A Study On The Washback Effects Of The Shanghai English CEE Reform On English Teaching And Learning In Senior High School

A new reform on Shanghai English College Entrance Examination(CEE)has been implemented since 2017,which allows senior three students to take the English CEE twice(in January and June),includes the score of listening and speaking test into the total score and adds a new item type-"summary writing"-to the examination.Shanghai is one of the two pilot provinces and cities for the current CEE reform,and this thesis aims at studying the washback effects of the Shanghai CEE reform on English teaching and learning in senior high school,comparing the expected effects of the reform and real feelings and behaviors of teachers and students,thus giving suggestions to English teaching and learning.Therefore,the study has its significance in practice.The research participants are English teachers and students in the three grades in senior high schools in different districts in Shanghai.Three research methods including questionnaire,interview and classroom observation are employed.Research contents include teachers' and students' attitudes toward the reform and the changes it has brought to teaching arrangement,teaching materials,teaching contents and teaching activities.The research results show that the Shanghai English CEE reform has improved the diversity and authenticity of teaching materials.The teaching contents lay more emphasis on language use such as oral expression and communication skills and discourse competence,and micro skills of English listening,speaking,reading and writing also received more attention.As for teaching activities,the frequency of activities with comprehensive and high-level language using is increased,such as group discussion,oral presentation,discourse analysis and a combination of reading and writing teaching.A trial of stratified teaching is also carried out in senior three.These are the expected and positive washback effects of the reform.But the reform also has negative washback effects on English teaching and learning,which are the most notable in senior three:there are too many mock tests of the new item types in teaching materials,too much test-taking techniques teaching,and too frequent testing and commenting on the new item types in teaching activities.These are all against the expected effects of the reform to emphasize pragmatic functions and language communication in English teaching and learning.According to the conclusions,the author gives some suggestions for senior high school English teaching from the perspectives of teaching arrangement,teaching materials,teaching contents and teaching activities.