Examining English Ability-Grouping Practices by Aligning CEFR Levels with University-Level General English Courses in Taiwan

Abstract

In higher education in Taiwan, mandatory general English courses like Freshman English adopt ability-grouping practices to assign students to classes of different proficiency levels. However, little research has explored the efficacy of ability-grouping criteria and standardized the language-proficiency description for general English courses of different proficiency levels. Thus, this study recruited 806 Taiwanese undergraduates from Freshman English classes of advanced, intermediate, and basic proficiency levels to take the Oxford Online Placement Test (OOPT), and compared their scores on the Joint College Entrance Examination English subject (namely the General Scholastic Ability Test, GSAT) with OOPT. The findings indicated that the ability-grouping criterion was effective to classify students into three groups of different proficiency levels. A positive relationship between the GSAT and OOPT scores was identified. A clear trend, but with some overlapping correspondence, was displayed between the class levels and Common European Framework of Reference levels derived from the OOPT scoring report. Pedagogical implications and suggestions for future studies are provided.

A Comparison of the Autonomous Use of Technology for Language Learning for EFL University Students of Different Proficiency Levels

“…According to the Holistic Center of the university, which is responsible for assigning students to Freshman English with different levels, students achieving within the top 25% of CEE English scores out of all freshman students were assigned to advanced-level classes and those within the bottom 25% of CEE English scores out of all freshman students were assigned to beginner-level classes. In Yu and colleagues' study [69], which was conducted in the same research site, the English scores of students in the advanced-level classes were statistically higher than those in the beginner-level classes (F = 812.18, p < 0.001). Students in the advanced-level classes also statistically outperformed those in the beginning-level classes in the Online Oxford Proficiency Test (F = 220.81, p < 0.001).…”