Washback Of The Junior Secondary English Achievement Graduation Test On Junior Secondary School English Classroom Teaching And Learning

Washback is a relatively new topic in the study of language testing, which is usually referred to the effect of testing on teaching and learning. It has attracted more and more attention of language test designers and researchers since 1990s. Many researches on washback have been conducted abroad from theory to practice. Some studies conclude that washback of high-stakes tests has much positive impact, while others find much more negative impact on EFL teaching and teachers. Teaching to tests is a very common phenomenon in China. Tests and examinations are viewed as "a baton conducting teachings, students and the teaching-learning process". Testing impact is to be examined when a public language test is introduced or innovated. However, whether it hinders or promotes English teaching, innovation needs to be examined empirically.The reform in Junior Secondary Graduation Test and Senior Secondary Enrolment System in National Experimental Regions on New Curriculum was initiated in 2004, facilitating the on-going curriculum reform which was initiated in 2001 in China. The reform focused on Junior Secondary English Achievement Graduation Test (JSEAGT), Assessment of Students' General Quality in Learning, Senior Secondary Enrolment System. Now the reform in Junior Secondary Achievement Graduation Test (JSAGT) and Senior Secondary Enrolment System has been widespread throughout China since 2008.The present author has taken part in the National JSEAGT Assessment Research held by Beijing Normal University since 2004, and is chosen to do this research in the continual years. She has been invited to take part in the Hunan JSEAGT Assessment Research held by Hunan Provincial Educational Department all these three years, and has collected many data and useful information during the JSEAGT assessment work, such as the JSEAGT papers constructed by different regions from 2004 to 2008, their self-evaluation reports of the JSEAGT, and all the evaluation reports made by the research teams. However all the research is mainly focused on the test papers and the evaluation is made mainly by the researchers according to their experiences and subjective value criteria. The empirical studies on JSEAGT are rare in China. The present study attempts to explore the possible washback effects of the JSEAGT since its official administration in Changsha in 2004 and to examine how it works, which is of innovative and positive significance.In order to investigate the washback effects of the JSEAGT, a number of research methods such as questionnaire survey, interview, classroom observation are adopted with data collected from 454 students, about 387 teachers and 4 English inspectors from the junior secondary schools in Changsha.The results of this study show that the JSEAGT has brought about largely positive washback on the improvement of teaching. The positive washback manifests itself as follows: it has promoted the implementation of the new curriculum standards in junior secondary schools; it guides teachers to focus more on developing students' language competence and it has urged junior secondary school teachers to make a shift from teaching linguistic knowledge merely to practicing language skills and put more emphasis on reading and writing. The oral test has also raised teachers' awareness of developing students' oral skills in class. Most teachers agree the present test structures and test items are reasonable. Most students respond positively to the usefulness of the JSEAGT as a means to improve their English learning. The students' responses also indicate that they find the spelling, the size of vocabulary, knowledge of grammar, the open-ended composition to be the areas that need improving and call for additional training and practice. In order to ensure that students meet the requirements of the innovations of JSEAGT, training in the basic skills and knowledge and culture should be emphasized in the daily teaching activities and the instructional planning. The results of this study also show there are some major factors impeding the positive washback, such as, students' English level, the pressure of the high-stakes test, organization of English Curriculum and the lack of professional development opportunities for teachers. Based upon the findings, some suggestions are put forward on how to promote the positive washback and hinder the negative one, such as ensure the quality of the JSEAGT; provide teachers and schools the detailed and timely feedback of the test; give teachers more opportunities to promote their professional development, etc. At last, this study points out the limitations and its needing further empirical research.