Shireena Basree Abdul Rahman 97 24

7/29/2019 Shireena Basree Abdul Rahman 97 24

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/shireena-basree-abdul-rahman-97-24 1/24

UNIVERSITY OF READING

Department of Arts and Humanities in Education

MA in English and Language in Education

An Evaluation of the Content and Structure of the SijilPelajaran M alaysia Oral English Exam ination: the

Views of Teachers From Selected Secondary Schools in

Malaysia

Dissertation submitted as partial fulfilment for the MA

Degree in English and Language in Education

B y

Shireena B asree bt. Abdul Rahman

August 1997



Dedication

To my beloved parents ... Abah and Mak

&

the Basrees



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my Supervisor,Dr. Brian Richards for his guidance, support and positive criticisms in helping me to

complete this dissertation. However, all the errors remain my own.

I would like to thank m y sponsor, Institut Teknologi Mara, Malaysia, fo r giving m e

th e opportunity to pursue my MA Degree in the University of Reading. My sincere

thanks also goes to the Johor State Education Department, Malaysia and the teachers

who kindly agreed to be a part of this study.

I would also like to thank my relatives and friends in Malaysia ... especially Maizura.

Not forgetting th e most wonderful friends whom I am grateful to have met... Antonia

Bizoumi, Chan Fong Ming, Anna Karaolidou, Elena Hadjikakou and most importantly,

Pingi Fasi ... whose thoughtfulness and warm words of encouragement gave me

strength to continue, especially during the most painful and trying period of my stay

here in Bulmershe.

Finally, my utmost love and gratitude goes to my parents, Abah and Mak, w ho have

always been there for me ... giving their never-ending love and support, which has

helped me to pull through moments of sadness and frustrations. My brothers Zakir

Basree an d Hanif Basree, my sister in-laws Shen and Nonie and above all, my love

also goes to my darling sister Sherinaz Basree and rny little nephew and niece, Zalman

Basree and Adrina Basree. This is for all of you ...



S I Very Short Story

& young mother mouse l e f t he r three playful children at home,

white she w e n t out in search for food. B e f o r e leaving, she reminded

them ... "Children ... Beware of the C S V T / / / Promise m e that y ou

wittiwtgo out ...or It wilte a t y ou up". Upon he r return, s he w a s

devastated to find that he r children were missing ... and soon

after, heard their cries of *y£E£P ! ! !* .

f

lhe fr ightened motherimmediately came up with an idea. She creeped Behind the C at and

screamed at the top of her voice . . . "WOO?!! .. . W O O f ! ! " . T he

terrified C at k a p e d a w a y , releasing all th e children into th e safety

of their mother's arms. * B a c ^ in the comfort of home, one of the

children said... */ never fyiew that a mouse could B a r f ^ l ike a

...*. Smilingly, th e mother repl ied . . .

t< c

fe s m y D e a r , we can.y ou Iqiow why it is important to S P E R K ^ a Second

Language. . . " .

^. & > * < > »

\̂̂ \<l*\ ^̂N ^

'



ABSTRACT

This study seeks to evaluate th e current format and content of the S.P.M

(Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) Oral English Examination. This is done through an analysis of

related documents, particularly the Malaysian English Language Syllabus for upper

secondary schools, samples of past years S.P.M. Oral Examination questions and marking

scheme. Aside from that, questionnaires were also distributed to seek the opinions of

teachers regarding th e teaching of Speaking skills in English language classrooms, an d also

their perception about the current SPM Oral English Examination.

Since the Malaysian English Language Syllabus is one that is based on the

com mun icative approach of language learning, it is expected that the language tests of such

a syllabus should also be communicative in nature. In terms of Oral testing, a

communicative test should at least reflect "real-life" or everyday kind of communication.

However, the document analysis which was carried out revealed otherwise. The type of

oral activities that students engage in during th e Oral Examination does not actually sample

wha t the speaking component in the English Langu age Syllabus aims to achieve and fails

to be communicative.

It is also the belief of this study that more attention is being given towards

th e teaching of the Literacy skills (reading and writing) at the expense of Oracy skills

(listening and speaking). This is further supported by the questionnaire findings, where a

majority of the subjects agreed that there is a certain amount of neglect towards th e

teaching and learning of Oracy skills in the English language classroom. The findings of

this study, among others, clearly highlights the worrying state of Oracy teaching, learning

and also testing in the context of Malaysian English language syllabus for upper secondary

schools. Therefore, relevant measures should be taken by the Malaysian Ministry of

Education to rectify this problem.

