THE SCHOOL-BASED ORAL ENGLISH TEST: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN OPINION BETWEEN TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

Abstract

The school-based Oral English test was introduced to Malaysian Form 4 and 5 students in 2002. A qualitative study was undertaken to investigate the implementation of the test in selected Maktab Rendah Sains MARA schools. Thirty students from three different schools comprising 5 focus groups were interviewed, and 14 teachers from the same schools were either observed in the classrooms and/or interviewed over the course of 7.5 months. This paper examines the question: Are there any similarities and differences in opinion between students and teachers regarding the revised school-based Oral English Test? Recommendations are then made based on the results.