Table 5 Research on washback of national/regional matriculation English tests
Geographical context | Researcher(s) (Year of publication) | Target test | Research method(s) | Participants | Major findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sri Lanka | Wall and Alderson (1993) | The O-level English exam | Questionnaire; classroom observation; interview | Teachers; students | - Both positive and negative washback effects were found on teaching content but not on teaching methods |
Israel | Shohamy (1993) | The ASL Test; The EFL Oral Test; The L1 Reading Comprehension Test | Questionnaire; classroom observation; interview; documents analysis | Teachers; students | - Strong washback from all three tests; - Both positive and negative washback on teaching content, methods, and materials; - Teaching-to-the-test abounded in instruction |
Shohamy et al. (1996) | The ASL; The EFL Test; | Questionnaire; interview; documents analysis | Teachers; students; EFL inspectors | - Increasing EFL washback but decreasing ASL washback; - Washback effects of the tests changed over time | |
Ferman (2004) | The EFL Oral Matriculation Test | Questionnaire; interview; documents analysis | Teachers; students; EFL inspectors | - Different washback on different students; - The test exerted both positive and negative washback on teaching and learning; | |
Japan | Watanabe (1996) | The Japanese university entrance examination | Classroom observation; interview | Teachers | - Teacher factors such as educational background, personal beliefs and teaching experience had more influence on washback than the test itself |
Watanabe (2004b) | The Japanese university entrance examination | Classroom observation; interview | Teachers | - Teachers’ concerns for students’ abilities, their perceptions of the exam and their familiarity with various teaching methods played important parts in the process of engineering washback | |
Hong Kong, China | Cheng (2005) | The HKCEE | Classroom observation; questionnaire; interview | Teachers; students; examiners; book publishers; school administrators | - Efficient washback on teaching content but not on teaching methods; - The exam had washback effects on both macro and micro levels of the educational system |
Cheng et al. (2011) | The SBA in the HKCEE | Questionnaire | Students; students’ parents | - A correlation between students’ attitudes of test preparation activities and their English ability; - Certain variables affected parents’ perceptions | |
The Chinese mainland | Li (1990) | The MET | Questionnaire | Teachers; local English inspectors | - positive washback on in-class teaching content and materials; - After-class learning changed considerably |
Qi (2004) | The NMET | Classroom observation; questionnaire; interview | Teachers; students; English inspectors; NMET test constructors | - NMET could not bring its intended washback because of a conflict between its two functions; - The Senior III English course was dedicated to NMET preparation | |
| Â | Zhang and Bournot-Trites (2021) | The NMET | Questionnaire; interview | Students | - The NMET had generally positive long-term washback on their college English learning outcomes; - More NMET preparation in terms of English speaking and listening skills would have better prepared them for undergraduate study; - Participant perceptions were associated with province of origin, senior high school status, and college status |