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4. Spoken English Proficiency Test TKBI
a. The definition of test Test is a way to gather inf
ormation about people‟s language ability Hughes, 1989, p. 4; Brown, 2003, p. 3; Carr, 2011, p. 1. The result of the test
reflects what the students are able and unable to do with the language. Test can be defined as an instrument to measure language ability Douglas 2000, p. 2;
Bachman, 1990, p. 20; Brown, 2003, p. 3; Davidson, 2007, p. 7. This definition describes the test as a medium to measure the language performance of the
students. The test result is in the form of measurable and numerical score. Therefore, it will be easier to determine the passing grade and criteria of success.
Test is also defined as a method to measure a persons ability or knowledge in a given domain Brown, 2000, p. 384. Conducting a test is necessary to
identify the student s‟ language competence based on the domain, such as reading,
writing, listening, speaking, and lexico-grammatical competence. The result will show if the students can be characterized as proficient English users in each
specific domain. Besides being used to make decision about people‟s language
skills and competence, test is also used as a method to identify what competence still needs to be improved Fulcher, 2010, p. 4. The students‟ scores on the test
will show what they still lack and what learning still need to be done in the classroom.
b. English test at university level In Vietnam, there is a shift on the focus of speaking test. In order to make
the test more beneficial for the students, it becomes more communicative and
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links the test to students ‟ lives Utsumi Nam Hau, 2010. Students‟ English
competence is expected to help students ‟ pass international exam, including the
standardized test such as TOEFL and IELTS which will be useful for them when they apply a job in international company and study abroad. As university
graduates are expected to be able to compete in world economy, university academic programs are to meet the economic growth demands of the country by
encouraging the students to speak English in the campus, raising the importance of learning English, and conducting useful English test. Therefore, the university
can create self-regulated learners. In Vietnam graduation rates also become the challenge in implementing English at university.
In China, College English Test CET is designed to assess college students
‟ English ability Li, Zhong, Suen, 2012. This test becomes compulsory test for non-English-major students in China during their study.
Established in 1987, this test aims to measure students ‟ proficiency and identify if
the quality of the undergraduate students meet the national curriculum. In order to monitor their language proficiency during their years in the university, the test is
implemented in two phases; Band 4 CET-4 and Band 6 CET-6. Students should take CET-4 on their second year in college and take CET-6 after passing
Band 4. Each test consists of five sections and is administered in the form written and listening tests. In the test, the students will work on listening, reading,
vocabulary and structure, cloze, and written tests. Based on the research, 81.7 universities in China require their students to pass the minimum score of CET-4
as the precondition to earn their bachelor degree. Some studies on the test even
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shows that it brings influential impact on what students ‟ learn in the universities
and their learning motivation. The exam-oriented students tend to put more effort to improve their English competence to pass the test.
The same policy is also applied in most Mexican universities. English test, mostly TOEFL test, is required in most universities as a condition for the students
to earn their degree Despagne, 2010. The demand of international education in Mexican universities is perceived as the underlying factor that urges the
universities to set high standard of English proficiency in the test. It aims to prepare the students for labor market that they will be able to study abroad or
compete to get well-paying jobs and achieve any positions, hence can improve their life and social status. Therefore, the undergraduate students are required to
take the test to earn their degree, so they will be well-prepared and well-equipped with English competence.
Andersen Cozart 2014 mentions that educational setting in Denmark conducts English test as summative assessment in the universities, not only at the
end but during the course. This is to ensure their progress and help them reach their highest competence that will be useful for their future to find interesting and
well-paying jobs. In the selection process to get the job, their level of knowledge, skills, and competence will be assessed. Therefore, the English test is conducted
to improve their quality as future job-candidates. In most higher education, the examination should be conducted in the form of written or oral production, and
oral examination has been largely conducted in most Danish schools and higher institutions. The test is considered to be authentic and resemble real situation or
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working-life situation, hence can assess students ‟ ability to function in
international communication. Another reason why English competence is needed in higher institution is
because most scientific publications are written in English. In Swedish universities, English is intensively taught to help students understand academic
texts, including articles, theses, and textbooks of all disciplines Johansson Jonsson, 2006. Therefore, the students are required to take English courses
during their years in the university. English test is summatively conducted to monitor students
‟ English competence and progress in learning English. By doing so, the students can make use of their English to learn other subjects.
