Chapter 5 Conclusion 65
5.3 Practical Implications 76
test should be provided with more familiar accents by English native speakers, lower speed and shorter length.
Surprisingly, more than one-fourth of the interviewees noted that nothing was needed to be improved on the electronic-based English proficiency test. The system, design, and all physical features were user-friendly and appropriate, and the number of the test items were all suitable. These positive responses were evidently in line with the results of highly rated agreement level by the students in the sample group on Questionnaire Item 22, “Overview interface of the electronic-based English proficiency test is friendly-user.” (x̅ =4.33 and SD=0.75), and Questionnaire Item 23, “Overview interface design of the electronic-based English proficiency test is appropriate.” (x̅ =4.26 and SD=0.72) respectively. The studies by Barge and Londhe (2014) and Padayachee et al (2019) remarkably supported all these satisfactory responses by the students. To put it simply, the electronic-based test and its assessment provided a great number of benefits and advantages in terms of reducing anxiety and stress, increasing the students’ confidence and skills, fostering a positive attitude to learning, encouraging them to study more and focus on the subject more efficiently.
According to all solid findings that were obtained from the research instruments thoroughly mentioned in the previous parts, it would be logical enough to claim that the electronic-based English proficiency test would be a new, alternative, ideal, and practical trend of the test which was appropriate for the new normal education and this would subsequently provide more fruitful students’ achievement and learning outcomes in English language proficiency now and as always.
▪ With the rapid change in the global educational context, students have been compelled to adopt electronic-based test and assessment due to a lot of limitations of the traditional paper-based test. The students should utilize the newer, and more innovative electronic-based test for convenience, time-saving, resource management efficiency, security, prompt feedback, less pressure, and so on.
▪ As being in a new generation in a digital age, more students tend to be able to efficiently utilize the skills in digital technology with the gadgets that they are familiar with, and the electronic-based test appears to be suitable for them to ensure successful assessment outcomes.
▪ By being able to do the electronic-based test anytime and anywhere, students appear to have less anxiety, pressure, stress than when they do the paper-based test.
In other words, they are likely to feel safe and more secure with the more friendly atmosphere.
This helps them to concentrate and do the test more efficiently.
▪ With the convenient, friendly-user system and the rising trend of electronic- based assessment, students should be provided with more electronic-based test using any kinds of gadgets to do the test anytime and anywhere. This ultimately enhances their language skill, confidence, learning perception, positive attitude, and of course, learning achievement.
5.3.2 Implications for English language teachers/examiners
Up to this part, it is evident that the advantages of the electronic-based test are welcomed by not only students but also the teachers who are the examiners. Teachers or examiners appear to obtain numerous benefits from online assessment using this kind of test.
Below are some important implications for teachers.
▪ Teachers can create exams or test papers and other related tasks more easily by working online such as authoring, reviewing, approving test questions, and adding the approved test questions on the test question bank. This facilitates the future test paper creating task since teachers/examiners may select questions by using any automated tools of the questions bank or any automatic randomized test papers. These can be done by an individual teacher or collaboratively as a group.
▪ By considering the security of electronic-based test, it is convenient for teachers/examiners when viewing the students/examinees during the test. It is likely to be hard to cheat when every moment of the test session can be viewed via a screen. The students’ ID
and the exam environment are possibly checked by unseen examiners for any infringements.
When there are cheating or serious infringements happen, it will be easy for teachers/examiners to remove the students’ access to the exam. In addition, with some certain types of application, the electronic-based test may be recorded. The examining body then can be reviewed on the recorded video anytime afterwards if there are any issues arise.
▪ It is likely for examiners to mark the test papers and have the test results issued more quickly with the electronic-based test. To simply put, the test results can be available instantly with electronic auto-scorable questions. This way helps students to know their performance quickly and feel more secure with the assessment method.
▪ In addition to digitally instant test results, it is more convenient for teachers/examiners to send a quick and clear report on students’ progress and give authentic feedback to them. This way helps students/examinees to know what they are doing, what areas they should improve and pay more attention as well as their strength and weaknesses.
▪ The electronic-based test provides greater security than the paper-based one for teachers/examiners since all question papers, students’ information, and test results are all electronically stored. These test-related data can only be accessed by the people with authority for the appropriate system access.
▪ Interestingly, it is more convenient for teachers/examiners to adapt and adjust the electronic-based test to suit the students/examinees with special need; in other words, with some disabilities; for example, changing colors, designs, font size, test time duration, to name just a few.
▪ According to the substantial benefits of the electronic-based English proficiency test in this study, teachers/examiners of English in tertiary level should initiate and provide students/examinees with this more modern, innovative type of the proficiency test.
This will lead to the students’ achievement in self-assessment of their performance, time management, stress and anxiety control, confidence development and ultimately positive learning attitude and perceptions towards English language.
5.3.3 Implications for administrators
According to the ongoing advanced technology, modern educational context and a new trend of English language teaching and learning, it is high time for universities, schools and educational institutions to move away from paper and modernize their approach to
examinations with the transition to electronic-based test and online assessment. The benefits and advantages of the electronic-based test are not only welcomed by students/examinees or teachers/examiners but also by the administrators in educational organizations. Below is a list of practical applications for administrators regarding electronic-based test to consider.
▪ Administrators should adjust the traditional paper-based test by initiating, developing, and adopting the electronic-based English proficiency test as a newer and innovative trend of tests by promoting and providing the full use of technology resources, applications as well as electronic gadgets for more fruitful outcomes of students’ English language learning performance and achievement.
▪ Administrators should hand down this electronic-based test to be conducted in all levels in the institutions. Subsequently, this will immensely reduce the administrative burden of organizing and running examination.
▪ To have electronic-based test, the administrators can eliminate the need and pressure to arrange in-person examiners and test centers; this will not only remove the administrative burden but also cut down the financial expenses of the institutions particularly, when running the test centers or an exam hall in a remote location at key times of the year.
▪ Administrators should promote and support the electronic-based English proficiency test which can result in the institutions being able to run English tests more frequently and with a wider geographical reach. This means that the administrative staffs are not required to concentrate all the tests or exams only onto a few big exam days but they can run the tests anytime which may be closer to the period of tuition. This will subsequently help enhance students’ effective English language learning performance and proficiency, and ultimately promote the success of the institutions of tertiary level education.