An Investigation Into The Washback Effect Of NMET On Senior School Students’ Learning Process

It is often argued that National Matriculation English Test (NMET) in China influences and even dominates the whole process of senior high school education, including students’learning process, and such influence is conceived to be more negative than positive, as it leads to "teaching to the test", and thus makes teaching and learning in secondary schools focus on language form instead of language use. However, this type of argument has not been verified empirically with enough evidence. The present study investigates the washback (the influence of language tests on teaching and learning) effect of NMET with a particular reference to the relationship between NMET and students’ learning process by means of questionnaire and interview. Data were collected from the students in four different senior schools.Based on the results and other relevant studies of washback effect of NMET, this paper comes to the conclusion that the learning process of students in each grade in senior schools is affected in various ways by NMET. Their learning is directed to tests/subtests practice rather than language knowledge and language skill training. The higher their grade, the more deeply they are affected. In addition, the washback effects are more negative than positive.Lastly, suggestions are advanced to promote the positive washback and minimize the negative one in the hope of providing a correct direction for future language testing and consequently establishing a right value of language teaching and learning.