A Preliminary Study on the Barriers in Listening Section of English Proficiency Test: Students’ Perspectives

This study intends to find out the problems or barriers faced by Indonesian students in studying for an English proficiency test (EPT), especially in Listening section. EPT becomes a standard English test and a compulsory test for students since it is used as one of the requirements for their graduation at the degree level, and also for a job application. Those requirements increase the demand of the test. However, the fact shows that the test takers of the EPT took the test for times since they cannot pass the targetted score. This fact led this study to investigate further about the barriers they face in EPT. The study also describes kinds of English Proficiency Test and the kind used in University of Muhammadiyah Gresik. The design of the study is descriptive qualitative with 40 students as the subject. The data will be collected from questionnaire and follow-up interview to answer the question and reveal the barriers they face during the test.


Background of the Study
In Indonesian Education system, English always plays important roles in every knowledge. The English language itself is the native language in some developed countries, such as United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, etc.
English is also regarded as the International language in the world. In Indonesia, English is one of the languages spoken though its position is still as a foreign language. English becomes important in Indonesia since the language is used for many purposes, such as study, work, and even daily activities.
Indonesian sometimes uses English as the instruction of a procedure, the name of a brand, or the title of song, drama, movie or poem. This popularity makes English as one of standards for academic evaluation. The Existence of the language exams helps the evaluation. Many people take the language exam to improve their English. It also helps them get a good job, travel overseas, and even live abroad. Such exam requires the test takers to use the language in situations similar to everyday life and assess how well people are able to communicate in realistic situations. The common language exam is the Language Proficiency Test which. Broadly, a language proficiency is refers to one's ability to use language for a variety of communicative purposes. People who are proficient can understand language without any difficulties, can communicate and express ideas clearly in both speech and writing comfortably (Renandya, 2018

Paper-Based TOEFL (PBT)
There are 50 questions in three parts on the Listening Section of the Paper-Based TOEFL. In Part 1, the test takers hear short conversations between two people. After each conversation, they will hear one question. They should choose the best answer choice from four possible answers.
In part 2, the test takers hear long conversations between two people. After each conversation, they will hear several questions. After every question, they choose the best answer choice from four possible answers.
In Part 3, the test takers hear short talks by one person. After each talk, they will hear several questions. After every question, they choose the best answer choice from four possible answers.

Internet-Based TOEFL (IBT)
There In the integrated listening tasks, you will hear and respond to long conversations, class discussions, and lectures in an academic setting.

The language includes natural pauses and is
presented at a normal rate for native speakers.
You may take notes. After each conversation, discussion, or lecture, you will hear a question that requires you to respond by speaking or writing. 5 You hear the questions, but they are not written out for you to read.
The questions are written out on the computer screen for you to read while you hear them.

6
Everyone taking the TOEFL proceeds at the same pace. You cannot pause the tape.
You may control the pace by choosing when to begin the next conversation or lecture.

7
The section is timed. At the end of the tape, you must have completed the section.
The section is timed.
A clock on the screen shows the time remaining for you to complete the section. There are some instruments to collect the data in this study. Some instruments are described below.

Questionnaire
The questionnaire is the main instrument of the study. There will be some items asked related to the problems or barriers in English Proficiency test. Those items are divided into three sections according to the skills tested in English Proficiency test in Universitas Muhammadiyah Gresik. The likert scale will be applied in the questionnaire.

Follow-up Interview
The interview will be conducted after the questionnaires are administered to students.
The purpose of the interview is to confirm the data in the questionnaires. The questions asked in the interview is unstructured questions which means that participants may elaborate their answers. The recording will be used to document the script of the interview.

Observation
The observation was conducted in Language

Center of Universitas Muhammadiyah
Gresik to know the regulation and the implementation of English Proficiency Test.

Questionnaire
The result of the questionnaire will be analyzed statistically by having a percentage of the answers. The result will be described in the form of table and narrated descriptively in order to answer the research question.

Follow-up Interview
The result of the interview will be narrated descriptively from the tape-script. The tape script will be written in the appendic section.

Finding
English Proficiency Test is regarded as a difficult test because taking this test might be carried out many times to achieve the targeted score.  Listening section becomes the most concern of the test since many students have problems in the section.

Another investigation in this Language
Center is conducted to see the material of the test and the score report published in the certificate.