TKBI is conducted differently as end-program test. Different from entry test or in-program test, TKBI is conducted at the end of learning program in the
university as a requirement to earn degree. Instead of paper-based test, TKBI is designed as speaking test. Students‟ abilities to participate in active
communication are assessed during interview process. The result of the test is used for consideration whether the students have achieved the expected language
proficiency level to compete in job seeking. c. Speaking test
Speaking is interaction and social and situation-based activity Luoma, 2004, p. 9. In communicative task of speaking, speaking is illustrated as an
interaction via spoken communication where the speakers exhange message Nunan, 1993, p. 59. The speakers should be able to comprehend and deliver
message for meaningful interaction. Adopting the principle of speaking as
31 interaction, TKBI focuses on students‟ competence to maintain communication.
In order to do so, the test should measure whether the students ‟ questions and
answers are relevant and understandable to get message across Luoma, 2004, p. 23. In addition to the communicative competence, speaking test also measures
students‟ accuracy and fluency. The test rubric provides discrete criteria to measure students‟ accuracy in terms of the grammatical structure, pronunciation,
and diction. The test also tries to measure students‟ ability to communicate
fluently without making many pauses which can distract the delivery of the message.
TKBI is described as spoken proficiency test. The contents of the test are not related to what are learned in the courses, but based on the language
competence that the students should have. The test contents are used to measure whether the students can perform certain communicative tasks. Since it is
communicative test, the assessment standards should focus on the use of language as the tool for communication. Therefore, the Common European Framework of
Reference is used to set the standards of success because it describes the qualities of proficient language users Nunan, 2015. The standards are suitable for
communicative test because they focus on the active use of language. The students should meet the characteristics of proficient English users in
C1 level. In this level, the students should perform good competence in communicating about personal information, familiar matters, routine tasks, as well
as social, academic, and professional tasks by using good organizational patterns, cohesive devices, and connectors. The students should demonstrate good
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vocabulary range and produce meaningful language where errors made by the students do not interfere with the meaning and pronunciation is intelligible. They
are also expected to present well-organized ideas during their speech. Students who have this proficiency level can maintain meaningful interaction where they
can answer and ask questions. Those standards are derived from CEFR and developed into speaking rubric used for assessment Appendix 5.
Due to the different grading system between CEFR and university rubric, the descriptors in CEFR level are adapted to develop the assessment rubric for the
test. In CEFR level, the highest grade for intermediate level is C1, while the grading system in the university considers A as the highest grade. Based on the
policy, the students should earn B- to pass the test. The evaluation standards describes that students who deserve B- at least, should be able to communicate
comprehensibly where the pauses for grammatical checking and lexical planning do not affect the intelligibility. They can communicate in variety of topics
including familiar matters or subjects within their fields of interest and organize their ideas. The number of errors should be reasonable and rare. Hence, they do
not alter the meaning. These descriptions correspond to the CEFR standard of C1 in particular and set the passing grade of TKBI test. Thus, intermediate level
students should have those qualities. As a proficiency test, TKBI test is conducted to measure students
‟ level of language competence and determine if the students have achieved the expected
level of language proficiency. Therefore, the test does not fail the students, but the policy of each department expects the students to reach the expected proficiency
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before they graduate. It will ensure that all graduates of Sanata Dharma University have good mastery of English. Different from other universities, the English test
in Sanata Dharma University is designed as speaking test. Although considered less practical than paper-based test, speaking test is favored because it ensures that
the successful students have active English competence which means that they can function in interactive communication using English.
