A Study On The Washback Effect Of The Reading Part In Senior High School Entrance English Exam

The tradition of using examinations for the purpose of selection in China has put testing in a position to affect the huge number of stakeholders involved.This influence of testing has long been discussed,especially in relation to nationwide tests,for example,the College English Test(CET)and National Matriculation English Test(NMET).But the Senior High School Entrance English Exam(SHSEEE)as one of the large-scale standardized foreign language tests,its washback is seldom discussed.The present study investigates the washback effect of reading part of the SHSEEE on teaching and learning.Research instruments include questionnaire,interview and classroom observation.The study aims to solve these two questions:(1)What is the washback effect of the reading part in the Senior High School Entrance English Exam on teachers' English teaching(mainly reading teaching)in the classroom?(2)What is the washback effect of the reading part in the Senior High School Entrance English Exam on students' English learning(mainly reading learning)?It was found that the teachers understood some of the underlying principles of the SHSEEE and recognized its potential benefits to learning.The materials of reading comprehension are authentic.And reading comprehension intends to test students' reading ability.But teachers still use grammar-translation method to teach the reading comprehension exercises in class.Also teachers seldom introduce reading strategies to students.Students read in English only when they were doing reading comprehension exercises.The SHSEEE fails to encourage students to read more in English.Based on the findings,some implications are put forward: Teachers should take full advantage of the reading materials in textbook.More attention should be paid on introducing reading strategies.And more attention should be paid on teacher training.Teachers should be encouraged to attend courses and workshops on what appropriate exam preparation might look like.Students could work in groups and select some authentic reading materials as supplementary reading materials.