Gazi Üniversitesi Hazırlık Okulunda Yapılan Sınavların İngilizce Öğretme ve Öğrenme Üzerindeki Geri Etkisi

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WASHBACK EFFECTS OF EXAMINATIONS ON TEACHING

AND LEARNING ENGLISH IN GAZI UNIVERSITY

PREPARATORY SCHOOL

Sanem KÖKTÜRK

MA THESIS

ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING DEPARTMENT

GAZI UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES

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TELİF HAKKI VE TEZ FOTOKOPİ İZİN FORMU

YAZARIN Adı : Sanem Soyadı : KÖKTÜRK Bölümü : İngilizce Öğretmenliği İmza : Teslim Tarihi : TEZİN

Türkçe Adı : Gazi Üniversitesi Hazırlık Okulunda Yapılan Sınavların İngilizce Öğretme ve Öğrenme Üzerindeki Geri Etkisi

İngilizce Adı : Washback Effects Of Examinations on Teaching and Learning English in Gazi University Preparatory School

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ETİK İLKERE UYGUNLUK BEYANI

Tez yazma sürecinde bilimsel ve etik ilkelere uyduğumu, yararlandığım tüm kaynakları kaynak gösterme ilkelerine uygun olarak kaynakçada belirttiğimi ve bu bölümler dışındaki tüm ifadelerin şahsıma ait olduğunu beyan ederim.

Yazar Adı Soyadı: Sanem KÖKTÜRK İmza :

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iii Jüri onay sayfası

Sanem Köktürk tarafından “Washback Effects Of Examinations on Teaching and Learning English in Gazi University Preparatory School” adlı tez çalışması aşağıdaki jüri tarafından oy birliği / oy çokluğu ile Gazi Üniversitesi İngilizce Öğretmenliği Anabilim Dalı’nda Yüksek Lisans tezi olarak kabul edilmiştir.

Danışman: Yrd. Doç. Dr. Gültekin BORAN

Başkan : Doç. Dr. Arif SARIÇOBAN

Üye : Doç. Dr. İskender Hakkı SARIGÖZ

Tez Savunma Tarihi: 20/03/2015

Bu tezin İngilizce Öğretmenliği Anabilim Dalı’nda Yüksek Lisans tezi olması için şartları yerine getirdiğini onaylıyorum.

Unvan Ad Soyad

Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitüsü Müdürü Prof. Dr. Servet KARABAĞ

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would love to thank and express my gratitude to my supervisor, Assist. Prof. Dr. Gültekin BORAN, for his precious support during this period. He helped me to complete this thesis without difficulty with his patience, experience, advice and constructive criticism.

Moreover, I would also like to thank the students and instructors of Gazi University for participating in the research and sharing their opinions sincerely.

Lastly, my special thanks go to my family. I would like to thank my mother, Zehra KÖKTÜRK for always being tactful, dedicated and compassionate, my father, Fikri KÖKTÜRK for always being supportive and my sister, Gökçe KÖKTÜRK for being my best friend since my childhood. I would also love to thank my beloved husband, Tarık BALKAN for his patience, support, respect and love during this process and my life.

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WASHBACK EFFECTS OF EXAMINATIONS ON TEACHING

AND LEARNING ENGLISH IN GAZI UNIVERSITY

PREPARATORY SCHOOL

(Yüksek Lisans Tezi)

