Test takers' perspectives on an English language test in Iranian higher education: A washback study (original) (raw)
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The washback effect of high-stakes tests has been explored in different countries and various educational contexts. Washback generally refers to the influence of testing on teaching and learning . This paper which is a part of a larger study seeks to report the perceptions and attitudes of Iranian pre-university English teachers towards the effect of Iranian National University Entrance Exam (hereafter the INUEE) on teachers' English teaching and learners' English learning. The participants were 6 female pre-university English teachers from two pre-university schools in the city of Ahwaz, Iran. To investigate their perceptions and attitudes towards the INUEE, a validated questionnaire was administered to the teachers and a semi-structured interview was also conducted in order to gain richer information, and to shed more light on the data collected through their questionnaires. The respondents answered questions on whether the test motivated the students to learn English, whether the INUEE evaluated students' academic knowledge, etc. The descriptive and qualitative analysis of the data revealed that teachers' perceptions towards the test were mixed. Two teachers held positive views about the test and four other teachers held negative perceptions about this high-stakes test. The findings of this study could be pedagogically significant to policy-makers, test designers, teachers, and students.
International Journal of Instruction
High stake tests are known to drive curricula and affect teachers and learners in numerous ways. In applied linguistics, this has come to be known as test washback. Thus far, almost all washback studies have focused on national or international language proficiency tests. There are scarce, if any, research studies addressing the washback of high stakes tests of English literature. The current study examined the washback effect of the English Literature Module of the Admission Test of English Literature (ATEL) on test takers' learning and attitudes as well as on test preparation materials. For this purpose, 100 graduate students of English literature from Iranian state universities completed a questionnaire designed to measure the washback of ATEL. The collected data were analysed using descriptive statistics and t-test. The results revealed that the test significantly influenced both test takers' attitudes and their learning of English literature. More specifically, it was found that the test, being beyond the zone of proximal challenge, causes most test takers to forsake the entire English literature module in favour of the general proficiency module and to hold negative attitudes towards the test.
The Washback Effect Of The Iranian Universities Entrance Exam: Teachers’ Insights
The Entrance Exam of the Universities (EEU) in Iran is a multiple-choice high-stakes test which clearly affects its stakeholders. This effect, generally known as washback, can be considered negative or positive depending on the test and its intended use. The EEU is designed to screen the high school graduates for admission into higher education. This study aimed to investigate the washback effect of this high-stakes test on the Iranian high school English teachers. To achieve the aim of the study, a validated survey questionnaire was administered to stratified random sample of 132 high school English teachers who were teaching in the five main educational districts in the city of Isfahan, Iran. The data analysis revealed that the EEU negatively and implicitly influences English teachers to teach to the content and format of the test. Additionally, little attention was given to three language skills of speaking, writing, and listening in the classroom as these skills are not tested in the EEU.
This article reports on a mixed-method study that examined the washback of a local integrated theme-based high-stakes English language proficiency test that is used in a university English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program in Turkey. The assumption behind employing an integrated theme-based test, which resembles authentic language use, was that it would bring about a positive washback on learning (Leki, Cumming & Silva, 2008: Leki & Carson 1997). The data were collected from both focus-group interviews after the instruction and pre-and post-proficiency test scores of 147 EFL students in the Preparatory English Language Program (PEP). Test of Readiness for Academic English (TRACE) was administered at the beginning and at the end of a 4-month English language instruction period. Repeated measure ANOVA and inductive analysis of the transcribed interview data were used for analyzing quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The findings indicated that the test had both positive and negative washback on the learning. Most students considered that using source-based information and their notes taken during the listening task into their writing raised their awareness in terms of generating, organizing and linking ideas as well as modelling vocabulary and sentence structures. However, the test also exerted negative washback upon learning since students were inclined to prioritize test-oriented practice. The implications of the study suggest that a theme-based integrated proficiency exam may elicit positive washback on learning that could be used for validity evidence in EAP contexts and lead to more appropriate language assessment. The procedures are detailed, the findings are presented and discussed, the applications and implications for teachers and test designers are explained, and some suggestions are made for further research.
Test candidates’ attitudes and their test performance: The case of the Fudan English Test
This study investigated test candidates’ attitudes to the Fudan English Test (FET), a university-based English proficiency test, and explored the relationships between test candidates’ attitudes, test taker characteristics, and test performance. The participants in this study were 157 students who had just attempted the FET. A questionnaire and an interview guide were designed to collect the data. Exploratory factor analysis extracted five attitudinal factors. Descriptive statistics at the factor level indicated that test candidates had the most positive attitudes to test administration and least positive attitudes to the mode of the computer-based speaking test. Factorial MANOVA showed that test candidates’ gender and academic backgrounds had no significant effect on their reported attitudes. Stepwise regression analyses showed that two attitudinal factors, attitude to test washback and attitude to test information explained 9.4% of the test score variance. As well as presenting the FET provider with additional evidence about the quality of the test, this study also lends empirical support to the argument that attitudinal factors need to be taken into serious consideration in test development and validation.
