 70% of the interviewed students sought help to improve their language ability during their first semester so as to help them manage their academic courses. According to them, most of them tried to improve their academic writing ability through reading many journals and articles. Also, they have tried to improve their speaking skills and listening via listening to academic lectures as well as watching movies.

4.4.2 Difficulty in Comprehending the Lecturers’ speech

Some international students said that they were facing difficulties in understanding their lecturers’ explanation during the process of teaching, as their accent could be strange for them. As a result, it can be another factor which might be an effect on the students’ academic success.

According to the interview results, 67% of the sample interviewed agreed on this problem as they themselves have experienced such a problem. One student stated that as she could not comprehend her lecturers’ explanation, she obtained a lower mark than her other courses’ grade.

4.4.3 Helpful factors influencing the academic performance

Many factors would pave the way for the students to be more successful in their academic studies rather than being proficient only in IELTS such as: motivation, being interested in the related field of study, having background knowledge, having experience and so on. With regards to the students’ perception toward these factors, 70% of them mentioned motivation as the most helpful factor and having background knowledge, having experience in the related field of the study and cultural adjustment are the next effective factors respectively.

4.4.4 Impairing factors influencing the academic performance

During the process of learning, many factors existed which prohibited the students from having a successful academic procedure or even stop them from continuing the process. These factors may impair the students’ academic performance such as; depression, homesickness, welfare problems and so on. The mentioned factors can slow down the process of studying.

With regards to the students’ point of view toward these factors, almost 70% of them emphasized being unmotivated in the field of study the student is studying and also depression as another one as the most impairing factors. Then lack of background knowledge and homesickness are the two next impairing factors affecting the students’ academic performance.

4.5 Summary of qualitative description

Most of the students tried to work on their academic writing and reading skills in order to have a good ability in writing articles and journals as well as to be able to read them correctly and appropriately during their academic journey. According to the majority of them, being unmotivated and depressed were the two most effective factors which could impair their ability to do well in their academic performance followed by lack of background knowledge and homesickness. Besides, they have experienced the difficulty to understand the lecturersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; accents which could result them in getting unexpected grade in the related course.

Finally, according to the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; answers to the helpful factors to perform better in their future academic courses, they ranked having background knowledge as first factor ,while having experience in the related field of study as the second factor and the last one they referred to as cultural adjustment.

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.0 Introduction

This chapter summarizes the findings which have been presented in the previous chapter. It also provides the summary of the study, limitation of the study, implications for English language learning and finally recommendation for further study.

5.1 Summary of the study

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between IELTS overall score and academic performance which in this study was the student’s Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA). This study also focused on the factors which affected the respondents’ academic performance. The total number of respondents participated in this study was 30. It comprised international postgraduate students from the two master’s programme in the Universiti Putra Malaysia. The respondents were conveniently selected. A structured self-administered questionnaire and structured interview were developed and utilized as the instruments for collecting the data. SPSS 19 was employed to analyse the data.

As for quantitative data analysis, the data was analysed by using descriptive statistics, such as mean, standard deviation, and percentages to describe the first level for all the demographic and variables. The Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used in the second level of data analysis to determine the relationship between the IELTS overall score and academic performance as independent variables. Finally, regression analysis was employed to determine the effect of IELTS overall score towards academic performance. For the analysis of the qualitative data, the answers were transcribed and described according to the interviewees’ responses to the factors affecting their academic performance.

5.2 Summary of the findings

The findings of this study indicate that the respondents have quite good English language background as indicated by their IELTS band scores. This study also shows that most of the respondents in this study had a good academic achievement, i.e. they achieved GPA of above average. The findings also reveal that the students’ perception of IELTS was good. Most of the students believed that doing well in the IELTS would facilitate them in being successful in their academic courses. Finally, this study found a significant relationship between English language proficiency (as measured by the IELTS results) and academic performance. This suggests that the IELTS influences the respondents’ subsequent academic performance.

This study found that the overall IELTS score had significant positive relationship with academic performance (GPA). The finding suggests that students who had better IELTS score also did well in their academic performance. According to Graham, (1987), English language proficiency is one of many other factors that influence academic success. The study suggests that the students who scored higher in IELTS test had a greater chance of future academic success.

The findings of this study support the previous research which found significant relationship between IELTS scores and academic performance (Feast 2002; to 2000; Kerstjens & Nery 2000; Bellingham 1993. Other researchers also indicated that English language proficiency is a key intervening variable in academic success (Bayliss & Raymond, 2004; Kerstjens & Nery 2000).

