Arab Educational Information Network

This study aimed to develop an instrument to measure language competency of students who wish to enroll university programs, as a measurement for required Arabic skills. To achieve the goals of the study, the researcher developed a list of required Arabic skills for students who wish to study at universities. The list was submitted to fifty-three specialists in Arabic language to determine which skills are considered to be important for students entering university. The researcher approved skills that were rated as important by at least 60% of the raters. The final list composed of 39 Arabic skills (listening, silent reading, and functional writing). A test for Arabic skills was improved based on the list. The first draft of the test was submitted to fifty-three specialists in Arabic language to give their opinion about each question of the test. The researcher considered their comments in improving test questions. The improved draft was solved by a sample of students at 1st level of the year (2015- 2016) in five colleges at Sana’a university (100 students). By analyzing results, it was found that the test has acceptable levels of validity and reliability (85%). The final draft of the test composed of 88 questions (multiple choice, completing sentences, and comparing questions). In addition, there was one essay to measure functional and hand writing skills. (Published Abstract)