English Language Exposure and Literacy Rate toward Language Proficiency: A Cross-country Analysis

Globalization has made English more important than ever. Through time, curriculum designers and teacher practitioners remain steadfast in finding ways to advance the quality of student learning. To ascertain the quality of language teaching and learning, parameters like standardized tests are set. This paper examined, at the cross-country level, the difference between the 2009 and 2013 Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) iBT scores and the effect of language exposure on the test takers’ scores. It further investigated the correlation between literacy rate and English language use in the scores obtained. Using paired t-test to determine the English proficiency of the test takers and Pearson r to test the correlation of the literacy rate and language use in the scores obtained, the findings showed a significant difference in the mean scores between 2009 and 2013 scores in TOEFL. The results also revealed a strong positive linear relationship between TOEFL scores and literacy rate, while no association exists between TOEFL scores and language exposure. The quality of comprehensible input is more important than the quantity of language exposure. Active immersion in a language is still an acknowledged fact that contributes to effective language learning. Literacy remains a foundational competency that is of primary importance to language learning. It is then imperative that schools revisit language learning curricula and emphasize quality instruction through authentic language tasks and activities.