The regression analysis conducted in this study also revealed that the IELTS score was significantly predictive of academic performance. This result also shows that the IELTS is very important in influencing academic performance. The higher the score of IELTS the better the English language proficiency would be. It supports that the students who had a better ability in understanding the contents of courses in English tended to have better opportunity to get higher GPA scores. On the other hand, those students who were less proficient in English had difficulty in understanding their academic texts. It seems that their handicap in English could have affected their academic performance.

In other words, having low language proficiency has been considered as an obstacle in academic success at postgraduate level. Thus, English language proficiency seems

a vital element in determining the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; academic performance especially for international postgraduate students.

The results of the qualitative data demonstrate that other factors rather than IELTS would be influential on their academic success. These findings indicate that having good ability in academic courses as well as having background knowledge of the related field was essential to be successful in academic performance rather than the IELTS. Students who perceived that they were good enough for the courses and had enough background knowledge about the courses were more likely to do well in their academic courses. Likewise, high self-confidence as self-perception represented a kind of factor which could be so effective on the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; academic performance to get better results.

This study also found that having experience in the related academic courses also one of the factors that can influence their academic success. An example of such experience is that of the student who had working experience that is related to academic courses. The experience assisted them in grasping the course contents. In other words, if the students become familiar with the academic courses, it is easier for them to understand the courses thus have high potential to get a good GPA score.

This study also revealed that having personal problems might also influence the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; academic performance. These students who had personal problems such as financial or family issues may affect their learning process and thus subsequently their academic performance.

Besides the above factors, another factor that may influence the students’ academic performance was getting help with their studies. This indicates that the students who have gained assistance from outside such as tuition or having discussion sessions with friends or other sources or techniques such as reading many journals and articles to improve their English language proficiency might also influence their academic performance. The UPM international students also faced some difficulties in understanding their lecturers’ explanation during the process of learning. This situation happened for some of the participants as they were not able or less able to understand the course contents during lecturing in class as the lecturer’s accent was foreign to them which would have led to poor academic performance.

Motivation was also found to be the most helpful factor that contributed to their academic performance. Motivation played an important role in enhancing students’ academic performance. This study suggests that those students who were much more motivated in the studies were more successful in their academic performance. In this light, being unmotivated about the field of study would be a crucial factor in ensuring future academic success.

5.3 Implications for English language learning

This study revealed that IELTS overall score significantly influenced academic performance. This indicates that the English language proficiency as important elements in the success of the students’ academic performance. Thus, this

study recommends that the students improve their English language proficiency in order to enhance their academic performance. To improve their English language proficiency, students could employ many methods such as attending extra English classes outside the university or read many journals, articles or books in English which would be beneficial for academic courses. Students should also encourage themselves to speak English with friends even though their friends speak the same first language.

Apart from that, the university can provide many programs such as seminars, conferences or extra classes for students who have difficulty in understanding English language. Lecturers should also encourage their students to consistently strive to improve their English, in particular, taking English courses related to academic courses. Both lecturers and students should be more aware of the variety of English and accents or slang used in class, in which could create cross cultural communication problems.

The results demonstrate that other intervening factors could also be influential on the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; academic performance. This suggests that when student expressed lack of interest in the field of study, it affected their academic performance. It can be said that having interest and positive attitude of students towards a particular subject matters a lot. This is because having high motivation can lead to a better achievement in the academic results.

5.4 Limitation of the study

Many studies on the relationship between IELTS and academic performance have been conducted in qualitative and quantitative methods on both students and academic staff whereas in this study the students were the only subjects of the research. Thus, the results of this research are concluded only from the viewpoints of the students and not their lecturers’. Second, the previous studies have considered not only the first semester results of the students but also their second and third semester results however in this research the researcher focused only on the students’ first semester results as many of the participants were in second semester and it was too difficult to find international students who were studying in the final semester only. So, the outcome of this study cannot be attributed to other semesters. Third, the number of international students who participated in this study was limited to 30 and only 3 of the students participated in the interview. Therefore, the result cannot be generalized to other students as well. Finally, the correlation was only made between the students’ first semester GPA and only their IELTS overall score and the researcher did not make the correlation between GPA and the score of each skill i.e. writing, listening, speaking and reading as the components of IELTS. Thus, the result of this study cannot be extended to the students’ language proficiency skills separately.

5.5 Recommendation for future study

Future research could include a more comprehensive set of assessments so that prediction equations could be developed and evaluated for additional academic content areas and grade levels. Also, the set of prediction equations contained in this study was not exhaustive, and other models should be considered. Future studies should take into consideration the characteristics of the students to generate the regression coefficients. Other important English language characteristics such as, previous schooling experience, and proficiency in the native language should be considered as variation. Finally, as this study did not correlate with the score of writing, listening, speaking and reading with the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; GPA separately, it is suggested that the future researches could take these components into account which is important to predict the studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; academic success according to their language proficiency skills.