Test of speaking proficiency should engage the examiner and examinee in a communicative interaction Huei-Chun, 2000. Therefore, TKBI test is designed
to maintain interaction between the examiners and test takers. The face to face interview follows good speaking test format to promote communication
Khamkien, 2010. The test format will be effective to measure the students‟ oral
competence in the real target language use. Speaking test is conducted in the form of interview to provide real
information about students‟ strengths and weaknesses in understanding and using language. Their competence can be assessed from the
way they answer and ask questions. However, the examiners should consider the weakness and the strength when they conduct individual interview. The weakness
of conducting individual interview is that it takes more time and effort. On the other hand, individual interview is preferred because it is reliable and valid to
measure the intended proficiency level and the test takers‟ actual proficiency. Talking about the assessment criteria for speaking test, there are some
elements that should be assessed to measure speakers‟ proficiency level. Koizumi and In‟nami 2014 mention complexity, accuracy, and fluency as some aspects to
assess in speaking test. This means that the speakers should perform wide range of
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vocabulary, grammatical accuracy, and smooth production during speaking. In addition to grammatical accuracy, fluency, and vocabulary, the examiners should
measure students‟ proficiency on the pronunciation, organization, coherence, content, and turn taking skill if referring the C1level of CEFR Khamkien, 2010, p.
186; Pajupuu et al, 2010, p. 131. Therefore, the students should communicate using good pronunciation, well-organized ideas, meaningful and relevant content,
and good interactional skill. CEFR also provides the criteria of proficiency that the students should have
including the range, accuracy, fluency, interaction, and coherence Council of Europe, 2014, p. 28. The range of communication that the proficient language
users should master requires them to have broad range and unrestricted language that allows the individuals to express their ideas clearly in a wide range of general,
academic, professional, and leisure topics. While doing so, the speakers should perform good grammatical knowledge and pronunciation. Errors in these elements
should be rare and difficult to spot. The speakers should vary intonation and place sentence stress correctly. They should also be able to communicate effortlessly,
with spontaneous, fluent, natural, and smooth production. The interaction is built smoothly through the effective turn-taking strategies performed by the speakers.
Last, the proficient language users should clear and well-structured speech by using organizational patterns, connectors, and cohesive devices. In addition,
CEFR also includes paralinguistic competence, such as gesture, facial expression, and eye contact in the standard of communicative competence. Thus, CEFR
provides descriptors to design assessment rubrics for the examiners.
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Table 2.4 Common Reference Levels of CEFR Council of Europe, 2014, p. 24
Based on the policy Appendix 6, the students should achieve active English competence in intermediate level. When taking the test, the students
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should be able to describe personal experience, personal ability, and future plan, negotiate, analyze problem, and give solution. The students should pass job
interview which is simulated in TKBI test. For the test procedure, the students should register themselves to Testing Center in Language Institute of Sanata
Dharma University and the test is also conducted there on the last week of the month. The score can be checked one week after the test. If they do not pass the
test, they will retake it until they succeed. Usefulness of speaking test can be seen from its reliability, construct
validity, authenticity, interactiveness, impact, and practicability Akiyama, 2003. The speaking test should be reliable to give information and inferences about the
students‟ proficiency Douglas‟ 2009, p. 10. Fulcher mentions that construct validity of a test measures what the test is supposed to measure 2003, p. 117.
Test should be designed based on its construct, its purpose, and its intended participants. The test designers should consider the test purpose or the test
function. In order to make the test valid, it can be designed based on the test blueprint and the test content which should be covered in the test.
Although there is no formal study conducted on the test validity, the test can be considered as a valid test. The contents and the descriptors are defined
from the standard that should be achieved in CEFR. Therefore, the questions that are asked to the students reflect what the students should be able to perform in
communication. The test contains twelve questions. Questions one to four are designed to gather information about how well they talk about their personal
information. The rest of the questions invite the students to give opinions, solve
37
problems, state preferences, and describe people or objects related to their academic and future professional lives. In the end of the conversation, the students
should ask questions to the examiners. The rubric also describes the level of proficiency, such as the grammatical knowledge, pronunciation, vocabulary,
fluency, clarity and organization based on the proficiency level of CEFR. Speaking test can be useful if it is authentic. Test authenticity can be
maintained through its focus to carry out genuine and real language use Akiyama, 2003. Owing to the nature of communication, the speaking test should provide
interactive communication between the examiners and test takers. Useful test should also consider its impacts to the test takers, both positive and negative. Test
should be reliable, so when the test is administered at different time, the result will be the same with the previous result. Although the test is not practical, but it is
effective to measure students ‟ speaking competence.
