Listening Barriers in English Proficiency Test in English Education Department of Universitas Muhammadiyah Gresik

Abstract

English Proficiency Test (EPT) has been utilized widely to measure the skills of English learners. On the other hand, each test has its challenges and uniqueness. This current research aims to investigate the specific problem encountered by English language learners during English Proficiency Test (EPT) in Universitas Muhammadiyah Gresik. The problem is specific to listening where a lot of learners frequently have difficulties. Participants of this study are 30 Learners from the English education department of Universitas Muhammadiyah Gresik from the 3rd to the 5th semester. The result reveals that among the common challenges in listening skills in EPT, the most frustrating barrier is the occurrence of unfamiliar words, including jargon and idioms. There are 60% who agree that it is the most challenging part, while only 3.3% do not. It may happen as Idioms will be extremely hard for several students since idioms are similar to describe a genuine position regardless theportray of other situations with different meanings. The following research is encouraged to investigate other aspects of English skills in the EPT and more participants to discover the appropriate method to tackle the barriers.