Assessing A2 Level EFL High School Students' Achievement Through Visuals
CUKUROVA 17th INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCHES CONFERENCE, Adana, Türkiye, 10 - 12 Temmuz 2026, ss.762-771, (Tam Metin Bildiri)
- Yayın Türü: Bildiri / Tam Metin Bildiri
- Basıldığı Şehir: Adana
- Basıldığı Ülke: Türkiye
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.762-771
- Ondokuz Mayıs Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
In foreign language teaching, teachers try to use the most appropriate methods and techniques based on the proficiency levels, age, learning styles, and cultural backgrounds. Regardless of the teaching methods and techniques used, learners’ linguistic competence and performance must be assessed. In that sense, assessment types can be seen as windows through which learners’ achievement is visible. This study investigates whether the use of visuals in A2 level EFL examinations administered at a high school in Türkiye has a significant effect on students’ achievement. Besides, this study discusses to what extent visually supported tests may influence the students’ test performance according to gender. To collect the data, 80 students from an Anatolian high school took part in the study and were split into two groups: the experimental group received test items enhanced with visuals, whereas the control group was presented with the same items in a text-only format. The examination assessed three core language skills at the A2 proficiency level: listening skills, reading skills, and use of English, alongside a total achievement score. The data were analysed using independent samples t-tests. The findings revealed that the experimental group performed significantly better than the control group in all measured skill areas. Additionally, a gender-based analysis within the experimental group indicated that female students achieved significantly higher scores than male students in reading skills, use of English, and total scores, while no statistically significant gender difference was observed in listening skills. Overall, the findings suggest that student achievement should be assessed through more visually supportive assessment tools to enhance performance outcomes. Keywords: visual(s), A2 level EFL exam, high school students, language assessment