The Missouri Reader Vol. 37, Issue 2 | Page 38

freshmen and sophomores.
A self-report data collection tool and
voluntary survey was constructed to answer the
overarching research questions and determine
if there was a correlation between the amount
of high school foreign language instruction and
English ACT scores for underclassmen. A link to
an anonymous, voluntary survey was sent to all
freshmen and sophomores enrolled at one
university in southwest Missouri through the
university’s e-mail system. Students were asked
the number of semesters they completed
foreign language instruction before attending
the university and their ACT composite score
and English section score. Students were also
asked to identify their primary language,
languages studied before attending college, and
number of semesters they studied a foreign
language prior to college. Additionally, students
were asked if they believed studying a foreign
language helped them in other subjects in
school.

Findings
The findings of our inquiry are presented
following our discussion of the ACT in response
to our initial research question. Understanding
the current form of the ACT and identifying the
benefits of language learning, while connecting
it to our students’ perceptions, has been
valuable for advocating for more second
language learning at the collegiate level.

Connecting Second Language
Learning to Student Inner
Understanding of Language
When the ACT test was established in 1959,
one of the objectives was “to provide
information helpful to colleges both in the
process of admitting students and in ensuring
their success after enrollment” (ACT, 2011a,
para. 3). Today, the ACT seeks to evaluate high
school students’ educational development and
readiness for college in five different areas:
English (75 questions), Math (60 questions),

Reading Comprehension (40 questions), and
Science Reasoning (40 questions). Additionally,
there is an optional writing portion to assess
students’ ability to plan and write an essay. The
tests are measured on a 1 to 36 scale with
scores in each of the tests and subtests as well
as a composite score, which is the average of all
four tests.
Understanding of usage and mechanics. The
English section of the ACT test measures
students’ understanding of the English language
in two main areas. One area (40 questions)
measures understanding of usage and
mechanics of standard written English such as
punctuation, grammar and usage, and sentence
structure. The other area measures
understanding of rhetorical skills (35 questions)
such as strategy, organization, and style (ACT,
2011b). The test does not measure spelling,
vocabulary, or memorization of grammar rules.
English skills are measured in context using
five essays or passages with words and phrases
underlined and numbered to match specific
questions. Some questions also refer to the
context of the whole passage. The passages
vary in topic and are chosen for the
appropriateness in assessing knowledge of
writing skills and because they relate to
students’ interests (ACT, 2011b).
For the usage and mechanics part of the
test (53% of the whole English test), the ACT
distributes the questions in the following
manner: punctuation (13%), grammar and
usage (16%), and sentence structure (24%)
(ACT, 2011b). The ACT official website states
the goal is to measure students’ understanding
of the use of punctuation marks in relation to
meaning. In the following example, taken from
the English Reading Workout for the ACT
(2011), the test taker has to decide the best use
of the comma in the underlined section. If the
passage is correct as it is written, the test taker
should choose option a (the best option is d).

©The Missouri Reader, 37 (2) p.38