Washback Of Oral English Test On English Teaching And Learning

Washback is a relatively new topic in the study of language testing, however it has attracted more and more attention of language test designers and researchers in the late decade. Starting with a review of the major theoretical frameworks on test washback, this study is dedicated to investigating test washback effects on English teaching and learning. With the Oral Test in Tsinghua English Proficiency Test (I) (TEPT-1) as a case study, the research is based on the Washback Hypothesis (1993, in Alderson et al 1996:281), focused on the "participants" in Hughes' (1994, in Wall 2000:501) PPP Washback Model. A number of methodologies introduced in previous empirical studies on test washback are adopted to study various aspects of tests or factors and different subjects.The fist major finding of the research is that the TEPT-1 Oral Test does have certain washback effects on the students' attitude towards English oral learning and their practices. Most students regard the test as a motivation to learn oral English instead of a compulsory and boring task to complete. However, the students' attitude towards the Oral Test changes as time goes by. The research also indicates that individual student factors play an important role in the students' attitude and behavior. The data and analysis have also helped us realize the major aspects of the Oral Test that may be improved, including the topics for talk, the organization of the test itself, and the rater standards, etc.