An Investigative Study On Washback Effects Of PRETCO On Higher Vocational English Teaching And Learning

Language testing is not only an essential step in language teaching process but also plays an important part in language education. Washback usually refers to the influences of tests on teaching and learning, which can be positive and negative. Since the 1980s, theoretical and empirical researches of washback have developed rapidly, which not only improve the development of language testing and educational reform but also direct language teaching and learning. Compared with the researches abroad, the relevant researches at home are lagging behind. At present, the studies of backwash mainly focus on NMET, TEM and CET. The researches on Practical English Test of Colleges (hereafter PRETCO for short), especially empirical researches are even few. Therefore, it is important to carry out the empirical study of PRETCO washback on higher vocational English teaching and learning.As a large-scaled EFL test, PRETCO has got popular among the colleges all around the country since it was implemented in 2002. The washback of PRETCO has also attracted great attention of applied linguists and language scholars. More and more teachers think English education has been greatly influenced by PRETCO. In order to adapt to the new situation of higher vocational education, the syllabus was revised in December,2014. Whether new PRRTCO exerts washback on higher vocational English teaching and learning, what the nature of the washback is and in what aspects its washback is reflected are the questions that should be taken into consideration. Under the circumstance, the writer carries out the study.This study is a preliminary empirical investigation, aimed at exploring the washback of new PRETCO on higher vocational English teaching and learning. Based on the previous research results of washback and the practical teaching conditions in China, the author takes a descriptive research method, and adopts questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations as main research instruments. A total of 220 students selected randomly and 16 English teachers from Xuanhua Vocational College of Science and Technology are involved in the research. After a description of the feedback, the paper analyzes the washback of PRETCO on English teaching and learning and puts forward some suggestions to increase the positive and decrease the negative.The results can be concluded in the following:First, new PRETCO does have washback on higher vocational English teaching and learning. Generally speaking, the positive effects exceed the negative ones. Second, new PRETCO exerts impacts on various aspects in English education process, and especially on teaching and learning content, methods, attitudes and materials and so on. Third, the positive washback involves three points:guiding for higher vocational English teaching and learning; being effective in evaluating the teaching and learning effects; stimulating students’ learning interest and motivation. At the same time, the negative washback should not be neglected:strengthening the "learning to test" to a certain extent; hampering integrated development of students’abilities; students tend to suffer more anxiety and stress.Based on the above findings, the writer also raises some proposals to enhance positive washback and reduce negative washback. In the end, the writer makes a conclusion to the study as well as points out the limitations of the study and the suggestions for further study.