Sanem Köktürk

GAZİ ÜNİVERSİTESİ

EĞİTİM BİLİMLERİ ENSTİTÜSÜ

Ocak, 2015

ÖZ

“Geri etki” genel olarak testlerin öğrenmeye ve öğretmeye etkisi olarak bilinir ve açıklanır. Geri etki, doğası itibariyle olumlu ve olumsuz etki olarak iki sınıfa ayrılabilir. Testlerin öğrenme ve öğretme üzerindeki etkileri yararlıysa bu etkiler, “olumlu etki” olarak adlandırılırken, “olumsuz etki”, testlerin öğrenme ve öğretme üzerindeki zararlı etkileri belirtmek için kullanılır. Geri etkinin bu iki türünü göz önüne alarak, bu çalışma Gazi Üniversitesi Hazırlık Sınıflarındaki quizler ve ara sınavların öğrenme ve öğretme üzerindeki etkilerini bulmayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu amacı gerçekleştirmek için, 569 öğrenci ve 6 okutman bu çalışmada yer almıştır. İlk aşamada 105 öğrenciye anketin pilot çalışması uygulanmıştır ve sonuç olarak, 32 madde içeren anketin son hali 464 öğrenci tarafından doldurulmuştur. Dahası, anketteki görüşleri desteklemek amacıyla bu öğrencilerin arasından rastgele seçilen 10 öğrenciyle görüşmeler yapılmıştır. Okutmanların görüşlerini almak için, sınavlar hakkındaki fikirlerini belirtmeye gönüllü olan 6 okutman ile beş sorudan oluşan bir görüşme yapılmıştır. Bu çalışma bir anket ve görüşmelerden oluştuğu için, hem nitel hem de nicel bir çalışma niteliğindedir, bu yüzden anketler için SPSS ve görüşmeler için içerik analizi yapılmıştır. Bunun sonucunda elde edilen veriler araştırma sorularını cevaplamak için analiz edilmiştir. Elde edilen sonuçlara göre, quizler ve ara sınavların öğrenme ve öğretme üzerinde hem olumlu hem de olumsuz etkileri olduğu belirtilebilir. Quizler kelime ve gramere dayanmaktadır. Bu durum öğrenme üzerine hem olumlu hem de olumsuz etki yaratır. Öğrenciler quizlerde sorulacağı için, sınıfta gördükleri gramer konularına ve kelimelere önem vermektedirler ve quizlerde başarılı olmak için çok

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ve düzenli çalışmak zorundadırlar. Fakat, bu durum öğrenme açısından bir çelişki de yaratmaktadır. Öğrenmenin yanı sıra, öğrenciler kuralları ve kelimeleri ezberlemektedir ve bu yüzden onları kolaylıkla unutmaktadır. Buna ek olarak, quizlerin okuma, yazma, konuşma ve dinleme gibi dil becerilerini ölçecek bölümleri olmadığı için, öğrenciler iletişimsel becerilerini geliştiremezler. Kuralları öğrenirler ama bu kuralları iletişim kurarken kullanamazlar. Öte taraftan, öğrencilerin kelime ve gramer öğrenmeye olan isteği okutmanların öğretme isteğini de artırır. Okutmanlar quizlerde sorulma ihtimali yüksek olan konuların altlarını daha çok çizerler. Bu vurgu öğretme üzerine hem olumlu hem de olumsuz etki yaratır. Okutmanlar öğretmeye daha istekli ve kararlı olurlar, ama öğrencilerinin sınavda sorumlu olmayacaklarını bildikleri bazı konuları anlatmayı göz ardı edebilirler. Bunun yanı sıra, quizlerin sıklığı, genel not ortalamasındaki oranları ve sonuçları öğrenme ve öğretme üzerinde bazı sıkıntılara yol açmaktadır. Bunlara ek olarak, ara sınavlar dört beceri temelli oldukları için, öğrencilerin iletişimsel yetilerini geliştirmesine yardımcı olmaktadırlar. Gramerden yoksun oldukları için, ezberci sisteme dayanmazlar. Dahası, öğrencilerin ara sınav sonuçları daha iyi olduğu için, hem öğrencilerin, hem de okutmanların motivasyonları artmaktadır. Sonuçlar öğrenci ve okutman performanslarının yansımasıdır. Ancak, algılayıcı beceriler için yeterli pratik olmadığından, öğrenciler bu bölümlerde zorluk çekmektedirler. Konuşma etkinlikleri ve yazma konuları sınıfta yapılanlara benzer olduğu için, onların üretken becerileri notları diğerlerinden daha yüksektir. İkincisi, gramer bölümü dahil olmadığı ve öğrencilerin gramer hataları genellikle dinleme ve okuma bölümlerinde göz ardı edildiği için, öğrenciler dili doğru bir şekilde kullanamazlar ve ara sınavlara nasıl çalışacaklarını bilemezler. Bunun yanı sıra, ara sınavların genel not ortalamasındaki oranı ve notlandırılması öğrenme ve öğretme üzerinde bazı olumsuz etkiler yaratır. Bu çalışmanın sonuçlarının öğretmenlere, test geliştiriciler ve yöneticilere, zayıf yönleri görme ve sınavların olumlu etkilerini artırma açısından sonuç çıkarımı sağlayacaktır.

