| In the process of English teaching, the researcher finds the massive use ofmultiple-choice questions (MCQ) in various large-scale examinations, especially in theirreading comprehension part. The proportion of MCQ has raised heated discussion. Althoughsome other testing formats have also been used in reading comprehension tests, they take arelatively small proportion. It is surprising to find that MCQ has been the sole testing formatin reading comprehension in College English Test Band-4(CET-4). Testing aims at measuringthe real ability of test takers, which is also the major function of tests. Through fastdevelopment of social economy and the expanded international trade, people put more andmore emphasis on English. As a representative instrument for measuring English languageability, CET-4plays a crucial role in evaluating students’ English level. In order to investigatewhether MCQ is suitable for wide use, the study has been made from the perspective oflanguage testing. This thesis is tending to find out the answers to the following questions:1. To what degree do teachers and students accept and have trust in MCQ in readingcomprehension test?2. How do MCQ scores correlate with students’ comprehension level?3. In what aspects are MCQs inadequate in reflecting students’ reading comprehension?In the thesis, some relative researches have been reviewed, methodology and experimentprocedure have been introduced, and at last, with the help of software, critical indexes havebeen got. In this thesis, the idea of validity has been taken into the study, and qualitative andquantitative study methods have been used. Data have been collected through questionnairesand test papers. Some problems raised before taking experiment have been solved aftercomputerization and analysis of the data. From the data analysis, it can be seen that:1. Teachers and students do not believe that MCQ is an effective way of testing readingcomprehension.2. There is a discrepancy between scores and reading comprehension. Through MCQ, thescore is higher than it should be. Although students may get higher scores, in fact, theirreading ability is not reflected authentically.3. MCQ is likely to afford chance for guessing. Through doing MCQs, students could notknow what the weak point is. Sometimes, due to the poorly-designed distracters, it is hard toknow whether a student’s failure is due to lack of comprehension of the text or lack ofcomprehension of the question.When measuring the validity of MCQ, the notion of concurrent validity has been put intouse. By comparing the validity of MCQ and that of SAQ, conclusion has been made. MCQhas low validity, and it is not suitable for wide use in CET-4. If more effective test result iswanted, MCQ should be combined with other testing formats in CET-4readingcomprehension part. Some tentative suggestions for further study on this issue have been provided. The study is expected to be useful in improving the testing format structure ofCET-4.The organization of the paper goes as follows: Chapter1is an introduction to thebackground, purpose, and significance of the thesis. Chapter2is a literature review on somerelevant theories foundation. Brief introduction to reading, reading ability, and reading modelswill be made. Reading requirements for college students and some basic definitions ofvalidity will be introduced. Some knowledge about MCQ will be covered in this chapter.Chapter3is about research methods and design, procedure and data collections and analysis.Chapter4shows analysis of test papers and questionnaires. Chapter5draws a conclusionfrom the study based on the findings of the test papers and questionnaires. |
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