ERIC Number: ED499485
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1999-Oct
Pages: 15
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Relationship of Graduate Record Examination Aptitude Test Scores and Graduate School Performance of International Students at the United States Universities
Basturk, Ramazan
Online Submission, Paper presented at the Conference of the Mid-Western Educational Research Association (Annual, Chicago, IL, October 13-16, 1999)
Purpose: This paper will: (1) review the validity of the Graduate Record Examination for predicting international students' Graduate Grade Point Average (GGPA); and (2) inspect possible social, cultural and language bias or learning style differences in the prediction of international students' performance from Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores when used in admission / selection decisions at American universities. Results: Different studies demonstrated that: (1) International Students who were not homogeneous with respect to linguistic, cultural and educational background; (2) Subgroups with homogeneous country of origin and background variables; and (3) Subgroups classified according to English proficiency, as indicated by Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores; GRE-Verbal, Analytic, and Quantitative scores; and self-reported English language proficiency. Research indicated that for all subgroups of quantitatively-oriented departments, GRE-Quantitative scores and GRE-Analytical scores were more highly correlated with first year average grades (FYA) than were GRE-Verbal scores. Their correlation coefficients were .311, .275, and .097 for quantitative, analytical, and verbal cores, respectively Conclusions: Every year hundreds of students from foreign countries enroll in American graduate schools and this trend will probably continue in the future. The decision to admit foreign students into a graduate program affects their advanced education opportunity and future career. The admission of foreign students to graduate school is a very complicated issue. Unlike their American counterparts, foreign students often lack proficiency in the English language due to differences in their native language, learning style and their cultural, social and economical background. The appraisal of the foreign candidate's aptitude for graduate study by standardized admission tests also has pitfalls. Poor performance may be due to factors not directly related to aptitude for graduate study. Recommendations: In order for foreign students in the US universities to be appropriately classified and their academic characteristics properly assessed, the admission committees need to create or be provided an effective evaluation system. In order to do that, confounding problems related to the GRE and its validity and usability with foreign students must be examined. (Contains 4 tables.)
Descriptors: Foreign Students, Graduate Study, Cognitive Style, Grade Point Average, Validity, Aptitude Tests, College Entrance Examinations, Prediction, Social Influences, Cultural Influences, College Admission, Selective Admission, Cultural Differences, Language Proficiency, English (Second Language), Correlation, Scores
Publication Type: Reports - Evaluative; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A