| Since the 1980s, a number of empirical studies have been conducted to investigate the washback effects of large-scale assessments. Some researchers have also developed conceptual framework for analyzing the washback effects of large-scale assessments. However, few studies have been conducted to explore the impacts of large-scale assessments on teachers' beliefs. To fill this gap, the current study aimed to investigate the washback effects of the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) in China on the teaching of Chinese Language in high school. The following four research questions were addressed: (1) How does the NCEE influence Chinese language teachers' beliefs? (2) What are the impacts of the NCEE on Chinese language teachers' teaching behaviors? (3) How are teachers' beliefs related to their classroom behaviors? (4) What are the factors affecting the washback effects of NCEE?;Data were collected by questionnaire surveys, interviews, direct observations, and document analyses. First, a questionnaire was used to survey a sample of Chinese Language teachers' beliefs about NCEE and their classroom practices. Then, 11 Chinese language teachers from Grade 1 to Grade 3 in five high schools were selected for further investigation.;The study revealed that Chinese language teachers' beliefs about NCEE were made up of two key components: the beliefs about the quality of test items, and the beliefs about the influence of examination. Some teachers held complex, interactive but contradictory beliefs. The NCEE not only had considerably influenced the classroom teaching but also resulted in three types of teaching behaviors: defenders of NCEE, contradictory actors, and painful resisters. Furthermore, four categories of factors were found to affect the washback effects of NCEE: contextual factors, personal factors of teachers, subject factors, and test factors. These findings have significant implications for teacher training, examination reform, and the implementation of curriculum innovation in Mainland China. |
