Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy
Thailand’s educational system is plagued by rote learning, deference to authority, and habits of uncritical thinking. One of the culprits is the emphasis on regurgitating “facts” through multiple choice language testing. This paper addresses the ideological responses and habits that multiple choice...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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ACRULeT, Faculty of Education & UiTM Press
2007
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| Online Access: | https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/6650/ |
| _version_ | 1848802833677156352 |
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| author | Hoy, Thomas |
| author_facet | Hoy, Thomas |
| author_sort | Hoy, Thomas |
| building | UiTM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Thailand’s educational system is plagued by rote learning, deference to authority, and habits of uncritical thinking. One of the culprits is the emphasis on regurgitating “facts” through multiple choice language
testing. This paper addresses the ideological responses and habits that multiple choice language tests demand and reinforce. Through an examination of practice questions for vocabulary tests at a major Thai university a number of contentions about multiple choice vocabulary testing are developed. Students need to imagine the examiner’s ideal context for the statement that is tested and they need to anticipate the examiner’s value system and ideology. These tests breed conformism and punish curiosity about the language. The time and energy that students spend in studying for them retards and deforms more important aspects of linguistic performance and also their intellectual growth in general. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T21:29:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | uitm-6650 |
| institution | Universiti Teknologi MARA |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T21:29:38Z |
| publishDate | 2007 |
| publisher | ACRULeT, Faculty of Education & UiTM Press |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | uitm-66502022-08-26T08:12:11Z https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/6650/ Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy ajue Hoy, Thomas Thailand’s educational system is plagued by rote learning, deference to authority, and habits of uncritical thinking. One of the culprits is the emphasis on regurgitating “facts” through multiple choice language testing. This paper addresses the ideological responses and habits that multiple choice language tests demand and reinforce. Through an examination of practice questions for vocabulary tests at a major Thai university a number of contentions about multiple choice vocabulary testing are developed. Students need to imagine the examiner’s ideal context for the statement that is tested and they need to anticipate the examiner’s value system and ideology. These tests breed conformism and punish curiosity about the language. The time and energy that students spend in studying for them retards and deforms more important aspects of linguistic performance and also their intellectual growth in general. ACRULeT, Faculty of Education & UiTM Press 2007-06 Article PeerReviewed text en https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/6650/1/AJ_THOMAS%20HOY%20AJUE%2007.pdf Hoy, Thomas (2007) Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy. (2007) Asian Journal of University Education (AJUE) <https://ir.uitm.edu.my/view/publication/Asian_Journal_of_University_Education_=28AJUE=29.html>, 3 (1). pp. 23-37. ISSN 1823-7797 |
| spellingShingle | Hoy, Thomas Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy |
| title | Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy |
| title_full | Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy |
| title_fullStr | Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy |
| title_short | Multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice English language testing in Thailand / Thomas Hoy |
| title_sort | multiple minimal choices: ideology and multiple choice english language testing in thailand / thomas hoy |
| url | https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/6650/ |