The Effect of Test Taking Strategy Instruction on Iranian High School Students’ Performance on English Section of the University Entrance Examination and Their Attitude towards Using These Strategies

Abstract

This paper reports on a study that investigated the effect of teaching test-taking strategies on Iranian high school students' performance on English section of the National University Entrance Examination (Konkoor). To do so, 273 male and female high school students participated in a workshop that lasted for four sessions. The participants were randomly divided into an experimental and a control group. In the beginning of the workshop, participants received a demographic questionnaire to see if they had taken part in a similar test-taking class which resulted in excluding some students from the groups. The groups were also homogenized regarding their language proficiency level by administering Oxford Placement Test (OPT). Therefore, 260 participants were left for the main study. Then, experimental group participated in the test-taking strategy workshop and control group worked on the previous samples of Konkoor examinations without any reference to test-taking strategies. At the end of the workshop, the attitude questionnaire was run in the experimental group to compile the group's opinions about the treatment. One month later, the students of both groups took Konkoor. The data were analyzed using an independent-samples t-test. The learners' responses to the attitude questionnaire were also analyzed quantitatively. The findings of this study indicated that Iranian high school students in the experimental group outperformed the control group on their Konkoor exam. Moreover, they had positive attitudes towards teaching and learning test-taking strategies. This study suggests that integrating such strategies in the teaching curriculum could be beneficial for the students.

Test-Taking Strategies in Second Language Receptive Skills Tests: A Literature Review

“…The recommendations at present would probably be for teachers to improve their test-writing abilities. Takallou et al (2015) demonstrated that strategy training had a considerable positive effect on students' performance on the English section of University Entrance Examination test. Similarly, after the interventions carried out in the experiments described by Lee (2019aLee ( , 2019b, the experimental groups, which had received strategy training, significantly outperformed the control groups in the posttests.…”

“…When compared with the previous conceptualization of test-taking strategies by Cohen and Upton (2007), Tavakoli and Hayati Samian (2014) include test-management strategies under the heading of testwiseness strategies. Takallou, Vahdany, Araghi, and Nemat Tabrizi (2015) work with Bachman's (2000, p. 10) idea that one of the factors responsible for test performance is also "the processes and strategies used by test-takers in responding to test-tasks", saying these processes and strategies include test-taking strategies (p. 119). When compared with Cohen and Upton's division, they include test-wiseness, test management as well as some reading strategies in their research under test-taking strategies.…”

“…Some authors choose standardized tests widely used in their country, e.g. Takallou et al (2015) use the English section of University Entrance Examination test, and, as they investigate the usefulness of strategy instruction, their recommendation can be put directly into practice in their home country. When attempting to establish what kinds of test-wiseness strategies are employed by students in general, it might be advisable not to use standardized tests, as they ought not to be susceptible to test-wiseness -Tavakoli and Hayati Samian (2014) used a teacher made achievement test.…”

“…In more recent research, Takallou et al (2015) developed an instructional package for the English section of University Entrance Examination test, to examine whether strategy training had a positive effect on students' performance on the test. Other researchers dealing with strategy instruction are Ghafournia and Afghari (2013), Ghafournia (2013), Pourdana et al (2012), Lee (2019a), Lee (2019b).…”

“…Winke and Lim (2017) investigated the effect of two types of test preparation training sessions on a listening test performance. Takallou, et al (2015) also deal with the attitude of learners towards being taught about strategies. Learner perspective appears as an important factor in Tavakoli and Hayati Samian ( 2014), who examine their attitude and preferences with regard to paper-based or computer-delivered tests.…”