This study is a summary of the complex odor proficiency testing method using the air dilution sensory method conducted for the last 7 years. Results of the homogeneity and stability test were obtained from the measurement of the standard sample for identifying the range of measurable concentration so that the complex odor proficiency testing method was established through processing the manufactured standard sample and distribution method. Standard samples were prepared using a large Teflon bag after being homogeneously mixed inside a Teflon bag. Also, a distributing container was selected with a polyester aluminum bag in order to avoid samples of the best condition from being contaminated during transport as well as being exposed to invasive odor from a sampling bag. Test results revealed that the mixture of toluene and m-Xylene was most appropriate for this proficiency testing method to the homogeneity and stability of the testing method. In addition, DMS and DMDS were the optimized samples at the outlet area. As a result, the standard method was established to address the analysis quality management to the mixed odor inspection agencies in Korea.

In this study, the homogeneity and stability of standard samples for proficiency testing in indoor air quality within the country (formaldehyde, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, p-xylene, styrene, TVOC) were evaluated. The procedures and statistical analysis methods applied in ISO/IEC 13528 (2009) and KS A ISO Guide 35 (2005) were applied as evaluation methods. The homogeneity evaluation was a statistical analysis of repeated measurements of each of the 11 ports and between the 11 ports concentration data. As a result, the coefficient of variation (CV) was within the range of 1.9%~5.9%. The difference between the ports was found to be insignificant and met the statistical standard specified in KS Q ISO 13528. The stability evaluation was assessed by the change in concentration over the long-term stability of the standard samples stored for 90 days. The coefficient of variation (CV), which was within the range of 2.6%~9.0%, exhibited changes in the concentration of the long-term stored standard samples. However, the results satisfy the statistical standard specified in KS A ISO Guide 35. Overall, there is no significant difference between the homogeneity of the standard samples by the port and the stability of the long-term stored samples. Therefore, it is considered to be an appropriate method to supply standard samples in an indoor air quality proficiency test.

This study examined a timed cloze test for evaluating English proficiency in second language (L2) experimental research. Forty-five Korean college students were randomly assigned to either a timed or untimed condition. In the timed condition, the participants read the sentences of the text one phrase at a time, using the self-paced, cumulative, moving-window reading paradigm, and their reading time (RT) and accuracy were measured. In an untimed condition, the participants carried out a typical pencil-and-paper cloze test. Linear mixed-effect models were used to analyze the data. Although the accuracy data did not indicate any significant results, the RT data showed that the participants responded faster when they selected accurate answers and they answered function words rather than content words; also, as the participants’ TOEIC scores increased, a marginally significant RT difference was observed. A significant correlation was also found between the cloze test and high TOEIC scores in the timed condition. The results showed that the timed cloze test used in the study can provide useful data for L2 experimental research in measuring L2 proficiency.

The aim of this study is to analyze error cases induced during the proficiency test of certified odor measurement agencies. In the case of the homogeneity test performed in three panel groups, the geometric mean dilution factor of the site boundary PTMs(proficiency testing materials) was 1.4 ± 0.2, 1.7 ± 0.2, 1.8 ± 0.1 and that of the outlet PTMs was 3.7 ± 0.2, 3.7 ± 0.3, 3.7 ± 0.3, respectively. In the case of the stability test for 72 h, the geometric mean dilution factor of the site boundary PTMs was 1.6 ± 0.1 and that of the outlet PTMs was 3.6 ± 0.1. Among error cases induced during the proficiency test of certified odor measurement agencies, the proportion of error cases was in the order of case II(discontinuance of estimation)(40.0%) > case I(error on estimation procedure by panelist)(33.3%) > case III(miswriting of estimation result)(13.3%) > case IV(miswriting of dilution factor) and V(writing of wrong estimation result)(6.7%). Therefore, it seems likely that additional education related to error cases II and I is required.

