Validity of Pre-college Students’ English School Based Assessment in Predicting Achievement in University Entrance Examination

Abstract

This study investigated the validity of pre-college students’ School Based English Assessment (SBEA) as a predictor of their English achievement in University Entrance Examination (UEE). A quantitative research method with predictive correlational design was employed. The participants were 1,113 students from Woldia Preparatory School, Ethiopia; they were selected using convenience sampling. The students’ Grade 11 and Grade12 SBEA scores and their English UEE scores were taken as data. Descriptive Statistics, Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficients and Simple Linear Regression Analysis were employed for the data analysis. The descriptive statistics indicated that the students’ level of achievement was average in SBEA and low in UEE. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test result showed statistically significant difference between SBEA and UEE, favoring SBEA. The correlation between students’ achievement in SBEA and UEE was found to be positive but moderate for natural science students and low for social science students. The linear regression analysis result indicated that SBEA was found to have a predictive validity on achievement in UEE for natural science students; however, SBEA score did not predict social science students’ score in UEE. Recommendations were suggested based on the findings.