Vironkielisten osallistujien kielitaito Yleisten kielitutkintojen suomen kielen testissä
Finnish language proficiency of Estonian-speaking learners in the National Certificates’ intermediate level language test

Summary/Abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate Estonian-speaking Finnish language learners’ participation and test achievement in the intermediate level Finnish language test ‘National Certificates of Language Proficiency’. We examined test takers’ (n = 60,997) background information and test results in 2012–2020 using test-taking statistics and statistical analysis. During this period altogether 1,634 Estonian-speakers with various learner characteristics, test performance and needs for language assessment took part in the intermediate level Finnish language proficiency tests (YKI 3–4 ≈ CEFR B1–B2). The results show that the vast majority of Estonian-speakers in all background groups reached the proficiency level of an independent language user in all four sub-skills measured (listening and reading comprehension, speaking and writing). Reading comprehension turned out to be the strongest skill with 77.5 % of Estonian-speaking participants at the proficiency level YKI 4 ≈ B2. Although writing was the most demanding skill, 94.2 % of all the Estonian-speaking participants reached the proficiency level 3 (B1) and 46.0 % of them the level 4 (B2) also in writing test. This is almost 60 (level 3) and 40 (level 4) percentage points above the average of the performance level of the other language groups during the same period. The most important reasons for Estonian-speakers to participate in Finnish language tests were applying for citizenship (60.2 %), a job (37.2 %) or a place of study (27.2 %). Contrary to presumptions, the results indicated some differences in test performance depending on the test-taking reason. Close linguistic relatedness, short geographical and cultural distance and possibilities for studying Finnish both in Finland and in Estonia as well as using Finnish language in everyday life have helped Estonian-speakers to reach a high proficiency level even within a short period of time. However, none of these conditions alone could predict a certain test result.

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