Washback in Language Testing: Research Contexts and Methods

by Cheng, Liying; Watanabe, Yoshinori; Curtis, WITH Andy

• ISBN13: 9780805839869
• ISBN10: 0805839860
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-11-01
• Publisher: Lawrence Erlbau

Summary

"Washback" refers to the influence of language testing on teaching and learning. This volume, at the important intersection of language testing and teaching practices, presents theoretical, methodological, and practical guidance for current and future washback studies. In the field of language testing, researchers' major interest has traditionally been focused on issues and solving problems inherent in tests in order to increase their reliability and validity. However, the washback effect goes well beyond the test itself to include factors, such as curriculum, teacher and learner behaviors inside and outside the classroom, their perceptions of the test, and how test scores are used. Only recently have researchers started to empirically investigate the phenomenon of washback. This volume of such research serves two essential purposes by: *providing an overview of the complexity of washback and the various contextual factors entangled within testing, teaching, and learning; and *presenting empirical studies from around the world that offer insights into the effects of washback in specific educational contexts and models of research on which future studies can be based. The extensive use of test scores for various educational and social purposes in society nowadays makes the washback effect a high-interest phenomenon in the day-to-day educational activities of teachers, researchers, program coordinators/directors, policymakers, and others in the field of education.Washback in Language Testing: Research Contexts and Methodsis a valuable resource for those who are interested in the application of findings to actual teaching and learning situations or conduct washback research in their own contexts, including educational and psychological testing experts, as well as alternative assessment people in all fields, and for policy- and decision-makers in educational and testing organizations.

Table of Contents

Foreword	ix
Preface	xiii
About the Authors	xix
PART I: CONCEPTS AND METHODOLOGY OF WASHBACK
Washback or Backwash: A Review of the Impact of Testing on Teaching and Learning	3	(16)
Liying Cheng
Andy Curtis
Methodology in Washback Studies	19	(18)
Yoshinori Watanabe
Washback and Curriculum Innovation	37	(16)
Stephen Andrews
PART II: WASHBACK STUDIES FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD
The Effects of Assessment-Driven Reform on the Teaching of Writing in Washington State	53	(20)
Brian Stecher
Tammi Chun
Sheila Barron
The IELTS Impact Study: Investigating Washback on Teaching Materials	73	(24)
Nick Saville
Roger Hawkey
IELTS Test Preparation in New Zealand: Preparing Students for the IELTS Academic Module	97	(16)
Belinda Hayes
John Read
Washback in Classroom-Based Assessment: A Study of the Washback Effect in the Australian Adult Migrant English Program	113	(16)
Catherine Burrows
Teacher Factors Mediating Washback	129	(18)
Yoshinori Watanabe
The Washback Effect of a Public Examination Change on Teachers' Preceptions Toward Their Classroom Teaching	147	(24)
Liying Cheng
Has a High-Stakes Test Produced the Intended Changes?	171	(20)
Luxia Qi
The Washback of an EFL National Oral Matriculation Test to Teaching and Learning	191	(20)
Irit Ferman
References	211	(16)
Author Index	227	(6)
Subject Index	233