Fulcher also mentions that good test should provide both freedom and control to the test takers 2003, p. 135. The test should invite more answers from
the students. They should be given freedom to explore their ideas but controlled in terms of the acceptable and relevant answers. Nevertheless, the ideas should be
coherent and well organized Czaplak, 2014. In order to produce coherent and well-organized ideas, the speakers can use connectors and cohesive devices.
McNamara 2007, p. 38 explains that test should be effective to measure language competence and actual performance. Therefore, the questions from the
examiners should invite more responses as natural as possible from the test takers. Speaking test is also preferred because it is useful to provide opportunities for the
38
students to demonstrate their competence on linguistic form and meaning Sato, 2007.
d. The purpose of testing According to Douglas, the purpose of language testing is to assess whether
the students have achieved certain level of competence in the target language 2010, p. 1. Hughes elaborates the purpose of the test into some objectives 1989,
p.8. First, the test tr ies to measure students‟ language proficiency. It seeks what
the students are competent or lack at. Second, test aims to discover how successful students have been in achieving the course objectives. This test is
usually conducted in the end of the course or learning program to identify whether the objectives are successfully achieved. Third, test tries to diagnose students
strengths and weaknesses. This kind of diagnostic test aims to identify what the students still lack and need to improve. Last, test aims to assist placement of
students based on their initial proficiency level. This test is conducted before the learning program to put the students based on their level, so they will start
learning based on their level of competence. These tests serve one main purpose, which is to make inferences or decisions about one‟s competence.
Being specific, the purpose of speaking test is to identify students‟ communicative proficiency Luoma, 1999. The test aims to identify if the
students can function in communication. Therefore, the speaking test should involve activities that engage the test takers to use the target language for the
purpose of achieving a particular goal or objective in particular speaking situation.
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Generally, the purpose of TKBI itself is similar with the purpose of speaking test in common. However, since it is conducted at the end of the study
program and taken before undergraduate thesis defense, TKBI aims to improve the quality of the university graduates who are able to compete in working world.
It will ensure that all graduates of Sanata Dharma University have the ability to speak in English for professional purpose. The implementation of TKBI is
expected to equip students with attitudes and soft skills which become very important for working world. This purpose has been established in Surat
Keputusan Rektor Nomor 049I2009 about Sistem Poin Kegiatan Kemahasiswaan
Appendix 6. Before finishing their study, each student is required to fulfill 10 points, and one of the points is valued from active communication skills in
English. For non-English-department students, this point can be earned from TKBI test.
e. Effects of test on students Sanata Dharma University conducts Spoken English Competence Test
TKBI as an effort to improve the quality of the graduates. This speaking test is used as the requirement to take their thesis defense. Therefore, this test brings
serious consequences on students‟ academic life. Fulcher mentions that this kind of test belongs to high stake test which has serious consequences on the test takers
and bring unintended results to the students 2010, p. 6. One form of unintended result is the attitude of the students, such as studying the test, negative learning
strategies, and feeling depressed.
