Investigation On The Washback Of PRETCO-B On English Learning In Higher Vocational Colleges

Practical English Test for Colleges-Level B(hereinafter referred to as PRETCO-B)is a standardized exam which is carried out by the ministry of education with the aim of examining the basic English knowledge and language skills of students in higher vocational colleges.It has some influences on English teaching in higher vocational colleges.Since 2014,PRETCO-B has been reformed,which attaches much importance to students' listening capability as well as the practicability of reading materials.This paper makes an investigation from the perspective of the washback of PRETCO-B on English learning in higher vocational colleges in Inner Mongolia after the reform.In the beginning,the author analyses existing problems in higher vocational colleges,purpose and significance of the study.Then,relevant definitions of language testing,washback and PRETCO are given,besides,some washback studies abroad and at home are stated and analyzed,from which it is known that experts and scholars abroad have done a lot of research on the washback from both theoretical and empirical areas.The research at home mainly focuses on the College Entrance Examination and College English Test Band Four and Six while the research on the washback of PRETCO-B on English learning from the perspective of students in higher vocational colleges are limited.Therefore,the theoretical and practical research needed to be improved.Taking a total of 156 freshmen of non-English majors,including students from the majors of construction cost,hotel management,computer science and accounting in 2015,of Baotou Iron & Steel Vocational Technical College as research objects,this paper makes an investigation from the view of positive and negative washback of PRETCO-B on English learning in higher vocational colleges.The author designs a questionnaire on the basis of the 15 hypotheses of washback proposed by Wall& Alderson and the washback mode proposed by Hughes(1993)and Bailey(1996).The author knows about the influences that PRETCO-B have on students' English learning in this college by making use of questionnaires and interviews.SPSS 22.0 and EXCEL 2007 are adopted to organize,compare and analyze the investigation data in detail.Finally,results of the research show that PRETCO-B has an positive washback on English learning in higher vocational colleges and it mainly lies in: it plays an positive part in helping students set up learning objectives,know about learning contents,cultivate learning interest and explore effective learning methods;students make learning plans on their own initiative in order to get a higher grade in the exam;students spend more time in English learning and the whole level of English learning is improved.However,PRETCO-B also has negative washback on English learning in higher vocational colleges,the concrete examples are: students become nervous,anxious when facing an exam;students do some exercises mechanically while neglecting communication;students only value practices while pay less attention to cultivation of application ability.Overall,the research indicates that the positive washback are more significant than the negative ones.In order to improve the positive wachback of PRETCO-B,the author puts forward some pedagogical suggestions from the perspective of authorities,teachers and students in higher vocational colleges etc.At the end of the study,limitations of the study are presented.