International Multilingual Journal of Contemporary Research

The Predictive Validity of Language Assessment in a Pre-University Programme in two Colleges in Oman: A Mixed-Method Analysis
Fatma Al Hajr

Abstract
This study investigates the predictive validity of English language assessment in two Colleges of Applied Sciences in Oman. It also looks at the language requirements of higher education academic programmes through analysing the assessment instruments used. It was conducted over two academic semesters, in the first semester the grades of 184 Foundation Programme students in English language courses were obtained, in the second semester the grades of 163 First Year students in academic courses were obtained. The predictive validity of English language assessment with regards to academic achievement was found to be r=0.3, p < 0.01, and the strength of the predictive validity significantly differed among specialisation and self-evaluation groups. Test papers and assessment tasks used in three academic programmes (Information Technology, International Business Administration and Communication Studies) were also analysed to explain the findings on English language assessment predictive validity. The implications of the findings on national and international higher education are discussed and recommendations are presented.

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