EFFECTS OF LANGUAGE ADMISSION CRITERIA ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF NON-NATIVE ENGLISH-SPEAKING STUDENTS

Abstract

University admission criteria for graduate and undergraduate non-native English speaking students often include a minimum score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The relationships among academic success (here defined as first semester university grade point average), TOEFL test score, and other variables were analyzed by means of multiple regression analysis for a sample size of 159. The other variables examined were grade point average in the final semester of pre-university study-of-English courses, native language, major area of study and interactions of TOEFL score with native language, major area of study, and graduate/undergraduate status. Data on grade point average in the final semester of pre-university English language study were obtainable because students in the sample had studied English in a full-time non-credit pre-university English language program prior to beginning university course work. In addition first semester university grade point average data from a separate group of similar subjects were separately analyzed using identical procedures in an effort to validate the results of the study sample analysis. As another validation procedure, graduate and undergraduate data were also analyzed separately for each sample. Results indicated that graduate and undergraduate students in the study sample admitted with TOEFL scores of less than 500 were able to achieve at an acceptable level in the first semester of university course work. TOEFL test score and grade point average in the final semester of pre-university study-of-English courses were related to first semester undergraduate academic success but not to graduate academic success. The grade point average in the final semester of study-of-English courses accounted for 10% of the undergraduate first semester university grade point average, which was twice the variance accounted for by TOEFL test score. Native language was not related to first semester university grade point average in the study sample although there was a relationship in the validation sample. Major area of study was significantly related to first semester university grade point average for graduate students in the study sample but not for graduate students in the validation sample. All interactions tested were not significant. The results, including conflicting outcomes, were discussed.