Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 12. Number3 September 2021 Pp. 51-65
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol12no3.4
Palestinian EFL University Students’ Problems with the Reading Sections of the TOEFL
Internet-based Test and the Revised TOEFL paper-delivered Test
Enas Abdullah Hammad
Al-Aqsa University, Gaza, Palestine
Email: enas.hammad@hotmail.com
Received: 5/23/2021 Accepted: 8/16/2021 Published: 9/24/2021
Abstract:
Despite Palestinian university students’ problems with the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based Test, no researchers approached this research area in the Palestinian English as a Foreign Language context. The present study attempted to answer a question focusing on Palestinian university students’ problems with the reading sections of the Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-based Test and the revised Test of English as a Foreign Language paper-delivered test. The participants were 65 fourth-year students studying English at Al-Aqsa University. The researcher employed four instruments: a test, a group semi-structured interview, and two individual semi-structured interviews. Results showed the students’ problems with the reading sections of the two types of tests, such as the irrelevance of the topics of the tests to the students’ content background knowledge, students’ lack of exposure to lengthy passages, students’ slow reading speed, and the students’ lack of linguistic proficiency. Additionally, the study offered many recommendations for Educational Testing Service experts and Al-Aqsa university students and instructors.
Key Words: Internet-based Test, Palestinian EFL university students, reading
Cite as: Hammad, E. A. (2021). Palestinian EFL University Students’ Problems with the Reading Sections of the TOEFL
Internet-based Test and the Revised TOEFL paper-delivered Test . Arab World English Journal, 12 (3) 51-65.
DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol12no3.4
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