Table 3 Research on TOEFL washback
Researcher(s) (Year of publication) | Geographical context | Research method(s) | Participants | Major findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Alderson and Hamp-Lyons (1996) | USA | Classroom observation; interview | Teachers; students | - TOEFL affected both teaching content and methods |
- Teachers were affected by washback of different strength and type | ||||
- TOEFL alone did not cause washback | ||||
Wall and Horák (2006) | Central and Eastern Europe | Classroom observation; interview | Teachers; students; directors of studies | - a hope for the new TOEFL test to induce a more communicative teaching approach |
- a hope for TOEFL prep classes to include academic tasks; | ||||
- TOEFL prep classes were coursebook-based and teacher-dominated | ||||
Wall and Horák (2008) | Central and Eastern Europe | Interview | Teachers | - Teachers’ attitudes toward the new TOEFL test were generally positive |
- Their understandings of the differences between the new and old TOEFL tests increased with time | ||||
- They were not sure how to incorporate the new TOEFL into their teaching | ||||
Wall and Horák (2011) | Central, Eastern and Western Europe | Classroom observation; interview; analysis of coursebooks | Teachers | - A strong influence from TOEFL coursebooks on course design and teaching methods |
- Clear changes in teaching reading, listening, speaking, integrated writing and grammar after the introduction of the new TOEFL test, but no change in teaching independent writing; - The major washback of the new TOEFL was on the teaching content |