Estimation of English Proficiency Based on Read-Aloud Performance and Linguistic Difficulty of Sentences

In this study, the English proficiency (EP) of learners was determined based on their read-aloud performance (RAP). RAP reflects EP as it demonstrates the basic linguistic skills required for recognizing lexical/syntactic structure, understanding the meaning, and making speech sounds depending on the sentence structure/meaning. Empirically, RAP test scores have been correlated with those of EP tests such as the Test of English as a Foreign Language or Test of English for International Communication. With the assumption that RAP can be evaluated based on accuracy, speech rate, and learners’ subjective judgment, in this study, it was examined which combinations of these RAP indices achieved the highest EP estimation; in addition, how EP estimation depended on learners’ EP was analyzed. For this, EP estimation was evaluated for learners at different EP levels. The experimental results showed that all combinations of RAP indices perform comparably in EP estimation, and that effective EP estimation differed by EP level.