Examining Results and Establishing Benchmark Data from the TOEFL ITP Test

Abstract

This exploratory research study reports on TOEFL ITP test scores of students at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani (AUIS). This test replaces a “homegrown” placement entrance exam in use at AUIS for the last five years. Two hundred seventy-one scores were recorded for the test given February 21, 2013, which represents 85% of students enrolled in the Academic Preparation Program (APP). Variables of interest include students’ APP level, native language, gender and their relationships to test scores and students’ grades. Descriptive statistics were collected on 85 females and 187 males across four levels of APP. Kurdish is the predominant language (73.16%) followed by Arabic (21.32%); the remaining students speak a variety of different languages (5.52%). Mean differences in scores across APP levels were statistically significant across all levels except 3 and 4. Examining test scores and their grade equivalencies across reading and writing/grammar ITP scores showed weak correlations (r = .156 and r = .109, respectively) but a moderate correlation (r = .334) for listening. Research is ongoing.