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The impact that tests have on teaching and learning is called as washback Shohamy, 2007. Messick 1996, p. 241 mentions that washback refers to the
extent to which the introduction and use of a test influences language teachers and learners to do things that they would not otherwise do that promote or inhibit
language learning. There are some effects of test on the students. Test can affect teaching and learning process, the materials that the teachers teach and the
students learn, the rate and depth of learning, and the attitudes towards the test. Alderson and Wall 1993 as cited in Bailey, 1999, p. 6 describe the nature
of the washback hypothesis as important consequence that appears in the test. They mention that tests which have important consequences will have washback;
and conversely, tests that do not have important consequences will have no washback effects pp. 120-121. When the students think that the test is important
for their lives, it will affect their learning process, attitudes, and learning approach. Bailey mentions that the impact of a test should be evaluated with reference
to the contextual variables of societys goals and values, the educational system in which the test is used, and the potential outcomes of its use to understand and
manage the presumed influence of tests 2009. Therefore, the test should be evaluated in terms of its goal and the way the school society value the test. By
involving the students as the test takers in the evaluation process, it will promote the potential for positive impact, inc
rease students‟ motivation, and lead to positive performance Bachman and Palmer, 1996, p. 133. Douglas also mentions
the significance of observing students‟ attitudes towards the test, so the language
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testers can respect humanity and dignity, and consider the potential short or long term effects of test on the students‟ attitudes 2010, p. 12.
Motivation is one effect of test on students‟ attitudes. Test which brings high consequence raises students motivation to learn. Having great desires for
learning the language is considered to be one of the main components of language learning motivation Gardner, 2006. The students will be highly motivated to
learn because they want to pass the test. However, this motivation is temporary and immediate. The students will stop learning when they have passed the test.
Whereas, other students may be unmotivated to learn. These students find themselves unmotivated because they have no chance to study, no experience of
interacting in the target language, no need to use the target language in the future, and no confidence to communicate in the target language Watanabe, 2013.
Research by Yashima, Zenuk-Nishide, and Shimizu shows that students who are more satisfied with their skills are more motivated and willing to communicate in
the target language 2004. Test can raise students‟ anxiety during the test preparation and test taking
process. Anxiety can be defined as subjective feeling of tension, apprehension, nervousness, and worry Horwitz, 1986, p. 125; Goh Burns, 2012, p. 26. It
presents as the feeling of worry and nervousness because of communication apprehension, fear of negative social evaluation, and test apprehension. Students
are anxious because they feel that they have lack of communicative skills and low performance on test. Anxiety mostly presents among low proficiency students
who feel insecure to speak because of their low linguistic competence and lack of
42
speaking ability Stawiarska, 2015, p. 104. Anxiety itself diminishes as someone becomes more proficient. The effect of anxiety can be debilitative and facilitative
on learning process Alpert Haber, 1960 as cited in Stawiarska, 2015. Anxious students can feel demotivated to learn because they feel that they do not have the
competence and ability, as a result, it will impair the learning quality. Anxiety can be facilitative when it can motivate the students to improve themselves through
learning. Young 1991 mentions six sources of anxiety. First, anxiety comes from
students‟ personal and interpersonal beliefs. The beliefs include their fear of failure, communication apprehension, and negative social evaluation. When the
students are afraid of making mistakes and making not understandable sentences which will result in negative evaluation, they will be very anxious. Second,
anxiety comes as a result of students‟ beliefs about language learning. It depends on how the students perceive mistakes and view instructional activities. Making
mistakes can raise students‟ anxiety because they think that they will be unsuccessful. If they often find difficulties in accomplishing the learning activities
or learning tasks, they will be anxious as well, because they think that the tasks are difficult to do. Third, anxiety can be the result of instructor beliefs about
language learning. In learning process, the role of instructors and relationship with the learners play a very important role in shaping students‟ feelings. If the
instructors dominate the class and maintain social distance from the students that hinder them f
rom building the relationship, this condition leads to students‟ learning anxiety. Fourth, instructor-learner interactions can raise anxiety. The
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students tend to consider their teachers or instructors as evaluators. As a result, they are reluctant to speak because they are afraid of making mistakes and
receiving bad evaluation. Fifth, anxiety can be the result of classroom procedures. Consciously or unconsciously, types of learning activities or learning procedures
can raise learning anxiety. Students who are incapable in doing certain types of tasks tend to feel worried of failing in the those particular tasks. Last, language
testing is considered as the most anxiety-provoking. Test format usually affects students‟ anxiety. The students are more anxious to accomplish test which needs
complex thinking process, including speaking test where they need to express their ideas spontaneously and meaningfully, with full of attention on the language
at the same time. To some extent, anxiety can impair the quality of performance. Debilitative
anxiety can result in errors because it diminishes students‟ capacity, confidence, and motivation. The more anxious the students are, the more errors they make.
