PROBLEMS FOUND ON THE TOEFL TEST QUESTIONS BY THE FIFTH SEMESTER PHYSICS STUDENTS OF DARMA AGUNG UNIVERSITY

Oct 2, 2026

The study identifies problems encountered by fifth-semester Physics Study Program students at Darma Agung University when answering TOEFL test questions. Using a focused descriptive approach within a qualitative research framework, it selected a homogeneous sample of 18 students. Data were gathered through open-ended questionnaires administered through a structured sequence: targeting the population, selecting subjects, distributing, and retrieving questionnaires. Results describe difficulties shaped by personal traits and prior experiences, emphasizing inadequate foundational skills, limited practice opportunities, insufficient motivation, and individual ability variations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Pertinent Ideas

Methodology

Findings and Discussion

Conclusion

PROBLEMS FOUND ON THE TOEFL TEST QUESTIONS BY THE FIFTH SEMESTER PHYSICS STUDENTS OF DARMA AGUNG UNIVERSITY Desmalia Purba 1), Jelita Panjaitan 2), Dewi Lestari Pardede 3) Fakultas Ilmu Sosial, Politik & Sastra Universitas Darma Agung, Medan, Indonesia 1) Fakultas Keguruan & Ilmu Pendidikan Universitas Darma Agung, Medan, Indonesia 2) Prodi Kebidanan STIKes Senior Medan, Medan, Indonesia 3) Corresponding Author: [minsontamsar@gmail.com](minsontamsar@gmail.com1)[1](minsontamsar@gmail.com1)), [j](jelitapanjaitan3@gmail.com2)[elitapanjaitan3@gmail.com](jelitapanjaitan3@gmail.com2)[2](jelitapanjaitan3@gmail.com2)), [dewilestari1991@gmail.com](dewilestari1991@gmail.com3)[3](dewilestari1991@gmail.com3)) Abstrak Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi masalah yang dihadapi siswa dalam menjawab soal tes TOEFL. Dengan menggunakan metode deskripsi terfokus, penelitian ini dijalankan dalam kerangka penelitian kualitatif. Penelitian ini menyasar mahasiswa semester lima Program Studi Fisika Universitas Darma Agung. Pengambilan sampel melibatkan seleksi yang homogen, sehingga menghasilkan jumlah sampel sebanyak 18 siswa. Pengumpulan data menggunakan kuesioner terbuka, mengikuti urutanterstruktur: mengidentifikasi populasi sasaran, memilih subjek sampel, mendistribusikan dan mengambil kuesioner. Penelitian ini terutama berfokus untuk menggambarkan kesulitan yang dialami oleh mahasiswa Program Studi Fisika Universitas Darma Agung dalam mengerjakan soal-soal tes TOEFL, yang dipengaruhi oleh sifat pribadi dan pengalaman sebelumnya. Secara khusus penelitian ini mengkajikesulitan yang dihadapi mahasiswa Program Studi Fisika semester lima Universitas Darma Agung. Temuan ini menyoroti beberapa kesulitan, termasuk keterampilan dasar yang tidak memadai, kesempatan praktik yang terbatas, motivasi yang tidak memadai, dan variasi kemampuan individu siswa. Kata Kunci: Kesulitan, Ujian TOEFL Abstract This study aims at identifying the problems encountered by students in answering the TOEFL test questions. Employing a focused description method, it operated within a qualitative research framework. The study targeted fifth-semester students of the Physics Study Program at Darma Agung University. Sampling involved homogenous selection, resulting in a sample size of 18 students. Data collection utilized open-ended questionnaires, following a structured sequence: identifying the target population, selecting sample subjects, distributing and retrieving the questionnaires. The research primarily focuses on delineating the difficulties experienced by Physics Study Program students at Darma Agung University in tackling TOEFL test questions, which are influenced by personal traits and prior experiences. It specifically examined challenges encountered by fifth-semester students Physics Study Program at Darma Agung University. The findings highlighted several obstacles, including inadequate foundational skills, limited practice opportunities, insufficient motivation, and variations in individual student abilities. Keywords: Problems, TOEFL Test INTRODUCTION English is a compulsory subject in schools as it is considered as a very important thing for people to interact with other people in life. English mastery makes one’s life easier, which is why English is also learned at universities level (Andrade 2009) . Unfortunately, although it is learned since primary schools, there are many students whose ability in using English is still not good yet. In universities, the ability of the students must be checked and measured by official test; one of them is by testing the students with TOEFL Test. TOEFL stands from Test of English as a Foreign Language. Usually, people take TOEFL because they want to know the level of their ability in English, including Listening Comprehension, Structure and Written Expression, and Reading Comprehension. Generally, the functions of TOEFL test are to facilitate people to pursue their study aboard, to apply an

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the study?

To identify the problems fifth-semester Physics students face when answering TOEFL test questions.

How was data collected for the research?

The study used open-ended questionnaires collected through a structured sequence: identifying the target population, selecting subjects, distributing, and retrieving the questionnaires.

What types of difficulties were found among the students?

The findings include inadequate foundational skills, limited practice opportunities, insufficient motivation, and variations in individual student abilities.

Oct 2, 2026

Uploaded by Sophia Brooks