An analysis of the success rates of PC students WHO enter the Pre-College program throughout the various levels (BP-PC IV).
Issued Date
2007
Resource Type
Language
eng
Rights
Mahidol University
Suggested Citation
Satja Sopha, Katesawan Krasin, Supatra Boonprasert, Pattharat Pothong (2007). An analysis of the success rates of PC students WHO enter the Pre-College program throughout the various levels (BP-PC IV).. Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/20.500.14594/35024
Title
An analysis of the success rates of PC students WHO enter the Pre-College program throughout the various levels (BP-PC IV).
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Rationale: The aim of the Pre-College Program is to prepare students for entrance into
MUIC or English programs in other universities. Quarter by quarter, students are accepted
into the PC Program to study English at various levels from elementary through to advanced
depending on their placement results. However, there is no available research data to track
PC students who enter at the various levels and their success rate in the advanced level (PC4).
Objective: This paper is an analysis of the success rates of PC students who enter the PC
Program at the various levels of study (BP-PC4). The research focused mainly on comparing
the pass rates of those students who entered at level 4 to those who entered at the lower levels
(BP - PC 3) in academic years 2003-2005. This will help establish the efficacy of PC
placement and passing criteria. Methodology:The paper is a quantitative analysis of the
percentage of students who enter at the various levels of the program and successfully
complete PC4 in academic years 2003-2005. The data was collected using existing student
records. The students were placed into focus groups according to the level at which they
entered the program and the number of required attempts before successfully completing
PC4. Codes were assigned to students to represent their individual entry levels and attempts
at PC4.
The following is a summary of the coding system used in this study:
The first digit indicates the level at which each student entered the program. The subsequent
digits are defined as follows:
10 : successful on their first attempt at
PC4
11 : successful on their second attempt at
PC4
12 : successful on their third attempt at
PC4 (student studying with condition)
13 : successful after pending TOEFL
20 : required to repeat PC 4 after first
failed attempt
21 : student asked to leave the program
after a second failed attempt
22 : student asked to leave the program
after failing as a condition student
23 : student asked to leave the program
because he/she did not submit the required
TOEFL score within the given 6 month
period
24 : student successfully completed all
subjects (R, W, L&S) but unable to
achieve the required TOEFL score
Results: Due to the changes to the criteria in college entrance requirements, the data for each
study year was different, making it difficult for clear conclusions to be made.
Entrance to the main college in year 2003 was dependent on passing the three skill levels in
PC 4 with limited weighting of TOEFL scores. This may have made entrance to the college
easier for PC students in 2003.
Entrance to the main college after quarter 3 in year 2004 was dependent on passing PC4 and
achieving a minimal TOEFL score of 500 in quarters 1 and 2 and increasing to 520 in
quarters 3 and 4.
Due to these changes in TOEFL requirements in 2004 and the necessary transition period
affecting the students in the system at that time between quarter 2 and 4, the average passing
grade could conceivably have been lower if current students at the time were subject to the
same, strict entrance requirements as students later in the same year. With this in mind, it can
be concluded that years 2004 and 2005 were fairly similar in terms of the percentage of
students entering the program who eventually passed PC4. This also suggests that the PC
program aligned itself better with the requirements of the college, which also raised its
standards at around the same time. Overall, the results suggest that PC has become harder to
pass; however, because of the varying entrance criteria in each study year, a comparison of
the results is not possible. In order to assess the true value of this research, further research is
needed to analyze the extent to which students from the differing years succeeded upon
entering the college and the degree to which PC prepared them for life within an international
college environment and the resulting high standards placed upon them.
During the three study years, the data suggests that on average, students who began the
program in the elementary levels achieved slightly higher passing rates than those who
entered the program in levels 3 or 4.
The comparatively similar success rates of students in each level suggest that PC placement
criteria have been effective in placing new students into the correct initial level. This also
suggests that the curricula in each level adequately prepares student for subsequent levels,
thereby ensuring smooth transition through the levels.
Description
Research Seminar on Research for MUIC Development, Mahidol University International College, Thailand. January 19, 2007