Among all kinds of test, speaking test is most anxiety provoking Stawiarska, 2015, pp. 104-105. The test takers feel that their competence is directly observed
and measured by the examiners. They are more anxious to make mistakes and fail on the test. There are some factors that raise students‟ anxiety during test,
including vocabulary, grammar, fluency, pronunciation, and intelligibility. Most students are anxious about their vocabulary mastery, grammar accuracy and
pronunciation. They are also anxious if they cannot speak smoothly in natural speed. In addition, the students become more anxious in communicating using the
target language if they are unable to understand what the other speakers say or to
44
deliver the message they intend to communicate. Errors due to anxiety are common to occur in early learning phase. When test takers talk with more
competent speakers or native speakers, communication breakdowns mostly occur, because they try to reach mutual understanding and negotiate meaning with their
initial language competence Sato, 2007.
Figure 2.4 The Relation between Test Scores, Self-Efficacy, and Learning Performance Bandura, 1993, p. 129
This condition is similar with the structure of performance theory proposed by Bandura 1993, p. 130. Bandura relates past performance, learning goal, self-
efficacy, and learning strategies as interrelated parts that affect future test performance 1993, p. 132. Past performance on the test affects students‟
attitudes towards their future orientation. Past performance on the test can strengthen as well as weaken stud
ents‟ self-efficacy. Bad test performance can impair students‟ self confidence about their competence and ability. This belief
can be reproduced when the students take similar tests. This form of self-efficacy will affect their learning goals and learning strategies either positively or
negatively. As a result, their self-efficacy will bring effect on their future test performance, whether it improves, stays the same level, or degrades.
45
Test can bring undesirable washback effect. Cumming 2015 mentions that test can bring exam culture in the learning process. The students might be
motivated to learn because they want to pass the test instead of improving proficiency. This kind of high-stake test tends to force the students to study for the
test due to the high consequence it bears. If the students fail, it will affect their lives. Therefore, in English test at higher institutions, exam culture learning is
often unavoidable. f.
Challenges in speaking test There are some challenges that the examiners should consider in
conducting the speaking test. First of all, speaking skill is a skill that cannot be taught Luoma, 1999. It is acquired through practice and exposure to real
language use. Second, speaking test is considered as a complex cognitive process Brown, 2000, p. 395; Robinson Norris, 2005. Most students mention that
speaking test requires complex cognitive process where they should process information in their minds as well as consider the language accuracy before they
can utter the sentences. Sometimes, the tasks in speaking tests are also complex, such as giving opinion, stating agreement or disagreement, reporting, and
narrating Brown, 2000. Third, the students find difficulty when they are not familiar with the task. This problem often appears in language proficiency test
because the tasks or test contents are not taught or learned in the classroom. The tasks themselves are designed based on the proficiency standard which determines
what abilities that the students should perform. To some extent, this principle is effective to measure students‟ real language competence. Fourth, Foster and
46
Skehan mention that planning time can be one obstacle that is faced by the students during the speaking test 1997. Most students find that they need more
time to plan what they want to say in the test, so that they can produce more accurate language. Last, interlocutor effects should be considered as one challenge
for speaking test Berry, Brown, Lumley, 2009. These interlocutor effects are highly related to wh
at are called students‟ attitudes. They relate to what the students think, feel, and act during test preparation and test taking processes.
