Washback Effects Of NMET Reform On English Teaching And Learning In Shaanxi

The reverse effect of language testing refers to the effect of testing on language teaching and learning,which can be divided into positive and negative effect,which is also called washback.The effect of the washback is in direct proportion to the importance of the test,the more important the test is,the bigger the washback is.The NMET is one of the most important tests with high risk,which is organized and administrated by National English Test Committee in China.The result of NMET is related to the qualification of the test-takes who can enter the famous-brand universities decided the qualified of the participants,who can enter the university or not.It is also one of the standard to measure the achievement of the teachers.Therefore,NMET has great impact on both teachers and students.With the development of the reformation of NMET,the test paper has changed a lot on the contents and construction,accordingly,which affects the process of teaching and learning.The purpose of the study is to analyze the impact of the reform of college entrance examination English on teaching and learning in senior high school,which is based on the results of the research on the effect of language testing on teaching and learning.Employing the methods of interview,classroom observation,and questionnaire.The study is based on a senior high school in Hanzhong,Shaanxi to investigate 39 teachers and 358 students as the research subject to find out the positive and negative effect on teachers and students.The results of survey data concludes the following aspects:the measures that the school took to adjust to the reform,including the soft and hard facilities of the school and the change of the teaching training.And the effect of the test paper of NMET has also affected the teachers and students.For the teachers,they have to change their teaching attitudes and methods.For the students,they also have to change their learning conception and methods to adjust to the reform of the NMET.The quantitative and qualitative methods are used in the study to find ways to promote the teaching and learning.The results of the study reveal that NMET has a substantial impact on many aspects of teaching and classroom management.In preparations for the test,both the teachers and the students focused on developing the skills of reading,writing and listening,which were to be measured by the test.They also used simulated test papers,which are identical to the NMET in format.The study also shows that the NMET has a strong washback effect on students' learning process.The language skills and the materials that the students chose to focus on were largely decided by the what is contained in the test.Moreover,washback is relevant to students' perceptions and attitudes to language learning and which varied significantly before and after the test.Students' motivation to learn and preference of learning activities were greatly influenced during the test preparation and thus impacted their language learning outcomes.Lastly,the study puts forward on how to maximize the beneficial impact and minimized a number of suggestion the negative impact of the NMET.