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Appendix A: IELTS Band Descriptors Band Score

Marks

95-100

85-95

75-85

65-75

55-65

45-55

35-45

25-35

5-25

Description Expert User The candidate at this level has a fully operational command of the language. The candidate can give explanations and detailed descriptions, support an opinion or give advice, ask and respond to questions as well as narrate a sequence of events effectively. The formal aspects of language, grammar, tone, intonation, and pronunciation are accurate and natural. Very Good User The candidate has a fully operational command of the language with only occasional unsystematic inaccuracies and inappropriacies. Misunderstandings may occur in unfamiliar situations. Handles complex detailed argumentation well. Good User The candidate has operational command of the language with occasional inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings in some situations. There may be minor problems in the rhythm of the speech, or in vocabulary and usage but these do not hinder communication. Competent User The candidate has a generally effective command of the language despite some inaccuracies, inappropriacies and misunderstandings. Can use and understand fairly complex language, particularly in familiar situations. Modest User The candidate has partial command of the language, coping with overall meaning in most situations, though is likely to make mistakes. Should be able to handle basic communication in own field. Limited User The candidate's language ability is limited to familiar situations. He/She has difficulty in understanding and expression and is unable to sue complex language. Extremely Limited User The candidate conveys and understands only general meaning in familiar situations. Frequent breakdowns in communication occur. Intermittent User The candidate is incapable of carrying out a conversation and is able to convey basic information using isolated words or short formulae in familiar situations and to meet immediate needs. Non User The candidate has no ability to use the language beyond possibly a few words.

N: B The marks column is an inclusion made by the researcher to the original band descriptors authorized by the Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate. (IELTS Teaching Resources, n.d).

Appendix B: A Summary of the Previous Studies on IELTS Predictive Validity on Academic Performance Study Elder (1993)

Hill, Storch & Lynch (1999)

Kerstjens & Nery (2000)

Huong (2001)

Feast (2002)

Woodrow (2006)

Setting

Participants

Research questions

Instrument/data analysis

Findings

6 different educational institutions in Melbourne

32 international postgraduate students; nationalities not identified

Is performance on the IELTS tests a reliable predictor of success in Diploma of Education courses?

IELTS score at entry and two progress ratings by each institution; correlations

r = 0.35 (p < 0.05; R2 = 0.12) Other contributing factors: subject knowledge, interpersonal skills, cultural competence/adaptability)

University of Melbourne

35 international undergraduate students (i.e.,10 Chinese, 2 German, 7 Indonesia, 2 Korean, 2 Malay, 1 Pashto, 1 Sinhalese, 1 Spanish, 2 Tamil, 3 Thai and 4 Vietnamese)

The degree to which each of the measures (i.e., IELTS and TOEFL) predicts academic performance

IELTS and GPA Data based on a survey questionnaire; correlations

r = 0.54 (p < 0.05; R2 = 0.29) Other contributing factors: inadequate knowledge, poor study skills, ESL supports

Faculty of Business at RMIT University in Melbourne (TAFE and higher education courses)

29 Australian universities across various faculties

The University of Southern Australia

The University of Sydney

113 first-year international students

202 Vietnamese international students

101 international (unknown whether undergraduate or postgraduate) students (from 30 countries with mainly Malaysian, Indonesian, Thai and Chinese)

62 international postgraduate students

To what extent does the IELTS test predict the subsequent academic performance of international students in this Faculty as measured by their grade point average? Are any of the individual tests of Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking critical to academic success or is the overall band sufficient?

What is the relationship between the IELTS scores and subsequent academic performance for Vietnamese students sponsored by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) at Australian universities? What is the relationship between English language proficiency levels (as measured by IELTS scores) of international students and their academic performance as measured by GPA?

What is the predictive validity of IELTS in relation to the academic performance of postgraduate education students?

IELTS and GPA Data based on a survey; correlations

IELTS and GPA Data based on a survey; correlations and structural equation modelling

Non-statistical significant relationship; r = 0.226 between IELTS reading and academic performance; r = 0.204 between IELTS writing and academic performance Other contributing factors: motivation, maturity, educational background, social adjustment and amount of language support r = 0.339 (p < 0.05; R2 = 0.12) in semester 1; path coefficient of 0.32 (R2 = 0.10) from overall IELTS performance to academic performance Other contributing factors: differences in language demands for different courses

IELTS and GPA data; regression analysis

Regression coefficient = 0.39 (R2 = 0.15) Other contributing factors: levels of study

IELTS and GPA data from Survey questionnaires; correlations

r = 0.40 (p < 0.05; R2 = 0.16) Other contributing factors: perceived difficulty of study, study problems and previous professional experience

Appendix C: Questionnaire

Dear respondents, This research is carried out to investigate the relationship between English language proficiency and academic performance of international students at postgraduate level. You are assured that your responses will be treated with confidentiality. Your cooperation in completing this questionnaire is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Instructions: Please put a

â&#x2C6;&#x161;

in the box next to the answer of your choice

or write in the space provided as the case may be.

