Improving a Language
Entrance Test
Mulyani
Leila
Susanti
Troubles
in teaching a language classroom often time is not triggered by the teaching
approaches, strategies, methods or techniques alone. No matter how good and intelligent
the teacher is, the success of learners may not depend on this. Complaint most
of the time is emphasized on the classroom background distinction which cannot
be identified quite easily. The students classified as one level are not
exactly of the same potential and competence so that it is obvious that the
entrance test/placement test used to group the students is not an effective
one. Many entrance test focus on the language competence or performance at a
glance. It does not deeply observes the learning preference while learning
preference determines learners to enable to identify how they learn best and
how they suit best to the learning situation which support the enhancement of
language mastery progress. Since failure of using ‘conventional’ language
entrance test/ placement test is significantly discovered through the quality
of achievement or through students’ complaint or teachers’ complaint, it is
necessary that language institutions change or modify the test approach and
model in grouping the students into a more friendly approach which focus on how
people learn not on how good they are related to the language fluency. This
paper will present a proposal of modifying the placement test using learning
preference theories.
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Mulyani & Susanti, L. (2003, October). Improving a
language entrance test. Paper presented at the 51st TEFLIN
International Conference,
Website: www.geocities.com/eltindonesia
Email: eltindonesia@yahoo.com