MITIGATING RESPONDENT FATIGUE IN SELF-ASSESSMENT: CEFR-BASED ITEMS FOR MALAYSIAN UNDERGRADUATES

• Published in: JOURNAL OF NUSANTARA STUDIES-JONUS
• Main Authors: Fauzi, Tg Nur Liyana Tengku Mohamed; Yusoff, Muhammad Saiful Anuar; Ramli, Nor Fazlin Mohd
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: UNIV SULTAN ZAINAL ABIDIN 2024
• Subjects: Area Studies
• Online Access: https://www-webofscience-com.uitm.idm.oclc.org/wos/woscc/full-record/WOS:001289759000020
• ISSN: 0127-9319; 0127-9386
• DOI: 10.24200/jonus.vol9iss2pp474-489

Background and Purpose: The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is an internationally recognised instrument for describing language skills. It describes language proficiency on a six-level scale, ranging from A1 for beginners to C2 for those who have already mastered a language. The roadmap in the Malaysian Education Plan 2013-2025 sets B2 as the target for Malaysian higher education graduates as this is the level at which they can expect to get a job and function adequately in English, while graduates of English language degree programmes are expected to reach C1 when they graduate. The aim of this study is to test and verify whether it is appropriate to use only the items from B2, C1 and C2 to measure the language proficiency of Malaysian students to avoid respondent fatigue in answering the questionnaire. Methodology: A proportionate stratified random sampling method was used and four strata were defined: Strata I and II were male and female students in public institutions, Strata III and IV were male and female students in private institutions. The instrument used was a questionnaire containing demographic profiles and eight items from the CEFR Global Self-Assessment Grid. Exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis were conducted using SPSS. Contributions: The findings of the study contribute to the understanding of the optimization of the CEFR framework in Malaysian higher education by reducing respondent fatigue and improving the quality of self-assessment. The study provides empirical evidence of the effectiveness of using CEFRbased items at B2, C1 and C2 levels in reducing fatigue, improving the quality of self-assessment and informing language teaching and learning practices. The findings can assist educators and policy makers in developing more effective language teaching and assessment strategies that promote student learning outcomes and ultimately improve the language education of Malaysian students.