Section A

Demographic data:

1. Gender:

Male

Female

2. Age: Less than 30

Between 31-35

Between 35-40

Over 40

3. Nationality : Iranian

Arab

African

others Please specify ______________

4. Native language: Farsi

Arabic

Others Please specify ______________

5. Other languages spoken: French

German

Spanish

Others Please specify

________________

6. Field of study: Linguistic and language

TESL

Literature

Others Please specify________________

7. Date of arrival in Malaysia: Less than one year

One to two years

Two to three years

More than three years

Section B

Academic Qualification

1. What is the emphasis of your Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree?

Linguistics and language

Literature

TESL

Others Please specify _________________

2. How long have you been studying English language prior to the start of your course? Less than 5 years Between 6 to 10 years Between 11 to 15 years

More than 15 years

3. How do you rate your overall proficiency in English?

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

4. Which English language proficiency tests have you taken?

IELTS

TOEFL

5. Please provide the scores you have obtained in the various language skills of the test and your overall result.

Speaking

Listening

Reading

Writing

Overall score

6. What courses have you taken in your first semester? ( please specify ) ______________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ _________________

7. Please provide your first semester courses, their results and your GPA.

Name of Course

Result

Course 1

Course 4

Course 2

Course 5

Course 3

GPA

Section C

Students’ perception of IELTS

Instruction: Please tick ( √ ) one of the following options: 1) Strongly Agree (SA) 2) Agree (A) 3) Neutral (N) 4) Disagree (D) 5) Strongly disagree

Statements 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

My overall IELTS score is a good predictor for my academic success. IELTS overall score of 7 or 5.5 will not predict my success or failure in my future academic performance. My academic performance is improving alongside my language proficiency development. The level of my language proficiency will strongly affect my future academic performance. Understanding the courses contents is difficult for me although I have a good mark in IELTS test. I easily comprehend my lecturers’ explanation as I have a high score in the IELTS. The IELTS system prepares us well for academic uses of English. My English ability had been adequate for studying in the first semester of my courses according to my IELTS overall score. In my opinion, the IELTS entry score required by the university is an accurate measure of academic performance necessary to succeed at university. IELTS test is a fair kind of test to evaluate the students’ language proficiency. In my experience, all students who get the same overall IELTS score have the same academic performance. I need a higher IELTS score to do well in the first semester of my courses. It would be impossible to become successful in the academic courses by having low scores in IELTS. Getting overall score of 6.5 and over in IELTS test will lead the students to be successful in their subsequent academic performance. The IELTS test gives me the best chance to get into university in an English speaking country. An IELTS is an internationally-recognized qualification. My IELTS score was an important factor in determining which faculty/university I could get into. I think the purpose of IELTS test is to help a student’s chances of getting into a faculty/university of choice. In my idea, the goal of IELTS test is to distinguish those students who could be successful in their subsequent academic performance according to their IELTS overall score. 84

1) To what extent does your performance in the IELTS help you to do well in your academic courses? ( Explain in no more than 3 lines)

_____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ 2) In what ways do the IELTS assist you to improve your future academic performance? (Explain in no more than 3 lines.

_____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________

Section D Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; view point towards other intervening factors Instruction: Please rank the answers from most important to least important ones in the boxes provided. E.g. From most important to least ones ( 1-2-3-4-5-6) 1. What kind of other factors rather than IELTS would be influential in your academic success? (Either positive or negative factors) Having good ability in the academic courses Personal problems Getting knowledge assistance from outside Adjustment to life in Malaysia

Having experience in the related academic courses Not being interested in the field of the study

2. Why do you think students with a good IELTS scores still have problem in their academic courses? ( explain briefly )

____________________________________________________

Thank you for your participation

Appendix D: Structured Interview questions:

1) Since the beginning of your academic year, have you tried to improve your language ability to assist you to get better scores in your academic courses? What kind of English language assistance have you got? Why?

2) Do you think that factors such as; depression, culture adjustment, homesickness and many other personal problems may impair your ability to do well in your studies?

3) Have you ever had any difficulty to understand the lecturersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; explanations? Has it been affect your academic performance?

4) What do you think of welfare difficulties as a kind of affective factor in your academic performance?

5) Could you supply more detailed information about any difficulties experienced with the language demands of your course of study?

6) What kinds of factors help you to be more successful in your academic studies rather than being proficient in IELTS?

7) What kinds of factors would be impairing your ability to do well in your academic success?