Students' Perceptions of the Impact of the College English Test
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Volume two, Issue three
July 2012
Students’ Perceptions of the Impact of the College English Test HONGLI LI Georgia State University, USA QI ZHONG Central University of Finance and Economics, China HOI K. SUEN The Pennsylvania State University, USA Bio Data: Hongli Li is an assistant professor of Research, Measurement, and Statistics in the Department of Educational Policy Studies at Georgia State University, USA. Her research interests include the use of testing to inform teaching and learning, diagnostic assessment of reading comprehension, and language testing. Qi Zhong is a lecturer with the School of Foreign Languages at the Central University of Finance and Economics, China. Her research interests include teaching English as a second language, comparative literature and culture, and business English speech. Hoi K. Suen is a distinguished professor of Educational Psychology at The Pennsylvania State University, USA. His research interests include measurement theories, behavioral observation, validity issues, consequences of high-stakes testing, and lessons from the historical civil service exam system of China. Abstract Designed to assess college students’ English ability, the College English Test (CET) is regarded as the most influential English test in China. This study investigates students’ perceptions of the impact of the CET on their English-learning practices and their affective conditions. A survey was administered to 150 undergraduate students at a university in Beijing. It was found that students perceived the impact of the CET to be pervasive. In particular, the majority of the respondents indicated that the CET had a greater impact on what they studied than on how they studied. Most of the students surveyed felt the CET had motivated them to make a greater effort to learn English. Many students seemed to be willing to put more effort on the language skills most heavily weighted in the CET. About half of the students reported
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Language Testing in Asia
Volume two, Issue three
July 2012
a higher level of self-efficacy in regard to their overall English ability and some specific English skills as a result of taking or preparing for the CET. However, many students also reported experiencing increased pressure and anxiety in relation to learning English. This study provides important evidence about how the CET influences college students’ English learning in China, and directions for further research are also suggested. Keywords: Students, Perceptions, Impact, College English Test Introduction Launched by the Ministry of Education, People’s Republic of China, in 1987, the College English Test (CET) is a standardized test designed to measure the English proficiency of undergraduate students in China and to determine whether their English-language ability meets the requirements of the national college English curriculum. In accordance with the national curriculum, the CET consists of two tests: Band 4 (CET-4) and Band 6 (CET-6). College students are expected to take the CET-4 at the end
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