ERIC Number: EJ1376481
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Apr
Pages: 24
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0265-5322
EISSN: EISSN-1477-0946
A Meta-Analysis on the Predictive Validity of English Language Proficiency Assessments for College Admissions
Ihlenfeldt, Samuel Dale; Rios, Joseph A.
Language Testing, v40 n2 p276-299 Apr 2023
For institutions where English is the primary language of instruction, English assessments for admissions such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) give admissions decision-makers a sense of a student's skills in academic English. Despite this explicit purpose, these exams have also been used for the practice of predicting academic success. In this study, we meta-analytically synthesized 132 effect sizes from 32 studies containing validity evidence of academic English assessments to determine whether different assessments (a) predicted academic success (as measured by grade point average [GPA]) and (b) did so comparably. Overall, assessments had a weak positive correlation with academic achievement (r = 0.231, p < 0.001). Additionally, no significant differences were found in the predictive power of the IELTS and TOEFL exams. No moderators were significant, indicating that these findings held true across school type, school level, and publication type. Although significant, the overall correlation was low; thus, practitioners are cautioned from using standardized English-language proficiency test scores in isolation in lieu of a holistic application review during the admissions process.
Descriptors: Meta Analysis, Test Validity, College Admission, Second Language Learning, English (Second Language), Language Tests, Decision Making, Admission Criteria, Prediction, Academic Achievement, Grade Point Average, Correlation, Institutional Characteristics, Publications, Scores, Language Proficiency, Effect Size, Research Reports
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2993
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Information Analyses
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys: Test of English as a Foreign Language; International English Language Testing System
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A