The demand for test-taking has become an inevitable element of Korean secondary EFL learners’ academic lives in which learners strive to excel in the high-stakes examoriented milieu. However, current knowledge of practitioners, such as those of teachers and administrators, may be insufficient for ascertaining if the learners actually undergo the test-taking process they anticipate and assess what they aim to test. In contrast to the product-oriented view where the primary interest is on the outcome (i.e., scores or stanine levels), the purpose of the present study was to explore 165 Korean high school learners’ test-taking process via questionnaires with proficiency and item type as the grouping variables. There was avid use of conventional reading strategies among the high proficiency learners and test management strategies among the lower proficiency learners. Results present implications for teaching learners not only to become testwise, but also to work consistently towards building reading skills and adopt long-term learning strategies.

One year has already passed since the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) language proficiency requirements (LPRs) test was implemented in Korea. The purpose of this study was to investigate the military air traffic controllers’ (ATCs) perceptions and their needs on English Proficiency Test for Aviation (EPTA) test. To do that, the results were compared with civilian ATCs’ perceptions which were analyzed by Shin and Kim (2005). A total of 60 active duty Air Force ATCs participated in the survey process. The questionnaire was composed of 27 items including 23 multiple choice and 4 open-ended questions. All results were discussed in the following categories: general perception of the EPTA, specific needs for military ATCs and test preparations. The results showed that gaps still exist among ICAO LPRs, the current EPTA test, and military ATCs’ specific needs. It was suggested that, to make more customized aviation English tests in the Korean ESP field as well as to meet the ICAO LPRs, it is necessary for all relevant governmental organizations, language test groups, and test experts to continuously pay attention to test-takers’ practical and specific needs.

The purposes of this paper are to report the English proficiency of Korean university students through TOEIC test, and to suggest feasible ways to improve their communicative competence. A total of one thousand and forty-two sophomore students who took the Practical English course participated in this study. The data based on TOEIC scores were analyzed and the major findings revealed that: (1) Although students had slightly higher scores on the written language sections than on the spoken language parts, they had the lowest scores in the grammar section; (2) The total listening comprehension scores were significantly correlated with the total reading scores; (3) There was a high positive correlation between students’ proficiency level and their scores; (4) Multiple regression analysis showed that part 3 (short conversations) influenced significantly on the total listening part, while part 6 (grammar) had a significant effect on the total reading part. In conclusion, these findings contribute to the emerging picture of what constitutes a successful language learner by proposing a more refined model based on Willis’. In conclusion, the results of this study offer several suggestions for language teaching professionals as providers of effective instruction of communication strategies for enhancing the development of communicative competence.

Face-to-face interview format has been widely used to elicit English language samples in oral proficiency testing. It is desirable to replicate target language use situations in oral testing, and the direct testing format is believed to assess more authentic and interactive language abilities. However, it has been argued that speech samples from unstructured face-to-face interviews are quite different from those in natural communication settings. The purpose of this study was to understand the construct to be assessed through an unstructured face-to-face interview, which was adopted to an English speaking contest. Data from the English speaking contest were analyzed in terms of how they were different from the characteristics of naturally occurring conversations. It was found that the test construct in the English speaking contest did not reflect the features of natural conversation specifically in the areas of turn-taking, adjacency pairs, and topic nomination due to asymmetrical power relations between interviewer and interviewees. Therefore, it was suggested that we need to incorporate diverse discourse-based approaches into current speaking skill assessments, which can interpret spoken language data in many ways.

This study investigates the nature and the validity of the PhonePass SET-10 test designed to measure test-takers’ English oral proficiency using the automated computer technology. For this study, the data from 84 Korean college students were collected: students’ TEPS scores, PhonePass SET-10 results as well as the results from the survey developed to measure their attitudes toward the new format of English speaking test. Based on the analysis of the study, it is found out that there exists a positive correlation between the TEPS scores and the PhonePass SET-10 results of the participants, indicating that in fact the computer-based automated evaluating system can significantly contribute to assessing students’ English oral proficiency while the items and the purpose of the test administration are relatively limited. It is also reported that the participants of this study showed positive attitudes toward the PhonePass SET-10 with a hope that the newly developed speaking test will help them further their English study.