Bilim Kodu:

Anahtar Kelimeler: ingilizcenin öğretiminde sınav hazırlarma ve değerlendirme, geri etki, olumlu geri etki, olumsuz geri etki, olumlu geri etkiyi artırma

Sayfa Adedi: 105

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WASHBACK EFFECTS OF EXAMINATIONS ON TEACHING

AND LEARNING ENGLISH IN GAZI UNIVERSITY

PREPARATORY SCHOOL

(M.A Thesis)

Sanem Köktürk

GAZI UNIVERSITY

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF EDUCATIONAL SCIENCES

January, 2015

ABSTRACT

Washback Effect, which is also called as “Backwash Effect”, generally known and explained as the effects of tests on learning and teaching. Washback effect can be classified as negative and positive washback in terms of its nature. If the effect of testing is beneficial on teaching and learning, it is regarded as “positive effect”, while the term “negative effect” is used to explain that the effect is harmful on teaching and learning. By taking these two types of washback into consideration, this study aims to investigate the washback effects of the quizzes and mid-term exams at Gazi University Preparatory Classes. To achieve this aim, 569 students and 6 instructors participated in the study. As an initial step, the pilot study of the questionnaire was administered to 105 students and finally, the final version of the questionnaire including 32 items was administered to 464 students. Moreover, an interview was held with 10 of these students, who were selected randomly to support the views in the questionnaire. To obtain the instructors’ views, an interview including five questions was also held with 6 instructors who volunteered to share their ideas about the exams. The study was designed as a qualitative and quantitative study as it included a questionnaire and interviews. The questionnaire was analyzed through SPSS, while the content analysis was done for the interviews. The data gathered through this process was analyzed to answer the research questions of the study. According to the results, it can be stated that both the quizzes and the mid-term exams have positive and negative washback effects on learning and teaching. The quizzes are based on vocabulary and grammar. This situation creates both negative and positive effects on

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learning. The students give importance to grammar and vocabulary taught in the lessons as they are going to be asked in the quizzes, and they have to study hard and regularly to pass the quizzes. However, it also creates a contradiction in terms of learning. Instead of learning, the students memorize the rules and the words, so they forget them very easily. Moreover, as the quizzes lack parts designed to test language skills (i.e. reading, writing, speaking and listening), they cannot direct the students to improve their communication skills. They learn the rules, but they cannot use these rules for communication. Meanwhile, the students’ motivation in learning grammar and vocabulary increases the instructors’ motivation while teaching. They highlight the structures that are potential to be asked in the quizzes. This stress also creates both positive and negative effects on teaching. The instructors become more motivated and determined in teaching. However, they may ignore some skills or parts as they know that the students are not going to be responsible for them. Besides, the frequency, the rate of the quizzes on GPA, and the results of the quizzes create some problems in teaching and learning. In addition, as the mid-term exams are based on four skills, they help the students to improve their communicative competence. As they lack grammar, they are not related to memorization. Moreover, as the students’ results are better in the mid-term exams, both the students and instructors’ motivation increases. They are a reflection of the students and the instructors’ performances. However, as there is not enough practice for receptive skills in classes, the students have difficulty in these sections. As the speaking tasks and writing topics are similar to the ones practiced in the lessons, their productive skills’ grades are better than the others. Secondly, as they lack grammar as a section or grammar mistakes of the students are generally ignored in the listening and reading sections, the students cannot use the language accurately and they cannot decide to how to study for the mid-term exams. Besides, the rate of the mid-term exams on GPA, and the grading of the mid-term exams create some problems in teaching and learning. The results of this research will have several implications for teachers, test developers and administrators in terms of seeing the weaknesses and promoting positive washback effects of the exams.