IV



CONTENTS

Dedication i

Acknowledgements ii

A very short story iii

Abstract iv

Chapter 1 - Setting the Scene

Introduction 1

Statement of the Problem 3

About Malaysia 4

The Role of English Language in Malaysia 5

English Language in Malaysian Schools 8

Conclusion 10

Chapter 2 - Literature Review and Documentary Analysis

The Malaysian English Language Syllabus

for Secondary Schools 12Communicative Language Teaching and Testing 17

Oral Testing Over the Years 22

The Basics of Language Testing 25

The S.P.M. Oral English Examination 26

Conclusion 30



Chapter 3 - Research Methodology

Aims of Study 31

Research Questions 32

Description of Study 33

Instrument 33

The Pilot Study 35

The Subjects 36

The Administration of Questionnaires 37

Document Analysis 37

Data Analysis 38

Limitations of Study 39

Chapter 4 - Analysis of Data

Introduction 43

Feedback from Subjects 43

Analysis of Section A 46

A nalysis of Section B 49Analysis of Section C 61

Analysis of Section D 68

Statistical Test (Cross Tabulation and Chi-Square) 70

VI



Chapters - Conclusion

Introduction 72

Summary of Findings 73

Some Implications 75

Further Research 78

Conclusion 80

Bibliography 82

List of Appendices:

Appendix A - Samples of reading passages and comprehension questions

from past years S.P.M. Oral English Exam ination Booklets.

Appendix B - Samples of pictorial stimulus and questions from past

years S.P.M. Oral English Examination Booklets.

Appendix C - The Marking Scheme of the S.P.M. Oral English

Examination.

Appendix D - Questionnaire

Vll



Appendix E - Excerpts from the Malaysian English Language Syllabus

Specifications fo r Form 4

Appendix F - Excerpt from the Malaysian English Language Syllabus

Specifications for Form 3

Vlll



CHAPTER ONE

SETTING THE SCENE

Introduction

Spoken language production, learning to talk in the foreign

language, is often considered to be one of the most difficult

aspects of language learning for the teacher to help the studentswi th . . .

(Brown and Yule, 1994 p.25)

Far from trying to begin this chapter on a negative note, the quotation

above not only illustrates what is frequently observed in most foreign language

learning situations, in fact, it best describes the problem that is currently faced by many

English as a Second language (ESL, hereafter) teachers in M alaysia. Indeed, speakingis perhaps not only the most difficult skill to teach in Second/Foreign language

learning, in fact it is a very difficult skill to learn and actually use, in everyday

communication as well. I am saying this based on my personal experience of not only

being a teacher of ESL, but also after having spent years of learning ESL.Although

English Language holds the status of an official Second Language in Malaysia, it

remains a language that is only commonly spoken and used by the "selected" group of

people, primarily those who are educated and live in the urban or town areas.

However, in reality, English has become more of a foreign language, a language that is

learned for examination purposes and classroom use only. The alleged decline in the

standard of English language proficiency, specifically among students, has received a

lot of public attention and extensive media coverage. In fact, this is even voiced by

many educationists an d politicians alike as clearly highlighted by an article which

appeared in one of M alaysia's leading English newspapers, The New Straits T imes:



Recently, concern about the falling standards ...(of Englishlanguage) has come once again to the fore, and especially since

only 50.6 percent of the students sitting the SPM examinationpassed the English subject in 1990, a decline of eight percent

compared to 1989.

(New Straits Times, 2n d March 1991)

The fact that English language is now being taught and learned more as an

academic subject, similar to that of learning history, geography an d science, inevitably

explains why more and more students are more concerned with improving their

reading and writing skills than compared to oral skills. This is because English

language tests that are carried out at the school level, which includes monthly tests an d

final year examinations, only cover the areas of reading and writing. In other words

students only engage in written exams and are never assessed on their ability to use

English language in speech. In fact, in their entire eleven years of schooling,

encompassing both primary and secondary school, students only have to face the Oral

English examination twice, once at the age of fifteen and the second at the age of

sixteen plus. This in my opinion, may be one of the reasons why there is an observable

decline in the standard of spoken English.

