- UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES &. - THE CURRENT FINAL ACHIEVEMENT TESTS FOR NON-ENGLISH MAJORS AT QUANG NINH TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGE. - AN EVALUATIVE STUDY ON THE CURRENT FINAL ACHIEVEMENT TESTS FOR NON – ENGLISH MAJORS AT QUANG NINH TEACHER. - Second, I would also like to acknowledge my debt of gratitude to the staff members of the Faculty of Post-Graduate Studies and the lecturers at University of Languages and International Studies, Vietnam National University-Hanoi for their valuable lectures, which laid the foundation for this thesis and for their knowledge as well as their sympathy.. - Third, a special thank would also go to the teachers and the non-English majors at Quang Ninh Teacher Training College, who took part in the research. - The study was intended to give an evaluation on the current final achievement tests for non English majors at QNTTC from perspectives of the teachers and non- English majors at QNTTC. - In addition, this study also investigated how the current final achievement tests for non-English majors at QNTTC aligned to the CEFR.. - The study was carried out by means of two sets of survey questionnaires, and analysis of the current final achievement tests at QNTTC and the CEFR, using some softwares.. - From perspectives of the students, some test items of these tests such as phonetics, vocabulary and grammatical structures were too difficult for them to do.. - The teachers found that the current final achievement tests at QNTTC were not very reasonable because they lacked two skills: speaking and listening and the writing section did not test some useful skills such as writing letters, writing cards, creating stories.. - The analysis of the alignment between the current final achievement tests at QNTTC and the CEFR showed that most of the vocabulary and test items in these tests were in the ranges from levels A2 to B1 and some of them were at level A2 and did not reach the target level, B1. - Moreover, the current final achievement tests at QNTTC differed from other international tests (PET) in terms of length and constructs.. - The study will hopefully contribute to the test making at QNTTC by showing an example of evaluation on the current final achievement tests for non-English majors at QNTTC and the alignment between these tests and the CEFR.. - INTRODUCTION 1.1 Rationale of the study. - In the process of global integration, Vietnam has realized the importance of English language learning and teaching. - Quang Ninh Teacher Training College (QNTTC) was established in 1959 and now it is considered the oldest institution in providing undergraduate teacher education in Quang Ninh. - In 1991, the organization was restructured from four provincial teacher training institutions (TTI): Quang Ninh Early childhood TTI, Quang Ninh Primary TTI, Quang Ninh Education Management TTI and Quang Ninh Low Secondary TTI. - Having awareness of the importance of English, the college authorities have paid due attention to the matter of improving the quality of teaching and learning English.. - In the teaching and learning in general and in the teaching and learning foreign language process in particular, testing and assessment play a significant role. - The importance of language testing is recognised by virtually all professionals in the language education. - Teachers should not be confined to imparting teaching and learning with testing. - Nga (1997:1) shares the same idea: “Tests are assumed to be powerful determiners of what happens in classrooms and it is commonly claimed that they affect teaching and learning activities both directly and indirectly”.. - It cannot be denied that testing is an important part in teaching and learning process, but has it been paid enough attention yet? Having taught English for students at a high school and then at QNTTC for 5 years, the author of this study has designed tests for both English majors and non-English majors. - Hughes (1990:1) also gives another comment on recent language testing: “It cannot be denied that a great deal of language testing is of very poor quality. - Too often language tests have a harmful effect on teaching and learning and too often they fail to measure accurately whatever it is they are intended to measure”. - On the ground of the problems already mentioned, it is thought that achievement tests for the non-English majors at QNTTC should be designed to assure the accuracy and fairness for all students so that they can produce good backwash in the teachers’ teaching and give students satisfaction and encouragement in study. - “An evaluative study on the current final achievement tests for non-English majors at Quang Ninh Teacher Training College”. - 1.2 Aims of the study. - The study aims at evaluating the current final achievement tests at QNTTC. - Fundamental Considerations in Language Testing.. - Language testing in Practice:. - Language Testing: A Critical Survey and Practical Guide.. - Principles of Language Learning and Teaching.. - The psychology of language testing. - Language Testing symposium. - Council of Europe (2001): Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: learning, teaching and assessment. - 'The Common European Framework of Reference and the design of language tests: A matter of effect', Language Teaching . - Reading Comprehension Tests for Intermediate Students at Hanoi University of Foreign Studies. - Hanoi University of Foreign Studies.. - A Language Testing Handbook. - Communicative Testing Jam Tomorrow? (In) Current Developments in Language Testing. - A Guide to Language Testing. - Language Testing. - 'Cambridge ESOL and the CEFR', Research Notes, 37, 2-5.. - Wash back effects of the International English Language Testing System at the Vietnam National University, Hanoi. - “The Association between TOEFL iBT Test Scores and the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) levels”. - Modern Language Testing. - 'Limitations of the Common European Framework for developing comparable examinations and tests'. - Language Testing . - Decision 66/2008/QĐ – BGDĐT dated 2 December, 2008 of the Ministry of Education.