A Synchronic And Diachronic Study Of CET Washback On College English Classroom Teaching And Learning

This thesis is a synchronic and diachronic study of the CET washback on the College English (CE) classroom. With the aim of investigating the diachronic washback of the CET on the CE classroom teaching and learning, the paper, based on Gu's study (2003), has observed 136 class hours in one of the sampled universities in Gu's study, mapped out the characteristics of CE in 2009 and compared it with that in 2003. As to the synchronic washback of the CET, it is explored through comparing the Normal CE class and the CET preparation class after the CET innovation.During observation, real time field notes have been taken, comments made and the observation coding scheme checked. In addition, three teachers'classes have been video-recorded which has been transcribed into text. Besides, interviews have been conducted during the process of analyzing these data. Results show that the CE teaching model nearly keeps the same, i.e. teacher-centered, before and after the CET innovation, but obvious changes have been shown in terms of semester teaching plans, teaching content, like the emphasized knowledge and skills, teaching methods, like the use of English, the way of questioning etc. It seems that the CET innovation may be one of the main factors contributing to these changes which, however, attribute to such other factors as College English Requirement, curriculum design, the use of the CET, the importance attached to CE by leaders, teachers'individual differences, students'English proficiency, etc. Besides, the comparison between the Normal class and the CET class reveals that the innovated CET exerts somewhat positive washback on the CE teaching, such as the overt influence of the CET, as is reflected in the emphasized skills, such as listening and fast reading, and the covert influence of the CET on CE classroom teaching and learning still needs to be further explored.This paper enriches and develops the washback study theoretically and methodologically, which not only provides references of theory, model and methods for other washback study of high-stakes tests, but put forward meaningful implication and suggestions for the development of the CET and CE.