Perceptions on English reading items of the College Scholastic Ability Test: From Foreigners’ Perspectives

The present study examined how foreigners perceive the English reading items of the college scholastic ability test, which is a high-stake university entrance exam of Korea. For this, three participants from different linguistic backgrounds, native English speaker, ESL, and EFL, were interviewed to share thoughts and opinions on two sample reading items extracted from retired CSAT items. Findings showed that the three participants all perceived the items very difficult, especially for EFL learners in secondary level. However, when they were informed about the purpose of the test and more information about competitive nature of the Korean education reality, two of the participants partially admitted that similar phenomenon are also found in their countries. Only the native English speaker still did not agree that the items are appropriate measure to assess L2 learners’ reading ability required in higher education. The researcher discussed how different cultural background yield contrasting opinions on the issue. The present study concludes by asserting a few implications for future directions of the CSAT development, based on the unbiased and objective evidence corroborated by the foreigners.