Although various changes have been made by the Malaysian Ministry of

Education to the English Language syllabus an d also teaching methods(see chapter 2)

practised in classrooms, particularly adapting to the current trends of "communicative

approach" to ESL teaching/learning, an area extensively researched in the West, the

aspects of developing and testing students' ability to use English in oral

communication have been very much neglected. It is therefore not surprising to know

that most Malaysian students can read and write very well in English, especially fo r

academic purposes, bu t find it most difficult to use the language verbally, or in oral

communication. This problem w as clearly voiced by Ghazalie Shafie, a former

Malaysian Foreign Minister. He stated th a t:



...the problem with the Malaysian students is that they cannot

communicate in English even though they understand the

language, so he stressed at efforts to promote proficiency shouldbegin when th e children starts schooling. They should start

speaking and listening first, rather than reading an d writing.

(Salasiah Che Lah , 1996 -p63)

F0TQSTAT T1DAK D1BENARKAN

9m

Statement of The Problem

The very sharp and much called fo r statement m ade by the former Foreign

Minister, best summarises how I personally feel regarding the current state of oral

proficiency in English language among Malaysian students. His suggestion, that " they

should s ta r t speaking a nd l is tening f irst , r a the r than reading and writ ing" clearly

highlights the generally known fact, that in the teaching an d learning of English

language in Malaysian classrooms, extra attention is paid to the development of the

later skills, and a t most times, neglecting the aspect of speaking and listening.

Keeping in mind the existing state of the speaking/oral component in the

English language syllabus for secondary schools, my interest is to study the structure

an d also content of the SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) Oral English Examination.

Among other things, I hope to find out if what is actually being tested samples th e

aims and objectives outlined in the English language syllabus. This is important to see

if there is a link between what is actually being taught in the oral component and what

is being tested in the Oral English Examination.

If the examination does not test most, if not all of the aims and objectives, it lacksvalidity. If the Malaysian English language syllabus is said to be based on the

"communicative approach", one would aspect th e examinations to have



communicative values it them too. However, this does not appear to be so, especially

in the SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) Oral Eng lish examination. In view of giving equal

importance to the development of the four language skills, i.e. listening, speaking,

reading and writing, I would also like to find out the allocations of marks fo r each

component towards the overall grade obtained in the English language paper. As far as

I know, a larger proportion of marks is allotted to the reading and writing papers, if

compared to the oral section. I had to make the last point clear because, coming from

a society which is very exam orientated, I know for a fact that students will only take a

subject matter seriously when they know that it has a considerable amount of impact

on their overall examination performance. If they only need to do well in reading and

writing to obtain good grades for the English language paper, it is only to be expected

that they will disregard the speaking and listening component, because it would appear

to be of no immediate use to them. Although the findings of this study will not

guarantee an y changes in the students' oral performance, it would be interesting to

lend an ear and listen to what the teachers have to say regarding this matter. After all,

it is the teachers w ho shoulder the responsibility of teaching and testing the students

and often, fa r from putting the blame on policy makers and curriculum designers, theteachers are also blamed for all the shortcomings related with students failure in

Examination performance. Before moving on any further with the central issue of this

study, it would be relevant to begin with a general description of the role of English

language in Malaysia.

About Malaysia

Malaysia is a multi-lingual and multi-cultural country with a

population of 17.6 million.

(New Straits Times, 13-10-1992)

Geographically speaking, Malaysia is made up of fourteen states, eleven

states in the Peninsular and the remaining three in East Malaysia, commonly known as

Borneo. Its population is made up of three main races, the M alays, the C hinese and the

Indians. The Malays make up the largest ethnic race, followed by the Chinese and



Indians. Aside from these three, there are also a host of other races which have settled

down in this country and also not forgetting the hundreds of different tribes of

indigenous people. With such a d iverse cultural and ethnic make-up, there exist over

one hundred different languages spoken throughout this small developing nation. The

National language is Bahasa Malaysia, and the official religion is Islam. However, one

is free to embrace an d practice the religion of one's choice an d also speak one's

different ethnic languages.

The Role of English Languag e in Malaysia

W e used to honour the language (English) because w e honouredour former rulers. Now we have come to a cut off point. English

will still be learned , but it will be spoken in a different way. Our

way.

(Asiaweek, 15th October 1982 :40)

Like most nations colonised by Britain, the English language has had a

long history in Malaysia. Presently, it is estimated that approximately twenty percent of

the total population understand English and twenty-five percent of the urban

population use it for some purposes of their everyday life (Augustin, 1982: 252). Priorto the cou nty's independence, English w as widely used as the country was under the

British rule. It was, and in fact it still is, the lang uage o f power an d prestige.

