| 摘要: | Most recent articles explored issues related to regular school system, but few investigated weekend students’ schooling. This study aimed to understand weekend students’ attitudes toward English Proficiency Tests (EPTs) in college level. A 28-item survey was administrated to 160 freshmen in April, 2008. Respondents consisted of 89 (55.6%) daytime students, 17 (10.6%) nighttime students, and 54 (33.75%) weekend students. All respondents were grouped in a basis of class. The survey was developed according to the model proposed by Clark and Este (2002) to examine respondents’ conceptual attitudes and their learning behaviors toward EPTs. Clark and Este’s model suggested that three key analytic domains are vital to understand individual performance: knowledge, motivation, and social culture. Alpha coefficient was obtained to assess the internal consistency of the survey (α=.79).
In order to test differences among the student populations, this study conducted the cross tabulation table to examine respondents’ attitudes toward EPTs in multiple domains. The findings showed that there were significant differences between daytime and weekend students in knowledge (χ²=35.5, p< .001), motivation (χ²= 19.8, p< .05), and social culture (χ²=27.4, p< .01). Weekend students differed from nighttime students in knowledge (χ²=25.3, p< .001) and social culture (χ²=28, p< .01), but there was no significant difference found in the levels of motivation. Students’ academic fields can be an influencing factor toward EPTs. English majored students were quite different to the students with non-English major both in knowledge (χ²=52.8, p<.001) and social culture (χ²=58.6, p<.001).
Results indicated that gender can be a factor mediated in conceptual differences. In this study, I found that female students showed higher understanding of EPT than male students (χ²=16.5, p< .05). However, there were no significant differences between females and males in the domains of motivation and social culture. This study also made recommendations for researchers and educational practitioners to advance weekend students’ achievements in school.
本研究旨在了解大專學院學生對於英檢測驗的態度。160位受試者在2008年4月填答一份英檢測驗態度量表。受試者包含89位 (55.6%) 日間部學生，17位 (10.6%) 進修部學生(或稱夜間部) 與54 (33.75%) 位進修學院學生。問卷以Clark與Este所發展的理論做為基礎，該理論認為行為分析的基礎，必須強調知識、動機與文化，方能將達到績效提升。問卷信度α值為.79。
分析方式主要以交叉分析表進行，用來比較不同學制的學生對於英檢測驗在理解知識、參加動機、團體文化等三個軸向的差別。結果顯示日間部學生與進修學院學生在三個軸向都有差別。而進修部與進修學院的學生在知識(χ²=25.3, p< .001) 與團體文化 (χ²=28, p< .01)上出現顯著差異。 此外，如果將樣本群以主修科目區分時，分析結果顯示英語與非英語主修學生，在知識(52.8, p<.001)與團體文化(58.6, p<.001)上有顯著差異。
性別差異只有顯現在對英檢測驗的知識理解上(χ²=16.5, p< .05)，在另外兩個軸向上並未發現有顯著的差異性。 |
