Preparing for the higher education admission test: preparation practices and test takers’ achievement goal orientations

Abstract

Of the many possible institutional and individual factors bearing on test preparation, one is how individuals go about choosing their achievement goals. Yet, the literature on the relationship between the two phenomena remains slim. The objectives of this study are twofold. First, it explores the range of test preparation practices exercised by test takers in preparing for the English module of the Higher Education Admission Test in Iran. Secondly, it investigates how individual goal orientations mediate test preparation. A goal orientations scale was translated, validated and administered to the participants, who were 357 test candidates, a convenience sample. The participants also completed a test preparation questionnaire with two underlying factors including desired and undesired test preparation practices. Descriptive statistics and paired samples t-tests revealed that preparation for the Higher Education Admission Test entailed a mix of both detrimental and beneficial practices, with the frequency of the former being significantly higher. It was also revealed that mastery goal orientations are associated with educationally defensible test preparation practices. Findings carry implications for testers, test preparation instructors and educational policy makers.

Keywords:

• Test preparation
• goal orientations
• admission test
• higher education

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kioumars Razavipour

Kioumars Razavipour is an assistant professor of Applied Linguistics at the department of English Language and Literature, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran. His main area of research interest is language assessment and policy.

Parisa Habibollahi

Parisa Habibollahi holds an M.A in TEFL and teaches English in private language schools in Iran.

Sedigheh Vahdat

Sedigheh Vahdat is an assistant professor of TEFL. Her main research interests include individual differences in language learning, second language reading and syllabus design.