Review of Empirical Studies of Washback in Language Testing
Author: Raju Ahmmed, Kh. Atikur RahmanDOI: doi.org/10.70279/bmj-v3-i1-1091
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Washback is one of the very few areas of English language assessment research in the last 25 years that has gained substantial attention. Commencing with the phenomenal work of Alderson and Wall (1993), a considerable body of empirical studies of washback has been carried out throughout the world. This paper reviews ten recent empirical studies of washback in language teaching between 2011 and 2018. The studies have been collected from several databases like ScienceDirect, ERIC, ResearchGate, Google Scholar and the peer-reviewed journals and university websites. This review demonstrates the research findings and theoretical underpinnings of the washback of assessments and tests in language teaching and testing. This review research finds that washback of high stakes test has both positive, negative and mixed (both positive and negative) impacts depending on the specific contexts and learners’ levels. The negative washback occurred when the focus shifted from learning the English language to test-taking strategies whereas the positive washback affected teachers, teaching methodologies, teaching contents, materials, learners and learner strategies.
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| Article Volume | Volume 03 |
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| Article DOI | doi.org/10.70279/bmj-v3-i1-1091 |
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| Article Slug | review-of-empirical-studies-of-washback-in-language-testing |
| Article Keyword | Washback, Teaching Methodologies, Teaching Contents, Learner Strategies |
| Article Entry Time | 15:36:41 |
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