Factors Affecting Learner Satisfaction in EFL Program Evaluation

Abstract

To provide quality assurance to various stakeholders, current foreign language program evaluation practices often incorporate learners' satisfaction of their language program experiences. Surprisingly, there is a lack of research investigating the multiple learner variables that potentially influence their satisfaction of the program, including foreign language proficiency, foreign language learning goals, and foreign language program grades. In order to address this issue, a study investigating the influences of various learner factors on program satisfaction was conducted with 440 learners enrolled in a two-year English as a foreign language program at a university in Japan. The results of a recursive path analysis indicated that program satisfaction, a construct comprised of questionnaire items related to the content and learners expectations as well as various aspects of the instructors, was influenced by their level of academic-vocational English language learning goals, grades in the English program courses, and gains in English language proficiency. While initial English proficiency did not have a direct effect on program satisfaction as hypothesized, it did have considerable indirect effects through its influence on other learner variables in the model, particularly the learners' grades. Importantly, further analyses also found significant differences between gender groups regarding the interrelationships of the learner factors to satisfaction, with proficiency gains having considerable effects for the male participants but almost no effect among the female participants. Furthermore, a comparison of the path models for each gender group showed that while the learner variables accounted for 17% of the variance in program satisfaction for the male learners, the same learner variables only accounted for 5% of satisfaction in the model for the female learners. Another important finding was an increase of 30% of variance accounting for program satisfaction between a path analysis that incorporated the learners' gains in English language proficiency based on pre- and post-program TOEFL scores and another path analysis that used the learners' self-perceived improvement in English language skills. Finally, a cross-validation of the path models revealed statistically significant differences on two variables, proficiency gain and English learning goals, between the two cohorts in the study, indicating a limitation in the longitudinal format utilized.