International High School Development in Chongqing: Test Preparation vs. University Preparation

DOI

10.2991/icemss-14.2014.14How to use a DOI?

Keywords

International High School, Test Preparation, University Preparation, TOEFL, IELTS

Abstract

This study concentrates on international high school development and trends in Chongqing, China. It was discovered that the number of students who are studying abroad has been growing significantly and the majority of students struggled because of the language barrier during their first semester. Although students who took language proficiency assessments were accepted to college/universities, many still struggled in a foreign academic environment. This study contains data from urban and suburban areas of China. Specifically, students’ Internet Based Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test® (TOEFL) and International English Language Testing System™ (IELTS) scores from urban schools have been collected from the test preparation program, Apluz International Language Center (Apluz). The academic performance of students who were accepted into universities abroad were monitored during their first semester. TOEFL and GAC Entry Data has been collected from two Global Assessment Certificate™ (GAC) centers including: Chongqing Bachuan International High School (CBIHS) located in Tongliang, Chongqing, and a center in Jiangsu Province (Center A). ACT Education Solutions, Limited also offered data from a case study which included 30 students’ GAC and university final GPAs. The scores were used to compare English competencies from a test preparation program with the holistic approach offered in the GAC Program, which promotes language acquisition as the the World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment™ (WIDA) standards suggest. Although many students choose to study examinations, it was determined that students tend to perform better when they are in an international setting and the pedagogical focus is based on skills & competencies.

Copyright

© 2014, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.

Open Access

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Dongfang Liu
AU  - Vincent Brancato
AU  - Fang Da
PY  - 2014/08
DA  - 2014/08
TI  - International High School Development in Chongqing: Test Preparation vs. University Preparation
BT  - Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Education, Management and Social Science
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 48
EP  - 51
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/icemss-14.2014.14
DO  - 10.2991/icemss-14.2014.14
ID  - Liu2014/08
ER  -