A Study On Validity Of English Examination For Certificates Of Competence

In international shipping industry, it is common that seafarers serving in the same boat are from different countries. Thus, it is vitally important for seafarers to communicate effectively with personnel board and ashore. English has been considered as the universal language used for communication at sea. The ability of a non-native seafarer to have a good command of English is thus very important.The Certificates of Competence English examination is the most important certification examination on English proficiency for Chinese seafarers. It is the main tool to ensure Chinese seafarers meet the basic requirements, especially the required competence of the STCW Convention of multi-language communication at sea. As STCW Convention has been revised and improved, whether the current Certificates of Competence English examination can meet the language requirements in STCW Convention has been paid close attention to.A combination of both qualitative and quantitative approaches is adopted in this thesis, aiming to find out the validity of the Certificates of Competence English examination through analyzing the relationship between the Certificates of Competence English examination and the language requirements in STCW Convention. Data is managed via the questionnaire survey and interviews. First, this thesis studies whether the test content of the Certificates of Competence English examination meets the requirements in STCW Convention. Then, the thesis analyzes the modes of the Certificates of Competence English examination with the aim to find out whether they are appropriately designed. Further, the research focuses on test item types of the Certificates of Competence English examination with the purpose to see whether the types are sufficient to meet the language requirements in STCW Convention. In addition, this thesis conducts research on the possible washback effects of the Certificates of Competence English examination in order to provide positive suggestions for Maritime English teaching.Upon discussion, this thesis finds out that the test content of the current Certificates of Competence English examination is generally in conformity with the language requirements in STCW Convention. The modes of the Certificates of Competence English examination are scientifically designed. However, the database still needs to be standardized and theory testing should be applied to practice more. Besides, specialized knowledge teaching in English should be strengthened, especially Maritime English vocabulary.