Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy

Thailand’s educational system is plagued by rote learning, deference to authority, and habits of uncritical thinking. One of the culprits is the emphasis on regurgitating “facts” through multiple choice language testing. This paper addresses the ideological responses and habits that multiple choice...

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Main Author: Hoy, Thomas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: ACRULeT, Faculty of Education & UiTM Press 2007
Online Access:http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/6650/
http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/6650/1/AJ_THOMAS%20HOY%20AJUE%2007.pdf
id uitm-6650
recordtype eprints
spelling uitm-66502017-06-14T07:36:48Z http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/6650/ Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy Hoy, Thomas Thailand’s educational system is plagued by rote learning, deference to authority, and habits of uncritical thinking. One of the culprits is the emphasis on regurgitating “facts” through multiple choice language testing. This paper addresses the ideological responses and habits that multiple choice language tests demand and reinforce. Through an examination of practice questions for vocabulary tests at a major Thai university a number of contentions about multiple choice vocabulary testing are developed. Students need to imagine the examiner’s ideal context for the statement that is tested and they need to anticipate the examiner’s value system and ideology. These tests breed conformism and punish curiosity about the language. The time and energy that students spend in studying for them retards and deforms more important aspects of linguistic performance and also their intellectual growth in general. ACRULeT, Faculty of Education & UiTM Press 2007 Article PeerReviewed text en http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/6650/1/AJ_THOMAS%20HOY%20AJUE%2007.pdf Hoy, Thomas (2007) Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy. Asian Journal of University Education (AJUE), 3 (1). pp. 23-37. ISSN 1823-7797
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Local University
institution Universiti Teknologi MARA
building UiTM Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
language English
description Thailand’s educational system is plagued by rote learning, deference to authority, and habits of uncritical thinking. One of the culprits is the emphasis on regurgitating “facts” through multiple choice language testing. This paper addresses the ideological responses and habits that multiple choice language tests demand and reinforce. Through an examination of practice questions for vocabulary tests at a major Thai university a number of contentions about multiple choice vocabulary testing are developed. Students need to imagine the examiner’s ideal context for the statement that is tested and they need to anticipate the examiner’s value system and ideology. These tests breed conformism and punish curiosity about the language. The time and energy that students spend in studying for them retards and deforms more important aspects of linguistic performance and also their intellectual growth in general.
format Article
author Hoy, Thomas
spellingShingle Hoy, Thomas
Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy
author_facet Hoy, Thomas
author_sort Hoy, Thomas
title Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy
title_short Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy
title_full Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy
title_fullStr Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy
title_full_unstemmed Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy
title_sort multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice english language testing in thailand / thomas hoy
publisher ACRULeT, Faculty of Education & UiTM Press
publishDate 2007
url http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/6650/
http://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/6650/1/AJ_THOMAS%20HOY%20AJUE%2007.pdf
first_indexed 2023-09-18T22:47:14Z
last_indexed 2023-09-18T22:47:14Z
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