Language Testing in Asia, 2017
Backgound: Having been influenced by the trend of internationalization of higher education, most universities in Taiwan have implemented an English benchmark requirement for graduation, which requires students to demonstrate their English ability at a specified Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) level through taking a standardized English language test (e.g., GEPT, IELTS, TOEFL iBT). This practice has been increasingly criticized for failing to achieve its intended goals of enhancing students' English language proficiency and increasing students' career mobility. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore the consequences of using standardized tests in support of the policy. Methods: To this end, this study investigated students' views of the graduation policy in three universities where students are required to take the General English Proficiency Test (GEPT) prior to graduation. Structural equation modeling was employed to find the best fitting model that illustrates the complex interrelationships among test performance, students' perceptions of the requirement, test value, test anxiety, and learning motivation. Results: The findings show that university students, regardless of English proficiency, generally hold a positive attitude towards the English graduation benchmark policy. Results further reveal that the Intermediate group shows more positive attitudes towards the graduation requirement than the High-Intermediate group. SEM results show that the attitudes of university students towards the English graduation requirement positively impact their perceived test value and their learning motivation. However, there is no significant relationship between the attitudes towards the policy and test performance. Conclusions: The findings contribute to our understanding of university students as the major stakeholders who defined the context of test use.
Basis of Designing Test Questions of English Language That Reflect Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 2019
Teaching is one of the most important professions that affect different aspects of life. Brown (1994) stated that testing and teaching are different, but they are interwoven and interdependent, that it is difficult to tease them apart. Teachers teach, and then test to find out if they had achieved their course objectives. As teachers sometimes fail or find difficulties to come out with perfect test that backwash the whole process of course learning; in other words they fail to construct test that meets all intended learning outcomes (ILOs). So, this paper aims at: finding out reasons behind questions' weakness of English Language tests, and finding solutions that can help educators write their test-questions in scientific pedagogical way, that tests all course content, and reflects (ILOs). The researcher used the descriptive analytical method, a teachers' questionnaire is used as instrument to collect data, and 10 tests' questions were analyzed to tackle reasons behind questions' weakness. Participants of this study are 22 instructors from College of Science & Arts, Muhayil "KKU" Finding indicated reasons behind questions' weakness of English Language tests are the inadequate way of designing tests, as a result of ignorance of the basics of test questions criteria and lacking knowledge of how to use Bloom Taxonomy and (TOS). Instructors need training about how to use Bloom Taxonomy and Table of Specification in designing Tests' Questions of English Language in a pedagogical way.
Advances in Language and Literary Studies
This article reports on a mixed-method study that examined the washback of a local integrated theme-based high-stakes English language proficiency test that is used in a university English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program in Turkey. The assumption behind employing an integrated theme-based test, which resembles authentic language use, was that it would bring about a positive washback on learning (Leki, Cumming & Silva, 2008: Leki & Carson 1997). The data were collected from both focus-group interviews after the instruction and pre- and post- proficiency test scores of 147 EFL students in the Preparatory English Language Program (PEP). Test of Readiness for Academic English (TRACE) was administered at the beginning and at the end of a 4-month English language instruction period. Repeated measure ANOVA and inductive analysis of the transcribed interview data were used for analyzing quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The findings indicated that the test had both positiv...
Teachers‟ Perceptions of High-Stakes Tests: A Washback Study
—The study of high-stakes tests and various effects of such tests is an educational need and it is recommended by curriculum planners and educational researchers. This paper, therefore, aimed to explore the effects of the Iranian universities entrance exam on the high school English teachers. The Entrance Exam of the Universities (EEU) in Iran is a multiple-choice competitive high-stakes test that affects the teachers, students, parents and even other stakeholders. This negative or positive effect, generally known as washback, depends on the test itself, the curriculum, the stakeholders, and even the aim and scope of the test. To investigate the teachers' perceptions of the EEU washback effect, a validated survey questionnaire was administered to stratified random sample of 132 high school English teachers who were teaching in the five main educational districts in the city of Isfahan, Iran. The descriptive data analysis revealed that little attention was given to three language skills of speaking, writing, and listening in the classroom as these skills are not tested in the EEU. Moreover, the EEU negatively and implicitly influences English teachers to teach to the test format.
2021
This study seeks to explore the washback effect of the Malaysian University English Test (MUET), a high-stakes compulsory university entry test in the context of Malaysia. As simple and linear as it commonly appears, washback has been found to be far more complex than simply looking at the impact that a test might or might not have on the stakeholders. Therefore, this study aims to fill in this knowledge gap by systematically re-examining the beliefs on washback by investigating the relationship between the students’ perceptions of the MUET in terms of its importance and difficulty, with their language learning strategies whilst preparing for the test and after sitting the test. Using a mixed methods approach, a student questionnaire and student interview were utilised to elicit data from 30 male and 46 female students. The students were further divided into two groups, specifically those who were preparing for the MUET and those who had already sat the MUET. The findings suggest th...