The Negative Effects of Undergraduate Placement Examination of English (LYS-5) on ELT Students in Turkey

Year 2016, Volume: 3 Issue: 1, 30 - 39, 01.04.2016

Betül Ayşe Sayın , Musa Mükerrem Aslan

https://doi.org/10.17275/per.16.02.3.1

Cited By: 5

Abstract

This
study aims to explore the perceptions of English Language Teaching department
freshman students in … towards Undergraduate Placement Examination of English
termed LYS-5 and display the problems in the content and structure of this
standardized test.  LYS-5 examination is
taken by thousands of … high school seniors every year who would like to be
language teachers or professionals. However, the accuracy and effectiveness of
this exam has always been an issue. Major criticism to the exam structure is
that students who prepare for the exam overwhelmingly focus on grammar,
vocabulary and reading, and they tend to disregard other language skills
(Özgün, 2010). Considering the problems in the structure of the test and taking
the importance of the examination for students into account, a survey was
prepared and delivered to 74 ELT students from two different universities. The
data results revealed the necessity of a newly constructed LYS-5 in … by taking
the worldwide accepted English examinations into account. The findings
profoundly reflect that there are neglected major skills which are excluded not
only from the LYS-5 exam but also from the studies and in-class practices of
the students and teachers. Language examinations need to be improved as the
teaching methods and learning processes differ in the course of time. While the
sphere of the study is not very wide, it is aimed to contribute to the existing
studies, and to emphasize the emergency of the problem.

Keywords

English language exam, standardized tests, undergraduate placement examination (LYS-5), university entrance exam (UEE), language assessment

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