A Study On Washback Of English Reading Comprehension Tests In HSEE On English Reading Teaching And Learning In Junior High Schools

Testing,as an important component of teaching,usually has an impact on teaching,and this effect is known as washback.Washback may be positive or negative.In recent years,there are many studies on the washback of large-scale,standardized and high-stakes tests in China and abroad.However,the washback research of single items in high schools entrance examination（HSEE）is insignificant.Given that,this study investigates the washback of English reading comprehension tests（ERCT）in HSEE on reading teaching and learning in junior high schools based on Alderson and Wall’s hypothesis of washback and Hughes’ basic model of washback.It aims to answer three research questions: 1)What attitudes and perceptions do students and teachers have toward the ERCT in HSEE? 2)What positive and negative washback do the ERCT in HSEE have on reading teaching and learning? 3)How can prompt positive washback and avoid negative washback of ERCT in HSEE on reading teaching and learning in junior high schools?From September 2021 to January 2022,310 students and 11 English teachers in Grade 8in one junior high school in Shanxi Province are selected in this study.The research tools include questionnaire,interview and classroom observation.The research data is analyzed by SPSS 26.0.The study finds that: at first,teachers and students hold positive attitudes toward the ERCT in HSEE,but it generates certain pressure and difficulty for teachers’ reading teaching and students’ reading learning.Then,the ERCT in HSEE generates positive washback on the materials,method and the depth of reading teaching and learning,but the ERCT in HSEE generates negative washback on the purpose and time of reading teaching and learning.In the end,this study brings out some references for English teaching and learning in junior high schools.For instance,teachers should positively update the belief of teaching with the reformation of English curriculum standards;choosing the different ways of teaching according to the characters of passages and students;arranging the time of reading teaching and the homework about reading in reasonable ways;students should read original,different themes and types of English passages and deeply learn the reading materials.There are some limitations in this study.For instance,the research subjects are only the English teachers and students in eighth grade in one junior high school in Shanxi Province,lacking the comparison of other schools,other areas and other grades.At the same time,the time that spends in observing other teachers’ classes is not long enough because of the time factor.Therefore,the author hopes that future research can overcome these limitations and the washback research will be deeper and more careful in the future.