| Author(s) | Ghurmallah A. Alghamdi |
| Affiliation | Assistant Professor, King Faisal Air Academy, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Title | Backwash: The Impact of a Core Proficiency Test on the Learning/Teaching Situation: A Case Study |
| Source | Journal of King Saud University. Languages & Translation. Volume 19, No 1. (2007/1427) |
| Abstract | Language tests should reflect the priorities of the syllabus. Where they do not, it is invariably the test which has overriding importance in the eyes of the learner. This is especially true when the test result has important implications for the student’s career choices. The repercussions of a testing-teaching mismatch are often described as ‘wash back’ and may be positive or negative. This paper shows how the introduction of a new test has brought about desirable changes in teaching methods and learning strategies in a Saudi military academy. Students were asked for their opinions of the new test and teachers with the experience of both old and new dispensations were questioned about the nature of the changes and the extent to which they are attributable to the new test. Organization of the paper. This paper is divided into a number of sections as follows: First, a background of the context of the study is giving a highlighting history and the existing teaching learning situation. Objectives and limitations of the study are presented in brief. The next section presents the theoretical principles underlying the construction of the Core Proficiency Test (CPT).Then the related literature is reviewed. The design of the study and research tools are illustrated, and finally the results and conclusions are presented. Terminologies. Backwash and wash back are used interchangeably in this paper to mean the effect of the test on the learning teaching situation. Hypothesis. This paper hypothesizes that the new test will bring about fundamental changes in cadets learning strategies involving a shift of emphasis from rote learning of vocabulary and grammar structures to learning English for communicative purposes. |
