High School English Achievement Test Research On The Backwash Effect Of Teaching And Learning

Washback usually refers to the impact of language tests on language teaching and learning, which is a new research field of applied linguistics recently. Studies on washback worked by researchers abroad are from theoretical to empirical researches, the results of which not only have enriched the relative theory of testology, but also have hastened the development of English teaching and learning greatly. However, theoretical and empirical researches on washback in our country is deficient, and washback studies based on AT (Achievement Test) in the process of high-school English teaching and learning are even less.This study is based on the conclusion of some relative documents, and the researcher chooses390students and21English teachers from different grades and classes in a four-star senior high school in Nanjing as the subject sample. The questionnaire survey is the main research instrument to find the impact of AT on senior English teaching and learning. Besides, in order to explore the specific washback of AT have on teachers and students and the reason for this situation through interview and classroom observation. According to this, this thesis put forward some suggestions about test of high school English teaching.The research results indicate that the AT in senior high school takes the NMET as a model and the washback on senior English teaching and learning is mainly negative. The influence of AT on teachers’teaching manifests itself in the choice of teaching content and method as well as the attitude of teachers to students while the influence of AT on students’ learning lies in learning content and motivation. Influenced by the "teaching to test", AT in high school considers NMET exam papers as a template, the teachers overuse a large number of test preparation materials in class and ignore the fundamental knowledge in the textbooks; AT test-taking skills rather than language use are mainly practiced; the classrooms are teacher-dominated rather than student-oriented; the skill of speaking is not put enough emphasis on. The study result suggests that the unreasonable evaluation and administration policy from society and school to teachers is the main factor causing test-oriented teaching. And some other factors such as teacher factors, learner factors, school system and teacher’privilege, etc., might affect the nature of AT washback.According to the above results, suggestions are made by researcher for senior high school English teaching and testing: teachers can built an English testing group and work out the AT test questions according to their English teaching; the content of AT should be closely connected with teaching materials trying to increase the creativity and variety of the questions; the quality of the test has to be improved and the proportion of each part comes to be appropriate trying to be in line with the requirements of teaching syllabus; the form of evaluation on teachers and students is asked to be changed, feedback information is used correctly to bring the positive washback of test into full play; teacher training should be paid much attention to aiming to raise teachers’ level in testing theory and organizing examination questions.Because of the level of the researcher, limitations of this thesis are present, reflecting these limitations, some suggestions for further study are put forward.