Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Don’t
make a mockery of MUET Part 1
Don’t
make a mockery of MUET
Posted on December 19, 2011 by psbtpnsarawak
Sunday December 18, 2011
http://thestar.com.my/education/story.asp?file=/2011/12/18/education/10070482&sec=education
AS A newly-retired English language teacher who has taught MUET ( Malaysia
University English Test) classes for more than a decade, I have always
subscribed to the view that decisions taken about educational matters should
always be guided by the best interests of the students and not sacrificed on
the altar of financial gains.
Thus when I recently learnt that the test would be conducted three times next
year — March, July and November — and the registration fee raised from RM60 to
RM100, I am compelled to offer my views on many of the issues affecting the
MUET classes.
To begin with, logic will dictate that many school candidates will now choose
to sit for the test in March to secure a good Band score as fast as possible
(which is what many Lower Six students are going to do), failing which they can
then choose to sit for the exam in July and November to secure higher scores
and in the process, swell the coffers of the Malaysian Examinations Council
(MEC).
And that is what administering the MUET three times a year will bring about —
making a mockery of the whole purpose of introducing MUET in the first place.
So now, instead of the recommended 80 hours of MUET sessions, many schools will
have to make do with less than 35 hours. Leaving aside the question on whether
such a move is practical or wise the issue should be: What good will such a
plan bring about when students are allowed to sit for their MUET exam so soon?
Clearly, a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing.
Unhappy situation
As matters now stand, the students are being given the option to sit for the
MUET in May instead of November creating an unhappy situation whereby after the
test, MUET teachers have a hard time getting students to stay engaged in their
MUET lessons. In previous years, to keep my English classes going after the
MUET in May, I would teach my students Phonetics and Business Communication,
among other things. However there were students who upon receiving their MUET
results in July, were not keen to follow the MUET lessons, especially if they
had secured Bands 5 and 4. This in effect meant that I only had to teach the
group of students who registered to reseat their MUET exam in November. With
Lower Six students now allowed to sit for their MUET exam in March, students
would be left to their own devices once the exams are over.
They would most likely use their MUET periods to revise their other STPM
subjects.
And such unfortunate circumstances have conspired to make MUET teachers the
butt of jokes and resentment in schools for allegedly getting paid for having
such a “good” time in school, no thanks to the flexible MUET dates.
Having taught MUET classes for so many years, I must say the standards of
marking and grading MUET papers have somewhat become inconsistent over the
years.
In the early years of MUET, only two or three students would manage to secure a
Band 5. Then, after some years, just like the grade inflation plaguing SPM
subjects, almost half the students in the better MUET classes were able to
secure Band 5. In fact, even average students were able to obtain a Band 4! And
it is surprising to find that students who fared so poorly in their written
English have still managed to secure a low Band 5 for the test.
The fact is that when students are able to work out most of the answers for the
Reading Comprehension paper which carries 45% of the overall aggregate scores
(under the old test specifications) and do moderately well in the speaking and
listening components, which together carry 30% of the aggregate scores, it is
still possible for them to secure a low Band 5 even if they barely pass the
writing component which constitutes 25 % of the aggregate scores.
Thus, when MUET is not perceived as a reliable measure of the candidates’
English language proficiency, it has become largely optional, if considered at
all, in applying for admission in local private colleges with “twinning”
courses with their overseas counterparts which allocate little importance to
it.
When students head to Singapore for their tertiary education, they are made to
sit for the English Qualifying Test, even if they have secured a high Band 5 in
MUET. This is not surprising as many applicants can’t even write a few
sentences without grammatical errors!
It is a sad reflection of how the standard of English has deteriorated in
schools these days.
Poor standards
Below is an example of an an opinion written by a student on whether modern
advertising is a bad influence on today’s youth.
“… nowadays, when we swift on the televisyens, most of the time is for
advertised the advertisement. When they watching the TV programme, the children
are also watching together by them. ….Some of the business people are using a
women body to advertised their product …”
Let me also point out that fine tuning the writing component by replacing
Question 1, which was formerly a summary question with a question on the
interpretation of data will not do any good as MUET teachers do no have the
luxury of time to put their charges through an intensive course to polish up
the latter’s grammar and vocabulary skills. To persist with the current writing
paper is akin to putting the cart before the horse.
It would also be wise if the MEC takes note that since Question 1 in the
writing component now involves statistics, some calculations and analysis of
data, maintaining the 1½ hours for the paper is hardly sufficient.
