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give them more benefits in the future. This can be the advantage of conducting end-program test Despagne, 2010.
Baker mentions that students‟ attitudes towards language and language learning can be identified from their reason to learn a language, use of language,
and engagement in the process of learning the language 1992, p. 23. The data also confirm tha
t students‟ learning motive could determine their attitudes towards language test, and the attitudes on test were reflected in the form of goal setting.
The students could have different learning goals during the learning process. Some students thought that they needed to learn the target language because they
would use the language for communication. Whereas, several students mentioned that learning the language was necessary to pass the language test and earn the
degree.
5. Students’ Perceptions towards TKBI Test
Students‟ positive attitudes towards TKBI test were also influenced by their perceptions on the test itself. Overall, the results of the questionnaire show
that the students had positive perceptions about the implementation of TKBI test in the university. The positive scores range from 2.8 to 3.0 which mean that the
students perceived the test as meaningful, beneficial, purposeful, and reliable. Most students knew that the purpose of TKBI test was to measure their English
proficiency through speaking test. Being aware of the purpose made the students think that TKBI test was meaningful to improve their life quality.
“It was a useful experience for the future, just like job i
nterview.” perception.P4.r12.p166
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“It was very useful. It really expressed my ability. I got experience how to expressed ideas imme
diately and spontaneously.” perception.P6.r13.p170
“TKBI can measure our English proficiency. The result is important for working demand
.” perception.P7.r6.p172
“My score did not improve, because I did not study much. At my first chance, since it was my first trial, I got B- at the second time
because I focused more on helping my friend, so I spent more time helping him.
” self-evaluation.P5.r10.p168
“I think the questions of TKBI test are unpredictable. So, it is suitable for English test because we cannot prepare it, memorize
the vocabulary, so we need to really master the language. The scoring is also objective.
” perception.P8.r3.p172
The students mentioned that taking TKBI gave some benefits for their development. The test itself gave them useful experience for job interview. They
also practiced to express their ideas spontaneously and immediately as what they usually do in natural conversation. Preparing themselves for TKBI test also helped
them improve their communicative competence. The test also motivated them to spend more time to learn English and improve their language proficiency. They
believed that the result of their learning process would be useful for their academic life and their work in the future. This finding is similar to the previous
research by Struyven, Dochy, and Janssens that perceptions take part in learning process and contribute to performance and learning achievement 2005. Hence,
studying students ‟ perceptions contributes to students‟ development.
“Although the structure is still messed up and mixed with bahasa Indonesia
.” self-evaluation.P6.r13.p170
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“Now when talking to other people becomes smooth, relax, although
the grammar
is not
clear
.” self-
evaluation.P5.r10.p168 Being able to improve language proficiency could build students‟ self-
efficacy and self-esteem related to their English proficiency. From the questionnaire results and face to face interview, the students shared that they were
more confident speaking in English after taking TKBI test. They felt that they were more capable and relax to speak in English with other people. Although they
still found some language flaws, such as grammar and pronunciation mistakes, they felt more confident about their language proficiency. These students
experienced a shift from grammar into meaning. They felt that exchanging meaning was more important during communication, so they tried to make
themselves understand others and be understood by others.
“For me, after the test, I feel that I need to be more fluent.” self- evaluation.P10.r6.p177
“Actually, I am not really satisfied. I could prepare better, I could perform better. My friends got better scores. So, I am shy if they
know my score. I was too relax, so I regret because I could not prepare maximally. But I got the benefit, I was grateful that I was
motivated to learn.” self-evaluation.P9.r9.p175
When the students were invited to evaluate their performance on the test, few students mentioned that they were dissatisfied with their performance. They
felt that they still needed to improve their language competence and speak more fluently. Beginner students usually found difficulty to speak smoothly and
effortlessly, because they often stopped in the middle of their speech to find the
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right words, correct grammatical structures, and correct pronunciation to express their ideas. In other words, they monitored their speech. The reason why these
students gave bad evaluations on their competence was also because they got lower scores than their friends. Not optimal preparation was considered to be the
factor that caused this problem. To some extent, this condition caused low self- esteem which made the students feel inferior and tend to give bad evaluations on
themselves. The result shows that high- stake test can bring decay in test takers‟
lives Baker, 1992, p. 9. TKBI, as one example of high-stake test, could decay students‟ self esteem and confidence about their competence. This negative effect
of failure is similar to the result of the previous research by Bouchard, Parent, and Larivee 1991, as cited in Bandura, 1993 that the test-takers judged themselves as
not smart and compared themselves with others. Their failure lowered their self- esteem and affected their self-satisfaction.
The results of the interview and questionnaire show that the test is reliable. Students who took the test twice obtained the same score. It means that
although the test is taken at different points of time, it ends in similar result. The issue of validity is also mentioned by the students. The students felt that the test
really measured their spoken English competence. That the test cannot be studied is considered as the factor which makes the test valid and reliable.
6. The Correlation Between the Components of Attitudes
