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Washback Effects of the New English Assessment System on Secondary Schools in Bhutan

Language Testing in Asia volume 2, Article number: 5 (2012) Cite this article

Abstract

In 2006, Bhutan changed the secondary school curriculum. This study examines the washback effect of the English assessment system associated with this new curriculum. Based on questionnaire responses from 56 EFL secondary school teachers in Bhutan, the study suggests the new curriculum produces both positive and also negative washback. In order for the new curriculum's benefit to outweigh any harm it may cause, teachers should receive proper guidance and support during this transition.

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  1. Gulf University of Science and Technology, Kuwait

    Robert Kirkpatrick

  2. Thailand

    Kinley Gyem

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  1. Robert Kirkpatrick
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  2. Kinley Gyem
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Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Kirkpatrick, R., Gyem, K. Washback Effects of the New English Assessment System on Secondary Schools in Bhutan. Language Testing in Asia 2, 5 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1186/2229-0443-2-4-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/2229-0443-2-4-5