The Reading Competency Test for Indonesian History-Major Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47709/educendikia.v6i01.7928Keywords:
reading competence test, English language, history educationAbstract
The development of English language skills among students in the History Education program predominantly focuses on reading. To assess their reading ability, a reading competency test is administered, requiring students to respond to and construct answers. The objective of this study is to describe the various types of reading competency tests for Indonesian students majoring in history. Research is descriptive and qualitative. The study was conducted at a teacher-training and educational sciences institute that offers a History Education program. Data were collected through analysis of documents related to English-language learning assessments administered to first-semester students. The data analysis employed an interactive model comprising data condensation, data presentation, and drawing conclusions and verifying them. The results of the study indicate that reading competency tests requiring a response can be administered through multiple-choice questions. Based on the provided text, students are asked to determine which statements align with the text and which do not by selecting one of the provided answer choices. In tests that require constructing answers, students are given open-ended questions to stimulate critical thinking.
Additionally, students are asked to paraphrase a text and summarize chapters from books. All test materials are sourced from world and Indonesian history textbooks, research articles, brochures of historical sites, and annual agendas from the Department of Culture and Tourism, all written in English. The assessment criteria for the reading competency test requiring constructed responses include content completeness (information), vocabulary, grammar, cohesion, coherence in paragraph construction, and, if the test is conducted orally, pronunciation and fluency. Selecting English test materials that align with students' academic disciplines is one implementation of the ESP (English for Specific Purposes) concept. Although the tests primarily assess students' reading comprehension, this does not mean other skills are neglected.
References
Alexandra-Valeria. (2010). A General View on the Relationship Between ESP and EGP. Journal of Communication and Translation Studies, 3 (1-2). Politehnica University of Timi?oara.
Alderson, J. C. (2000). Assessing Reading. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Anderson, N. J. (2008). Metacognition and Good Language Learners. New York: Routledge.
Bachman, L. F., & Palmer, A. S. (2010). Language Assessment in Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Bhatia, V. K. (2004). Worlds of Written Discourse: A Genre-Based View. London: Continuum.
Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2011). Teaching for Quality Learning at University. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Brown, H. D. (2004). Language Assessment: Principles and Classroom Practices. New York: Pearson Education.
Coffin, C. (2006). Historical Discourse: The Language of Time, Cause and Evaluation. London: Continuum.
Dinas Pariwisata dan Kebudayaan Yogyakarta. (2013). Calendar of Events 2014. Yogyakarta:Dinas Pariwisata dan Kebudayaan Yogyakarta.
Dudley-Evans, T., & St John, M. J. (1998). Developments in English for Specific Purposes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Fajri, R., Nelliraharti, N., & Alimin, R. (2023). Analisis Kemampuan Mahasiswa dalam Memahami Teks Akademik Bahasa Inggris. Journal of Education Science.
Flowerdew, J. (2013). Discourse in English Language Education. London: Routledge.
Grabe, W. (2009). Reading in a Second Language: Moving from Theory to Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Grabe, W., & Stoller, F. L. (2011). Teaching and Researching Reading. London: Pearson.
Graddol, D. (2006). English Next. London: British Council.
Hidayati, N. (2018). Reading assessment in EFL classroom: Challenges and strategies. JEELS (Journal of English Education and Linguistics Studies), 5(1), 1–18.
Horwitz, E. K. (2001). Language anxiety and achievement. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 21, 112–126.
Hutchinson, Tom dan Alan Waters. (1987). English for Specific Purposes: A Learner-Centered Approach. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hyland, K. (2006). English for Academic Purposes: An Advanced Resource Book. London: Routledge.
Messick, S. (1996). Validity and washback in language testing. Language Testing, 13(3), 241–256.
Nation, I. S. P. (2013). Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nurgiyantoro, Burhan. (2014). Penilaian Pembelajaran Bahasa Berbasis Kompetensi. Yogyakarta: BPFE.
Nurweni, A., & Read, J. (1999). The English vocabulary knowledge of Indonesian university students. English for Specific Purposes, 18(2), 161–175.
Pemerintah Republik Indonesia . (2003). UU Nomor 20 Tahun 2003 tentang Sistem Pendidikan Nasional. Jakarta.
Pemerintah Republik Indonesia. (2013). Peraturan Pemerintah Republik Indonesia Nomor 32 Tahun 2013 Tentang Perubahan Atas Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 19 Tahun 2005 Tentang Standar Nasional Pendidikan. Jakarta.
PT. Taman Wisata Candi Borobudur, Prambanan, dan Ratu Boko (Association). Prambanan: The Tallest and The Most Beautiful Hindu Temple in the World. [Brosur].
Ricklefs, M. C. (2001). A History of Modern Indonesia since c. 1200. 3rd Ed. London: Palgrave.
Stearns, Peter N. (2007). World History In Brief: Major Patterns of Change and Continuity. 6th Ed. United States: Pearson Education, Inc.
Sepniwati, L. (2022). Kemampuan Memahami Bacaan Bahasa Inggris dalam English Proficiency Test di IAKN Palangka Raya. Jurnal Pendidikan dan Konseling, 4(5), 3297–3302.
Sulistyo, G. H. (2016). English language testing and assessment: An Indonesian perspective. Malang: Universitas Negeri Malang Press.
Swales, J. M. (1990). Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Widawati, R., & Razak, A. (2023). Hasil Tes Keterampilan Membaca: Komparasi Penggunaan Media Tes Artikel Ilmiah antara Jurnal Online dan Cetak. Jurnal Pembelajaran Bahasa dan Sastra. 1(6), 785-795.
Wineburg, S. (2001). Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Dinar Martia Azizah
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