Another challenge of speaking test is anxisety. Anxiety can obstruct learning process because learners tend to focus narrowly on their performance
accuracy and evaluate themselves excessively that hinder them from speaking using the target language Goh Burns, 2012, p. 26. Anxiety is unavoidable in
learning process. It normally presents during the process and affects the way the students behave and act. Research by MacIntyre Gardner 1991 shows that test
takers are worried about failing in the test and not willing to speak, take risks, and experiment as cited in Goh Burns, 2012, p. 27. Test takers mostly feel
uncomfortable and experience high-pressure event during the test. Research by Zhang 2001 also illustrates how anxiety affects language performance among
Chinese students. Fear of negative evaluation can impair their thinking process and slow their speaking pace. A study by Cheng, Horwitz, and Schallert 1999
among Taiwanese learners shows that students who have low level of self- efficacy tend to have high anxiety level as cited in Goh Burns, 2012, p. 27.
When the students feel unconfident with their competence, they tend to feel anxious or worried about their learning success.
47
The nature of speaking as meaningful interaction can be the challenge of speaking test. Unplanned speech results in inaccurate language during the test
Luoma, 2004, p. 12. Beginner students or students who have lower proficiency level tend to speak less accurately when they should speak spontaneously.
Spontaneous communication especially in a form of interactive speaking test will be full of hesitations, false starts, grammatical inaccuracies and limited
vocabularies due to short language processing Hughes, 2002, p. 77. The situation and relationship between the speakers and hearers as test takers and
examiners can make the students become anxious in speaking test as well Luoma, 2004, p. 24. They feel that during the interaction, they are observed and assessed
by the teachers. As a result, they become anxious and worried about their performance.
Beginner students, who rarely expose themselves to the target language tend to speak less compared to the proficient ones. Students who do not speak
English as the dominant language tend to initiate fewer conversations, make fewer requests, listen less actively which cause them become less effective in
communication Brice Montgomery, 1996, as cited in Goh Burns, 2012, p. 22. This condition answers the question why less proficient students speak less in
the speaking test. They tend to be quiet because they are not ready to speak due to less language exposure they receive so far. This condition is normal because as
they receive more language exposure, they will be more eloquent. Another challenge to speaking test is that language proficiency is less
likely to be a significant factor in influencing test performance Feast, 2001.
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Language skill is only one of the variables motivation of the students should be considered as one one of the most important factors influencing their success or
failure in learning the language. There are also some other factors that interfere students‟ performance during the test. Some previous studies show how
motivation and attitudes have great contribution in students‟ language performance. In this condition, motivation cannot be separated from attitudes
because students‟ motivation in language learning is affected by their attitudes towards learning the language Shuib, 2009
Communication errors also become one challenge in speaking test. According to Kuchiel, communication errors occur because people want to carry
out actions in a proficient and effective manner while maintaining effective interaction between the interlocutors 2015. As a result, this condition will lead to
communication apprehension or anxiety, tension, unwillingness to communicate, shyness and unreadiness to talk. The feeling of anxiety and tension will impair
students‟ competence because they become unconfident with their ability and diminish their belief on their self-efficacy. In severe condition, the students will
be unwilling, shy, and unready to initiate and participate in a communicative setting which then make them avoid social interaction with others. Kuchiel further
explains that these challenges occur due to social, cognitive, and cultural dimension of language, that language is a product of cognitive process used to
serve social interaction and carried out under particular culture 2015. Communication breakdowns mostly occur because of the greater difference of L2
learners‟ competence and that of the L1 speakers which makes the L2 learners feel
49
more insecure with their language competence. They will feel that their language competence is not sufficient to maintain effective, meaningful, and acceptable
communication. Communication breakdown often becomes a challenge in turn-taking
process of communication. Khamkien mentions that misunderstanding and mispronunciation can hinder effective communication 2010. Beginner students
are worried if they fail to understand what they are saying and ask questions that cannot be understood by the listeners. As a consequence, they lower their self-
esteem because they feel to be judged to have failed Lyons, 2015. Another challenge faced by teachers and students is the presence of exam culture learning
when the students study merely to pass the test. Both teachers and students should move from exam culture into learning culture. In learning culture, the students
learn to develop their proficiency, so they learn because of their needs and interests Lyons, 2015.
B. REVIEW OF RELATED STUDIES