Washback Effects Of NMET Reform On English Teaching And Learning At Senior Grade One Under The Background Of New Curriculum Reform

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has launched the New Curriculum Reform (NCR) of General Senior High Schools since September,2012. National Matriculation English Test (NMET) reform has become a hot topic since Chinese Ministry of Education reformed NMET in 2014 eventually. It is predictable that NMET reform will impose washback effects on senior English teaching and learning.After reviewing the literature of the previous washback studies, it turns out that the former researches have paid much attention to washback effects on English teaching and learning at senior grade three, but there is relative less emphasis on those at senior grade one. Therefore, this study, guided by the theories of washback and under the background of the NCR, tries to propose the research topic from the perspective of hypothesis about washback effects of NMET reform on English teaching and learning at senior grade one.The research subjects are 166 students and 11 English teachers of grade one from three different senior high schools of Guigang city, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. In this study, four different dimensions such as English learning motivation, English learning evaluation, English learning attribution, and English learning self-regulation will be mainly touched. The aim of this study is to reveal whether NMET reform affects the English teaching and learning at senior grade one. The research instruments are questionnaire and interview, namely, the quantitative and qualitative methods are used together.The analyzed results of survey data reveal that (1) NMET imposes both of strongly positive and negative washback effects on English teaching and learning at senior grade one under the background of NCR. Freshmen in senior high schools take NMET either as a motivation to evaluate their English level or a dynamic force to promote their English learning. And those teachers consider it as the "baton" of senior English teaching. (2) NMET lacks test part of spoken English, which causes that teachers and students at senior grade one merely focus on how to achieve good results in NMET papers, but neglect students’ all-round development of English application ability. (3) It is inevitable to produce big challenge and heavy pressure to teachers and students at senior grade one because NMET is a high-stake examination. However, modern English education is intending to establish a healthy and harmonious educational system and environment by means of NCR.According to the revealed problems and the reality of English teaching and learning at senior high schools, this study offers the following suggestions:Firstly, NMET policymakers and constructors should further enhance status of NMET in NCR via constructing a reasonable testing model for the purpose of establishing a healthy and harmonious evaluation system of English teaching and learning so as to direct the development of senior English teaching and learning positively.Secondly, teachers and students at senior grade one should deepen their understanding of the New English Curriculum Standards, adapt quickly to the requirements of NMET reform. Teachers should further make explicit teaching and learning objectives clearly, and help students cultivate comprehensive and effective English learning strategies for purpose of maximizing the positive washback effects and minimizing the negative washback effects.