Candidates will face severe time constraints in tackling the writing paper and
only with constant practice can they hope to do well in the paper. Upper Six
students will be hard-pressed to do well if they are allowed to take their MUET
exams so early in March. The selection of examiners for MUET’s speaking
component is another issue that needs to be urgently addressed. It is puzzling
why so many competent MUET teachers are sidelined when it comes to appointing
examiners for this component while those not at all involved in teaching MUET
classes are selected.
Let me cite an example of a team leader who was not a MUET teacher overruling
his junior co-examiner who was a MUET teacher, by assessing a candidate who
spoke excellent English and performed impressively for both the individual
presentation and group discussion task a Band 4, when it was obvious that the
candidate was clearly of Band 5 or Band 6 calibre. The rationale? The team
leader, dogmatically claimed that they should avoid giving candidates a high
band score for speaking as far as possible, as instructed by their superiors!
This undesirable state of affairs is played out in some STPM subjects as well.
It brings to mind what a Maths teacher involved in marking STPM exam scripts
said about one of his co-markers who was a Chemistry graduate, and not a bona
fide Maths teacher.
The latter had refused to accept a candidate’s Maths answer because the
candidate had used another approach. The examiner, who was apparently more at
home with Chemistry, chose to blindly follow what was in the marking scheme and
penalised the poor student for securing the answer using a formula that
differed from the one in the marking scheme!
Such instances are reasons why it is crucial to ensure that only competent and
experienced examiners who are teaching the respective subjects be given the
task of marking public exam papers which determine the academic future and
career prospects of the candidates.
Anything short of that will not only affect the credibility of the marked
papers, but also victimise some candidates through no fault of their own.
The rationale given for the introduction of MUET in 1999 was that undergraduates
in local universities were wasting their time learning basic grammar, and
therefore MUET was introduced to address the low English proficiency of
students before pursuing higher education.
If that is the case, the present MUET general test specifications and MUET
format do not address the poor grammar and vocabulary skills of many of the
candidates. And things won’t get better with the early registration for the
test when candidates simply do not have sufficient and sustained MUET lessons to
improve their low language proficiency in English.
Grammar skills
There is a dire need to test grammar to ensure candidates take pains to improve
their grammar and vocabulary skills and be aware of the common failings
displayed in their written English. Grammar is an integral part of effective
academic writing.
Thus, developing a better understanding of how individual words and groups of
words work to form coherent sentences and paragraphs to construct academic
texts will be useful. With knowledge born out of hard classroom experience, it
is my contention that instead of the MUET general test specifications and exam,
Form Six students are better off if they are given a well-crafted English
course conducted by committed teachers to prepare them for entry to tertiary
education. They can then be made to sit for a rigorous common English entrance
examination for admission into public universities.
It is about time the MEC carried out a survey to find out if the present
coursework and MUET serves to achieve the original aims. The council should not
be too concerned with raising fees to swell its coffers. The MUET exam must
surely be a means towards an end and, not an end by itself.
HENRY SOON
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
“Don’t
make a mockery of MUET” Part 2
MUET
measures language ability
WE refer to the letter “Don’t make a mockery of MUET” by Mr Henry Soon in
StarEducate (Dec 18, 2011).
The Malaysian University English Test (MUET) is an English language proficiency
test designed to measure the English language ability of students wishing to
pursue first degree studies in local institutions of higher learning.
With MUET, English is taught in Form Six or pre-university level to equip students
with the appropriate level of proficiency in English to enable them to perform
effectively in their academic pursuits at tertiary level.
The Malaysian Examinations Council (MEC) fully agrees with Mr Soon’s opinion
that decisions on educational matters should be in the best interests of
students. MUET will be conducted three times a year as of this year in March,
July and November.
The policy came into being after numerous requests from students who had
intentions of sitting for the MUET and after an in-depth study of its
implications.
At present, candidates who take the mid-year MUET face problems in their
appeals for intake into institutions of higher learning.
The closing date for such appeals is in late June whilst the results for the
mid-year exams are released in July. With MUET being offered thrice a year,
candidates who take the MUET in March are able to obtain their results prior to
the closing date for appeals.
At present too, MUET dates clash with the examination schedules, new student
intake and semester holidays of various institutions of higher learning. Hence,
providing an additional test will offer better alternatives to students from
these institutions to select the MUET session that best suits their needs.
Offering MUET three times a year too, does allow more opportunities for
candidates to improve their MUET score. They do not need to wait six months
before taking the next MUET.