It remains a language for the "selected few", mainly those who are educated and those

who make up the "upper-crust" of the society. This legacy which w as left behind by

the British, still persists .However, things started to change after Malaysia gained its

independence in 1957 .



In 1967, the National Language Act legislated that BahasaMalaysia (B.M. hereafter) replaced English as the sole mediumof instruction, official written communication and the prime

language of Parliament and Courts. In fact, for all internalofficial correspondence with Government Agencies, the official

ruling is that Bahasa Malaysia must be used and written. Andthat English be confined to business or Internationalcommunication.

(Nga Johnson, 1993 p.26)

This drastic shift, which took place after Malaysia gained her

independence in 1957, was to a certain extent very positive in that the main aim was to

unite this multi-racial, multi-ethnic and multi-faith community with one official

National language. English, which was also considered to be the language of the

"coloniser", as clearly depicted in the quotation above which appeared in the Asiaweek

magazine, by C.S. Maniam, a prominent Malaysian writer, was only accessible to the

chosen few,namely the Royal Family and the Aristocrats.

In fact, the issue of making Bahasa Malaysia as the National language,

taking the place of English during the colonised period, remains to be a very sensitive

on e especially among the older generation of Malays, and those who fought for this

country's independence. English is not only associated with the colonisers, it is also

widespread that English is the language of "Christianity". This "fear" and "hatred"

towards the English language, indirectly explains the "cold shoulder" treatment that is

often given to the learning of English as a Second language up till the present time,

particularly by the older Malay generation, who lived through the colonisation period.

It was hoped that by making Bahasa Malaysia the National language, everyone,

particularly the Malay race, would have the opportunity for self-betterment an d also

economic progress. This is especially true when the whole Education System was

gradually changed to an all Malay medium school, thus giving more opportunity for

the majority of the Malays to have an opportunity to get a decent Education.



With the switch to Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction, English

became just another school subject . However, the role of English in the international

arena, let it be in the field of Education, Science an d Technology, Economics,

International Relations and also the Arts, has never ceased to gain importance, thus

making English a very important language to master in order to compete with the

developed nations. Furthermore, "English has emerged as an important International

language, due to the linguistic legacy of the British Empire and the emergence of the

United States as an English speaking Superpower." (Salasiah Che Lah, 1996 p.45).

The association of English with industrial an d technological development in the 19th

and 20th century was acknowledged by many prominent politicians in Malaysia. Datuk

Sri Dr. Mahathir Mohammed, Malaysia's longest serving Prime Minister, responded

critically to remarks made against him for using English language in an interview,

which includes:

... but we should not become fanatical about it because thatwould make it difficult for us to acquire knowledge to benefitour race in this competitive world. Whether we like it or not,

English is the International language .

(Malaysian Business, 1-15 , October, 1992 p. 71)

As far as the government is concerned, the purpose of acquiring English

is clearly to prepare the younger generation for further economic an d technological

development in Vision 2020 (6th Malaysia Plan, 1990)which has been proposed by

the Prime Minister and is even stated in the Syllabus Specifications for the Secondary

English Language. Vision 2020 is a National Target proposed by Datuk Sri Dr.

Mahathir Mohammad, and it encompasses the achievement of excellence in all fields,

by the year 2020. The aim of Vision 2020 is best explained by the quotation on the

next page:



By 2020 Malaysia must be a completely united nation,distinguished by the pursuit of excellence, respected by thepeoples of other nations. By 2020 Malaysia m ust become a fully

developed nation; a mature democratic society that is fully moraland ethical, strong in religious an d spiritual value; a society thatis fully liberal and tolerant; that is scientific and progressive,

innovative an d forward looking.

(http://eprd.kpm.my/edustruc.html- M'sian Ministry of Edu. Homepage)

In terms of education, Vision 2020 carries the goal of developing , "...a

world c la s s quality educat ion system w h i ch will rea l i s e th e ful l potential of the

individual a nd fulfill th e aspirat ion of the M alay s i an nation."

(http://eprd.kpm.my/edustruc.html) Competence in English language has also become

an important requirement for career advancement an d occupational mobility. English

remains necessary for those who wants to join the many thousand of Malaysians who

study overseas or enter careers in commerce an d industry. Besides its role in the

international arena, English remains an important mode of communication between the

different ethnic races in this nation. How ever, the balance between producing a learner

proficient in spoken an d written English to handle International communication and at

the same time, no t undermining the National language, is indeed an uphill task faced by

almost all English teachers.

