English Proficiency Exam Prospective

You will document a dialogue with a student who is required to prepare or has taken a mandatory English language examination. In completing the assignment, you will:

•    Under the guidance of the professor, identify a participant for the assignment

•    Ask several guiding questions related to the interest, purpose, and experience of a student who speaks English as an additional language in taking an English language proficiency examination

Write a 2 - 3 paragraph reflection on the experience of listening to the student’s narratives

            Under the guidance of professor Brad Washington, I connected with Doctoral student, Malihe Eshghavi, who attends the University of San Francisco. Eshghavi has, in the past, prepared the following English proficiency tests, which are as follows; the Test of English as a Foreign Language, TOEFL, International English Testing System, IELTS, and the Graduate Record Examination, GRE. Eshghavi is an Iranian student in the field of second language acquisition. These English proficiency exams were taken in her native country, Iran. The exams were required for her admissions into USFCA Doctoral program.

            Although my conversation with Malihe was short, it was enough to give me an idea of the complexities of English proficiency exam preparation. Speaking with her reminded me of my friend Lara Ismael’s English preparation for her move to America in 2011, to be an au pair. Although, Lara did not need to take English exams to take her job in America, she still took basic English classes to learn fundamental English language to help her with her job. In the TESOL field, we know this type of language acquisition for a job as English for specific purpose. Eshghavi, however, began pursuing English for academic purposes.

            Similarly, both non-native English speakers encountered the same conflict, which was learning English in their native country, in order to fulfill functional communication purposes for their personal endeavors. Lara, prepared for a job. Malihe, prepared for higher education.

            Knowing this, I can only imagine the anticipation of language acquisition when they are not yet in an English speaking country, let alone, the anxiety of standardized testing. To compare, in my education experience and travels, I found language immersion was the best way to study and learn a language, and testing is nerve-racking. Malihe’s Doctoral program aspiration depended on her testing abilities, and English proficiency. She had to take English proficiency courses to pass the GRE exam, which even native English speakers study rigorously for, to get into graduate programs.

            Having a non-native prospective on testing preparation brings great awareness to the obstacles international students face when applying to English speaking schools. This insight helps me, as a TESOL instructor, to know where I can help alleviate stress for students preparing for English exams. Knowing Krashen’s Affective Filter Theory, my own experiences, my friends experiences, and Malihe’s story, English proficiency tests should not determine future admissions, but decide the proper placement for immigrant student English education needs. Malihe, says, currently she is not preparing for any English proficiency exams, which to me means, she has adapted to English standardize testing, and is at a point in her educational career where she is way more proficient in speaking and writing in English.