The‘Washback’ or ‘backwash’ effect of testing is a well-documented academic phenomenon common to nearly all institutional learning processes. The washback effect has been described succinctly as: ‘the influence of testing on teaching and learning.’ (Gates 1995)
What is the 'Washback effect' of testing?
The ‘washback effect’ of testing is primarily the influence of testing on training and learning. It is also the potential impact that the form and content of an aviation English test may have on regulators’ and administrators’ conception of language proficiency and what it entails.
What is washback in education?
Learn more. “Washback” (alternatively “backwash”) is a term used in education to describe the influence, whether beneficial or damaging, of an assessment on the teaching and learning that precedes and prepares for that assessment.
Do assessments have a direct Washback effect on learning?
It can be concluded, as research on assessment shows, assessments have a direct washback effect on learning. Hence, if assessment merely rewards recall, students will be more prone to rote learning and memorizing facts.
What is washback in Applied Linguistics?
Over the past 30 years, washback, often conceived as one instance of “impact” or the range of effects that assessment may have on society more generally, has become established as a popular topic for applied linguistics research.
What is washback effect example?
The backwash effect (also known as the washback effect) is the influence that a test has on the way students are taught (e.g. the teaching mirrors the test because teachers want their students to pass).
What is the effect of washback in language testing?
The 'washback effect' of testing is primarily the influence of testing on training and learning. It is also the potential impact that the form and content of an aviation English test may have on regulators' and administrators' conception of language proficiency and what it entails.
Why is a washback important?
To students, washback helps them know their strengths and weaknesses in order to work further and achieve their goals. Therefore, it is possible to have positive or negative effects from washback depending on each situation. A test task with multiple choices is an example.
What is the difference between washback and impact?
Washback is more frequently used to refer to the effects of tests on teaching and learning at the classroom level. Impact refers to the effects that a test may have on individuals, policies, or practices, within the classroom, the school, the educational system, or the society as a whole.
What is Washback effect in learning?
The way in which testing or examining influence teaching and learning and might shape the curriculum by undue concentration on the form, content and focus areas of the test or examination.
What does washback mean in education?
“Washback” (alternatively “backwash”) is a term used in education to describe the influence, whether beneficial or damaging, of an assessment on the teaching and learning that precedes and prepares for that assessment.
What is a washback?
The washback is where all the alcohol that finds its way into a distillery's whisky is produced. Later stages may concentrate this alcohol as it passes through the wash still and then the spirit still, but its existence in the first place is entirely due to the action of the yeast in the washback.
What are the factors that influence washback?
Spratt proposed teaching areas affected by washback by reviewing empirical studies that focused on external tests in the field of ELT and discovered that there are five areas affected by washback: curriculum, materials, teaching methods, feelings and attitudes, and learning. ...
How can teachers create positive washback?
217) states that a positive washback effect can be created if the tasks and activities used in teaching language are included as test items in the examination. It means that the students should not be only tested on what they were taught, but also they should be tested in the way or they were …show more content…
What is negative and positive washback?
In positive washback, teaching the curriculum becomes the same as teaching to a specific test. Negative washback occurs in situations where there may be a mismatch between the stated goals of instruction and the focus of assessment; it may lead to the abandonment of instructional goals in favor of test preparation.
What is the difference between washback and backwash?
Definition : Backwash (also called washback) is the effect that knowledge of the contents of a test may have on the course which precedes it. It may be positive or negative.
How can we achieve beneficial washback?
ACHIEVING BENEFICIAL BACKWASHCounting the cost.Where necessary, provide assistance to teachers.Test the abilities whose development you want to encourage.Ensure the test is known and understood by students and teacher.Sample widely and unpredictable.Base achievement test on objectives.Use direct testing.More items...
What is washback in language testing?
Washback refers to the impact that a test has on the teaching and learning done in preparation for it. This paper reviews research conducted into washback over the quarter century since the publication of Hughes’ standard text Testing for Language Teachers (1989). Hughes presented washback (or backwash as he called it) as a key concern for teachers. This prompted researchers to begin to investigate whether and how washback came about in different contexts. This paper first offers an extended definition, and then outlines the research that has been carried out into washback. Consideration is given to how findings have informed the development of theoretical frameworks explaining how washback occurs and features that may influence its course. Finally, these frameworks are used to outline an agenda for language test developers who wish to apply the lessons from washback research to their own practices.
When did washback research start?
Studies of washback effects in language testing contexts began to appear in the early 1990s. These have generally either investigated the ongoing effects of established testing programmes or looked into how changes in systems of assessment affect educational practice. Alderson and Wall (1993) is often cited as a foundational text in washback studies as it set out an agenda for washback research. The authors questioned the assumptions being made about the effects of innovative forms of testing and argued that systematic study was needed in order to confirm the presence and nature of washback in any given context.
When testing for use in educational settings, do they have to take account of the likely and actual consequences of their use?
Where test developers build tests for use in educational settings, they must take account of the likely and actual consequences of their use: including their washback. This section suggests ways in which developers may take account of washback when designing and validating a test.