This benefits school candidates, private candidates, and also university
students who require a stipulated minimum MUET band to qualify for entrance or
graduate from university.
Private candidates who work in the private or public sector too have a better
choice of MUET sessions as some take the paper for promotional purposes.
Contrary to Mr Soon’s claim, the decision to include an additional MUET session
in our yearly schedule was never made for “financial gains”. The additional
session in fact will put more demands on MEC’s operational, administrative and
financial resources, but having the best interests of our clients in mind, we
believe that the benefits to our clients and nation far outweigh the additional
costs incurred.
Flexibility
In an era where institutions of higher learning are opening up opportunities
for flexible entry and exit points for tertiary education, the additional MUET
session will provide flexibility and enhance student mobility in line with
national and international development.
On the issue of school candidates sitting for MUET in March, students not being
keen to stay engaged in MUET lessons after taking the MUET early and MUET
teachers being the butt of jokes and resentment due to the flexible MUET dates,
this is a school administrative matter.
It is stipulated clearly in a circular to schools and also in the MUET Test
Specifications (page 9) that “the MUET programme should involve 240 hours of
teaching time spanning three school terms. Instruction should be carried out
for eight periods a week at 40 minutes per period.”
If schools do not comply with this and students feel they are prepared to take
the test earlier, it is beyond the jurisdiction of the MEC.
We are, however, confident that school administrators and MUET teachers will
have the necessary expertise and creativity to manage the teaching-learning
process in their schools. Instead of viewing the additional MUET session as a
burden, we believe schools will make use of the flexibility offered for the
benefit of their students.
With regards to the issue of students scoring Band Five, like Mr soon
rightfully stated, they are students from “the better MUET classes.” With
stringent marking and a standardised set of scoring criteria, only the
proficient can attain Band Five. So far, and again contrary to Mr Soon’s claim
of a “grade inflation”, national records show that only one percent out of
85,000 candidates have managed to obtain Band 5.
Students who apply to universities in the United Kingdom, United States or
Singapore are required to sit for the IELTS, TOEFL or qualifying tests because
that is the entrance requirement of such institutions.
Question One of the MUET writing paper has been changed from summary writing to
report writing as this skill is more reflective of academic writing in
universities, that is writing reports that incorporate the skills of analysing
and synthesising ideas based on data given.
Candidates are not required to carry out any calculations. The example of a
piece of writing given on “modern advertising” is not based on any previous
MUET question or script.
Specifications
On the issue of teachers not having enough time to teach grammar and vocabulary
and the MUET Test Specifications not addressing the students’ poor grasp of
grammar and vocabulary, please refer again to the recommended number of hours
of teaching time as stated in the Test Specifications.
MUET teachers are selected to be examiners based on their qualifications in
English or TESL. However, there are some MUET teachers who do not want to be
examiners, hence to get a larger pool of examiners, MEC has to appoint teachers
who teach Forms Four or Five.
MUET teachers have done well and are very committed in preparing their students
for the MUET and examiners too have responsibly marked the scripts. Examiners
for Speaking and Writing have to sit for a proficiency test and are given training
on marking besides attending marking coordination meetings.
It should be pointed out that MUET is a criterion-referenced test, i.e. there
is a set of established criteria or standard of performance for each band.
If a candidate has met the criteria set for a high band, there are no
reservations in awarding the candidate the mark or band he or she deserves.
The issue of “grade inflation” (or ‘deflation’ in this case) does not arise in
MUET – candidates get what they deserve according to a set of established
criteria.
MUET fees have to be raised from RM60 to RM100 due to the rising costs of
administering the test. MEC, in fact has been bearing the extra costs incurred
which are not covered by the previous fee of RM60.
The council carried out a comprehensive study taking into consideration the
views of students, teachers, lecturers, examiners, institutions of higher
learning and state education departments before reviewing and implementing the
MUET Specifications, administrative procedures and costing.
Finally, we would like to assure Mr Soon and the public that as an examination
body, MEC has always strived for continual improvement.
We adhere to internationally established practices of assessment in ensuring
the validity and reliability of the MUET which includes among others, training
of examiners, close analysis of test performance, benchmarking with and
correlational studies against international tests, and constant communications
with our stakeholders, including feedback from students, teachers, examiners,
universities and experts in the field.
Our close monitoring of the MUET shows that it is a reliable measure of
candidates’ proficiency in English in relation to their readiness for tertiary
education.
MALAYSIAN EXAMINATIONS COUNCIL,
