Using EIKEN, TOEFL, and TOEIC to Award EFL Course Credits in Japanese Universities

Abstract

Despite the wide use of language tests as a basis for awarding English language course credits at Japanese universities, little has been published about how universities set policies on awarding credits according to external test scores. To narrow this gap, the characteristics of such policies were investigated in relation to the EIKEN Test in Practical English Proficiency (EIKEN), the Test of English as a Foreign LanguageTM (TOEFL®), and the Test of English for International CommunicationTM (TOEIC®). Analyses of 18 national and 28 private universities showed that each university had a median of 58.50 EFL courses for which credits were offered on the basis of external test scores. Moreover, approximately one-third of cases of credit awarding showed a discrepancy between skills targeted in courses and those measured on the tests used in credit-awarding policies, suggesting that credit awarding based on these proficiency measures seems overall adequate. However, credit-awarding policies were problematic for four-skill (62.44% and 63.37% for national and private universities, respectively) and listening-speaking courses (61.26% and 65.29%). Academic staff responses to the questionnaire revealed some possible reasons EFL course credits could be offered despite gaps between skills targeted in courses and those measured on tests. Implications are provided for the improvement of credit-awarding policies.