Washback of an English achievement test on teachers’ perceptions at a Vietnamese university

Research on washback, i.e. test impacts on teaching and learning in class, of high-stake English tests is prevalent. Little attention has, however, been paid to washback of an English achievement test (EAT) albeit its highly practical significance including reporting and improving teacher effect...

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Main Author: Thu, Dinh Minh
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: H. : ĐHQGHN 2020
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Online Access:http://repository.vnu.edu.vn/handle/VNU_123/89344
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Institution: Vietnam National University, Hanoi
Language: English
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spelling oai:112.137.131.14:VNU_123-893442020-08-06T08:01:22Z Washback of an English achievement test on teachers’ perceptions at a Vietnamese university Thu, Dinh Minh Washback English achievement tests Teachers’ perceptions Research on washback, i.e. test impacts on teaching and learning in class, of high-stake English tests is prevalent. Little attention has, however, been paid to washback of an English achievement test (EAT) albeit its highly practical significance including reporting and improving teacher effectiveness right in a programme in a specific context (El-Kafafi, 2012; Antineskul & Sheveleva, 2015). The present paper aims to explore teachers’ perceptions of the teaching contents under the influence of an EAT which steps up to an English Proficiency Test - PET (or B1 level equivalent) for university undergraduates in Vietnam as required for graduation by Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training (MOET). The EAT, mirroring the PET, was designed to expect positive washback in the course English 2. The research tools were interviews with four teachers teaching the same English course. Each teacher was interviewed twice at two different time points so that their temporal developmental cognition of the EAT could be recorded. The findings revealed the heavy impact of the test on teachers’ perceptions of their teaching contents. Two dominant points were (1) all the participants thought the course primarily served the EAT orientation, particularly in the test format and the linguistic input, and (2) the teachers should strictly follow the textbook as the major instructional source. There existed a mismatch between the university’s purpose of enhancing the students’ communicative ability and the teachers’ perceptions. Differences in the teachers’ backgrounds entailed their diverse perceptions. The study provides a reference case for the interested readers in and beyond the researched context. 2020-08-06T08:01:21Z 2020-08-06T08:01:21Z 2020 Article Thu, D. M.(2020). Washback of an English achievement test on teachers’ perceptions at a Vietnamese university. VNU Journal of Foreign Studies, Vol.36, No.3 (2020) 178-194. 2525-2445 http://repository.vnu.edu.vn/handle/VNU_123/89344 en Foreign Studies; application/pdf H. : ĐHQGHN
institution Vietnam National University, Hanoi
building VNU Library & Information Center
country Vietnam
collection VNU Digital Repository
language English
topic Washback
English achievement tests
Teachers’ perceptions
spellingShingle Washback
English achievement tests
Teachers’ perceptions
Thu, Dinh Minh
Washback of an English achievement test on teachers’ perceptions at a Vietnamese university
description Research on washback, i.e. test impacts on teaching and learning in class, of high-stake English tests is prevalent. Little attention has, however, been paid to washback of an English achievement test (EAT) albeit its highly practical significance including reporting and improving teacher effectiveness right in a programme in a specific context (El-Kafafi, 2012; Antineskul & Sheveleva, 2015). The present paper aims to explore teachers’ perceptions of the teaching contents under the influence of an EAT which steps up to an English Proficiency Test - PET (or B1 level equivalent) for university undergraduates in Vietnam as required for graduation by Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training (MOET). The EAT, mirroring the PET, was designed to expect positive washback in the course English 2. The research tools were interviews with four teachers teaching the same English course. Each teacher was interviewed twice at two different time points so that their temporal developmental cognition of the EAT could be recorded. The findings revealed the heavy impact of the test on teachers’ perceptions of their teaching contents. Two dominant points were (1) all the participants thought the course primarily served the EAT orientation, particularly in the test format and the linguistic input, and (2) the teachers should strictly follow the textbook as the major instructional source. There existed a mismatch between the university’s purpose of enhancing the students’ communicative ability and the teachers’ perceptions. Differences in the teachers’ backgrounds entailed their diverse perceptions. The study provides a reference case for the interested readers in and beyond the researched context.
format Article
author Thu, Dinh Minh
author_facet Thu, Dinh Minh
author_sort Thu, Dinh Minh
title Washback of an English achievement test on teachers’ perceptions at a Vietnamese university
title_short Washback of an English achievement test on teachers’ perceptions at a Vietnamese university
title_full Washback of an English achievement test on teachers’ perceptions at a Vietnamese university
title_fullStr Washback of an English achievement test on teachers’ perceptions at a Vietnamese university
title_full_unstemmed Washback of an English achievement test on teachers’ perceptions at a Vietnamese university
title_sort washback of an english achievement test on teachers’ perceptions at a vietnamese university
publisher H. : ĐHQGHN
publishDate 2020
url http://repository.vnu.edu.vn/handle/VNU_123/89344
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