COMP COMP BİÇERERAY ERAY BİÇERERAY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IB DP ENGLISH SCORES, ENGLISH PROFICIENCY EXAM SCORES AND STUDENT SELECTION EXAMINATION SCORES: A CORRELATIONAL STUDY A MASTER’S THESIS BY ERAY BİÇER THE PROGRAM OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION BİLKENT UNIVERSITY ANKARA JAN 2015 JANUARY 2015 2015 Relationship between IB DP English Scores, English Proficiency Exam Scores and Student Selection Examination Scores: A Correlational Study The Graduate School of Education of Bilkent University by Eray Biçer In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in The Program of Curriculum and Instruction Bilkent University Ankara January, 2015 BİLKENT UNIVERSITY Graduate School of Education Relationship between IB DP English Scores, English Proficiency Exam Scores and Student Selection Examination Scores: A Correlational Study SUPERVISEE: ERAY BİÇER January, 2015 I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction. ---------------------------- Asst. Prof. Dr. İlker Kalender I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction. ---------------------------- Prof. Dr. Alipaşa Ayas I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction. ---------------------------- Asst. Prof. Dr. Deniz Ortaçtepe Approval of the Graduate School of Education ---------------------------- Prof. Dr. Margaret K. Sands ABSTRACT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN IB DP ENGLISH SCORES, ENGLISH PROFICIENCY EXAM SCORES AND STUDENT SELECTION EXAMINATION SCORES: A CORRELATIONAL STUDY Eray Biçer M.A., Program of Curriculum and Instruction Supervisor: Asst. Prof. Dr. İlker Kalender January 2015 English language teaching has become one of the most inseparable parts of Turkish National Education Curriculum. With the emergence of international programs such as International Baccalaureate, International General Certificate of Secondary Education and Advanced Placement English language teaching and language proficiency gained new perspectives in Turkey and around the world. While the English curriculum in Turkish national system focuses on receptive and productive skills; reading, listening, writing and speaking, the curriculum of international programs focus more on critical thinking skills in the target language. The question of how well a student who received IB Diploma Programme English education can perform in a standardized English proficiency test which focuses on critical thinking skills rather than four skills remains unanswered in Turkish context. This study aimed to explore the relationship between IB DP English scores, a standardized English test scores (COPE) and student Selection Examination (OSS) scores of Bilkent Erzurum Laboratory School graduates. This study was completed iii by using the IB DP English, COPE and SSE scores of 119 students as instruments. The data were analysed with correlational analysis approach. Statistically significant relationships were discovered between COPE exam scores and IB predicted grades. Keywords: International Baccalaureate, Diploma Program, Language Proficiency, English education, COPE exam, Student Selection Examination. iv ÖZET ULUSLARARASI BAKALORYA DİPLOMA PROGRAMI İNGİLİZCE PUANLARI İNGİLİZCE YETERLİLİK SINAVI PUANLARI VE ÖSS PUANLARI ARASINDAKİ İLİŞKİ: BİR KORELASYON ÇALIŞMASI Eray BİÇER Yüksek Lisans, Eğitim Programları ve Öğretim Tez Yöneticisi: Yrd. Doç. Dr. İlker Kalender Ocak 2015 İngilizce eğitimi ulusal Türk eğitim sisteminin ayrılmaz bir parçası olmuştur. Uluslararası Bakalorya, Uluslararası Ortaöğretim Genel Sertifikası ve İleri Düzey Yerleştirme Programı gibi uluslararası programların ortaya çıkmasıyla İngilizce eğitimi Türkiye’de ve dünyada yeni bakış açıları kazanmıştır. Türk eğitim sistemindeki İngilizce eğitimi daha çok okuma, dinleme, yazma ve konuşma gibi kavrama ve üretici beceriler üzerine yoğunlaşırken uluslararası programların müfredatları daha çok hedef dilde eleştirel düşünebilme becerilerine yoğunlaşmıştır. Hedef dilde eleştirel düşünebilme daha çok üzerine yoğunlaşmış olan Uluslararası Bakalorya Diploma Programı İngilizce eğitimi almış bir öğrencinin yazma, konuşma, dinleme ve okuma becerilerine yönelik İngilizce yeterlilik sınavında Türkiye bağlamında nasıl bir performans göstereceği sorusu cevapsız bırakılmıştır. Bu çalışmanın amacı Bilkent Erzurum Laboratuvar Okulu mezun öğrencilerinin Uluslararası Bakalorya İngilizce puanları, İngilizce yeterlilik sınavı (COPE) puanları v ve Öğrenci Seçme Sınavı puanları arasında nasıl bir bağlantı olduğunu saptamaktır. Bu çalışma 119 Bilkent Laboratuvar Okulu mezunu öğrencilerinin Uluslararası Bakalorya Diploma Programı İngilizce puanları, İngilizce yeterlilik sınavı (COPE) puanları ve Öğrenci Seçme Sınavı Puanlarının veri olarak kullanılmasıyla gerçekleşmiştir. Veriler Korelasyon yöntemiyle analiz edilmiştir. Uluslararası Bakalorya Diploma Programı İngilizce tahmini puanlar ve COPE puanları arasında istatiksel olarak güçlü bir ilişki saptanmıştır. Anahtar Kelimeler: Uluslararası Bakalorya, Diploma Programı, İngilizce yeterliliği, İngilizce eğitimi, Bilkent COPE sınavı, Öğrenci Seçme Sınavı. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to offer my sincerest appreciation to Prof. Dr. Ali Doğramacı and Prof. Dr. M. K. Sands, and to everyone at Bilkent University Graduate School of Education for their support. I am most thankful to Dr. İlker Kalender without whose patience and support this thesis would have been impossible. I felt blessed to have his professional suggestions and kind assistance throughout this process. I would like to thank Bilkent School of English Language for sharing the data necessary for this study. I would like to offer my sincerest thanks to General Director of Bilkent Erzurum Laboratory School, James Swetz, for his encouragement, suggestions and continual support and Melanie Swetz for being a role model for me and helping me to find my path in teaching. Last but not least, I would like to thank my dedicated and loving wife without whose support I would have felt lost during this process. Finally, I would also like to indicate my gratitude to my parents and brother for being very supportive all through my life. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................ iii ÖZET............................................................................................................................ v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................... vii TABLE OF CONTENTS .......................................................................................... viii LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... xi LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................. xiii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................... xiv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1 Background .............................................................................................................. 3 Problem .................................................................................................................... 6 Purpose ..................................................................................................................... 6 Research questions ................................................................................................... 7 Significance .............................................................................................................. 7 Definition of key terms ............................................................................................. 8 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................... 10 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 10 High-stakes exams .................................................................................................. 10 Language proficiency and English proficiency exams ........................................... 11 Certificate of English proficiency exam (COPE) ................................................... 17 English education in Turkey ................................................................................... 21 International Baccalaureate and English education ................................................ 22 Student Selection Examination (SSE) in Turkey ................................................... 25 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 26 CHAPTER 3: METHOD ........................................................................................... 28 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 28 Context ..................................................................................................................