An Analysis of Test Result and Guidelines for Enhancing the Quality of the Sripatum University Test of English Proficiency (SPU-TEP)

Abstract

This article consists of three main objectives: (1) to analyze the English proficiency test scores of Sripatum University students, (2) to examine the difficulty levels and discrimination indices of the Sripatum University Test of English Proficiency (SPU-TEP), and (3) to propose approaches for improving the English proficiency test for higher education students. The sample consisted of 220 undergraduate students from Sripatum University, who took the test. Data were collected by the research team and analyzed using basic statistics, item difficulty (p), item discrimination (D), and reliability values. The research findings revealed that (1) The test results of 220 students who took the English proficiency test (SPU-TEP), which consisted of 100 items, revealed that the average score was at a moderate level (M = 68.90, SD = 13.01). When comparing the English proficiency levels with the CEFR, it was found that the majority of students were at the B2 level (42.80%), followed by B1 (37.40%), A2 (6.58%), and A1 (0.82%), respectively. (2) The item difficulty (p) of the SPU-TEP listening section ranged from 0.08 to 0.98, while that of the reading section ranged from 0.27 to 0.95.                      The item discrimination (D) for the listening section ranged from -0.10 to 0.72, and for the reading section, from -0.11 to 0.71. (3) The suggested approaches for improving the English proficiency test include revising the test structure and content, incorporating more diverse listening formats in the listening section, and adding more analytical and inferential items in the reading section.