English Language in Malaysian Schools

English language is taught as a compulsory subject in the National

Curriculum at both the Primary and Secondary level, because it holds the status of an

official second language for this country. In other words, children begin learning

English at the age of seven and continue doing so throughout the eleven years of their

compulsory education. English is taught and learned fo r various purposes, bu t



primarily: "TheEnglish Language P r o g r a m m e aims to provide th e basis for the

variouspost s e c o n d a r y needs" (Engl ish Language Syl labus- Form 3, p.ix) Among the

things that are categorized as post secondary needs include, "being able to en g a g e

meaningfully in local and international t rade a nd c o m m e r c e a nd also be ing able to

have access to academic, profess ional , and r e c r e a t i o n a l materials" (Engl ish

Language Syl labus-Form 3, p . ix) . Therefore, it is safe to conclude that th e task of

English language teachers , is to ensure that students actually leave school with some,

if not all, the appropriate skills of language , in order for them to face the challenges of

both the academic and working world. Even though at the Primary and Secondary

levels, the students are required to learn English as a Second language and sit for the

paper in the various National Examinations, they are not required to pass it for

Secondary graduation. A brief structure of Malaysian Education System is as follow :

Primary Education

-A child starts Primary education at the age of six plus , entering standard one , and

finishes at the age of twelve , standard six.

-A t the end of standard six,students are required to sit for a standardised National

Examination, commonly known as UPSR or (Primary School Assessment

Examination). They are tested in three main components, Bahasa Malaysia, English

language and Mathematics.

Secondary Education

(Stage One - lower secondary)

-Students enter the secondary school at the age of twelve plus , upon completing their

primary education.

-They spend three years in lower secondary and sit for another standardised NationalExamination (PMR) -Lower Secondary Assessment Examination at the end of this

three years.



-This assessment however, combines school based evaluation and also marks obtained

from th e actual examination .

-English language is one of the compulsory subjects that has to be taken.

(Stage two- U pper Secondary)

-Students spend two years in upper secondary school.

-They sit for another National Examination (SPM) Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia -

Certificate for Higher Education where English is again a compulsory subject that has

to be taken by all.

Post Secondary

-Students who fair very well in the SPM examination may qualify for places in

Universities or other Institutes of Higher learning .

-However, fo r those who do not qualify, yet, did reasonably well in the SPMexamination , may con tinue doing their lower and upper six forms in the school.

-They may stand another chance to qualify for a place in the local Universities and

Higher Institutes of Learning ,by obtaining good results in the STPM examination. A

National Examination that is taken at the end of the two years of sixth form.

-However, English is not a compulsory subject in this examination.

(http://eprd.kpm.my/edustruc.html - M'sian Ministry of Edu. Homepage)

Conclusion

The importance of oral proficiency in English language is not only

essential fo r those w ho wish to pursue the field of international trade and commerce.

Infact, English still remains the language of academics, used by almost all the

10



prominent Universities and Institutes of Higher Learning all over the world,

particularly, in the West. Therefore, it is essential for each and every Malaysian child

to be equipped with a substanstial amount of skill in this language, in order to compete

in the international w orld. Far from trying to undermine th e National language- Bahasa

Malaysia, I personally feel that more stress has to be given to learning of English

language because eventhough English has the status of an official second language in

Malaysia, there has been an alleged decline in the level of proficiency, particularly

among school children.

Since it is beyond the scope of this paper to study all the problems that

exist in the four skills of English language i.e, listening, speaking, reading and writing,

the aim of this study is to look at the aspect of speaking or oral proficiency . The later

chapters will be looking at the structure of the Malaysian SPM (Sijil Pelajaran

Malaysia) Oral examination and also the opinions of selected teachers regarding

English language teaching in classrooms ans also the state of oral proficiency among

students.

1 1



CHAPTER TW O

LITERATURE REVIEW AND DOCUMENTARY ANALYSIS

The Malaysian English Language Syllabus for Secondary Schools

The teaching of English language in Malaysian secondary schools

is based on a set of syllabus specifications, also known as the English Language

syllabus, outlined an d published by the Malaysian Ministry of Education. The syllabus

is organised in terms of Aims, Objectives, Focus and Contents. The aims of the

syllabus, which takes into account the role an d needs of English in the country, is as

stated below:

The English Language Programme for the upper secondary

school level aims at building and extending upon the proficiencyof the students from the lower secondary school level as to equip

them with the skills and knowledge of English to communicate in

certain everyday activities and certain job situations; an d also toprovide points of take-off for various post-secondary school

needs.

(Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia, 1992,pg. 1)

The objectives, on the other hand, draw upon the aims and are stated under the

four language skills, namely listening, speaking, reading and writing:

12



T H E S I S K A K I T A N G A H

At the end of the secondary school English language

programme, students should be able to :

• Listen to and understand spoken English in the school and inreal life situation

• Speak effectively on a variety of topics

• Read andunderstand prose or poetry

• Write effectively for different purposes

(Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia, 1992, pg.l)

Where the aspect of focus is concern,

... the secondary school English language Programme emphasises

the teaching of both oracy (listening and speaking) and literacy

(reading and writing) skills and also language contents. Thesound system, grammar and vocabulary form the languagecontents required to teach these skills.

(Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia, 1992, pg. 1)

Another characteristic of the English language syllabus is that the teaching

of the four skills and also the language contents are done based on specific topics or

context given by the Ministry. It is stressed repeatedly in all the syllabus booklets for the

different classes, that the different language skills are to be learned in context. Since the

English language syllabus is an extension to that of Primary school, topics include not

only those that are drawn from the contexts of home, school, the community, town,

village and country, bu t also that of ASEAN region and the world. (Kementerian

Pendidikan M alaysia, 1992,pg.4) In other words, the topics provide the context in which

the language skills, language contents are taught and developed in an integrated manner.

13



Aside from what has been mentioned, there are also other important

considerations highlighted by the Ministry, this include, " T h e cu rr icu lu m speci f ications

de l in ea ted for F orm IV are the minimum to b e a ch ieved a n d tea chers should extend

upon th e contents if their students have the capabil it ies to handle them." (Kementerian

Pendidikan Malaysia, 1992,pg. 2) This quotation is, in my opinion relevant to some of

the points that I will highlight later in this chapter, especially regarding the format and

also the content of the SPM Oral English Examination.

Other important criteria that appear in the syllabus specifications and are

also worth mentioning include, among others, the fact that the English language

programme "seeks to pr ov ide some opportunity fo r sel f-expression ..." (Kementerian

Pendidikan Malaysia, 1992, pg.x), "Appropria te context and opportuni t ies m u s t be

p r o v i d e d fo r students to use and pract i ce the language. T e a c h e r s should ensure that

a c t iv i t i e s p la n n ed a r e meaningful a nd chal lenging." (Kementerian Pendidikan

Malaysia, 1992, p g.3 ). The aspect of practice and constant language use in classroom

is also touched upon, as seen in the quotation below :

Consolidation and reinforcement through constant use of skills,grammar items and also vocabulary will enable students todevelop the ability, knowledge, and confidence to use the

language effectively and purposefully.

(Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia, 1992, pg3)

14



Finally, it is also stated that:

In line with the aims of the English Language Programme at the

upper secondary school level, the focus for the Form IVCurriculum Specifications is on broadening the students'knowledge and experience in the language appropriate to their

maturity level.

The contexts for the selection of topics for the teaching of the

language skills and language contents, and the kinds of topics

chosen are of a more complex and sophisticated nature. Hence,

the setting has been suitably widened from the Malaysian settingas a base, to that of the ASEAN region and the world. The

objective of providing wider contexts and wider settings is toprovide students with opportunities to perform in the language

for various purposes and in different contexts.

(Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia, 1992, pg.4 )

A brief knowledge on the content of the English language syllabus, as

shown above, in my opinion, is necessary especially in evaluating the current structure,

content and m arking scheme of the SPM Oral exam ination. After all, one of the basic

rules of a good language test is that, it should evaluate students on what they know,

what they have learned or, more specifically, what has been taught to them in the

classroom, as highlighted by Bachman, in her book Fundamental Considerations in

Language Testing : "... language tests can be valuable sour c e s of information about

th e effectiveness of language learning and teaching." (Bachman, 1995, pg.3)

In the context of Malaysian classrooms, since the English language

syllabus determines what is being taught, one would aspect that the test would

evaluate students* performance in a representative sample of the areas that have been

covered by the syllabus. Therefore, there should be a complete match between what

the syllabus wants the students to achieve, and the test which seeks to find out whether

or not the students h ave achieved what they are supposed to.

Shireena Basree Abdul Rahman 97 24

Documents