Science Code:

Key Words: testing in English language teaching, washback effect, positive washback, negative washback, promoting positive washback

Page Number: 105

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Reliability of the Pilot Study ... 25 Table 2. Reliability of the Questionnaire ... 25 Table 3. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of the Questionnaire ... 28 Table 4. Item 1. ‘The contents of the quizzes show parallelism with the subjects taught in classes.’ ... 29 Table 5. Item 2. ‘There is enough practice for the quizzes in classes before the quizzes.’. 30 Table 6. Item 3. ‘The distribution of easy and hard topics is equal in the quizzes.’... 30 Table 7. Item 4. ‘We are familiar with the question types in the quizzes as we practise the same types in classes.’ ... 31 Table 8. Item 5. Instructions and explanations about questions in the quizzes are very clear and they help me understand the questions.’ ... 31 Table 9. Item 6. ‘Frequency of the quizzes is beneficial for me in terms of seeing my level and weaknesses.’ ... 32 Table 10. Item 7. ‘I think the grading system of the quizzes is fair.’ ... 32 Table 11. Item 8. ‘I generally get the marks that I guess in the quizzes.’ ... 32 Table 12. Item 9. ‘Our instructor hands out our papers after the quizzes and gives us feedback about our incorrect and correct answers, which has a positive impact on my learning English.’ ... 33 Table 13. Item 10. ‘Quizzes generally affect my wish to learn English in a positive way.’ 33 Table 14. Item 11. ‘Quizzes generally have a positive effect on my learning and improving English.’... 34 Table 15. Item 12. ‘We practise the topics that we find difficult after the quizzes.’ ... 34 Table 16. Item 13. ‘Quizzes help me learn the topics that I do not know or misknow.’ .... 35 Table 17. Item 14. ‘I feel relaxed during speaking sections of the midterm exams.’ ... 35 Table 18. Item 15. ‘We are given enough time to speak in speaking sections.’... 36

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Table 19. Item 16. ‘Instructors support and comfort us during speaking sections.’ ... 36

Table 20. Item 17. ‘The content of speaking sections shows parallelism with the subjects of the lessons.’... 37

Table 21. Item 18. ‘The content and type of listening sections show parallelism with the subjects of lessons.’ ... 37

Table 22. Item 19. ‘We are given enough time to write about the topic in writing sections.’ ... 38

Table 23. Item 20. ‘Grammatical structures and vocabulary that we learn in classes are enough for me to write about the topic in writing sections.' ... 38

Table 24. Item 21. ‘I have prior knowledge about the topics that I will write about in writing sections.’ ... 39

Table 25. Item 22. ‘Grammatical structures and vocabulary that we learn in classes are enough for me to answer the questions in reading sections.’ ... 39

Table 26. Item 23. ‘Midterm exams are given frequently enough to measure my level.’ .. 40

Table 27. Item 24. ‘Midterm exams help me see my level and weaknesses.’ ... 40

Table 28. Item 25. ‘I think the grading system of the midterm exams is fair.’ ... 41

Table 29. Item 26. ‘I generally get the marks that I guess in the midterm exams.’ ... 41

Table 30. Item 27. ‘I lose points for my mistakes fairly enough.’ ... 42

Table 31. Item 28. ‘Our instructor hands out our paper after midterm exams and gives us feedback about our incorrect and correct answers, which has a positive impact on my learning English.’ ... 42

Table 32. Item 29. ‘Midterm exams generally affect my enthusiasm for learning English.’ ... 43

Table 33. Item 30. ‘Midterm exams generally have a positive effect on my learning and improving English.’... 43

Table 34. Item 31. ‘We practise the topics that we find difficult after the midterm exams.’ ... 44

Table 35. Item 32. ‘Midterm exams help me learn the topics that I do not know or misknow.’ ... 44

Table 36. Students’ Positive Views about the Quizzes ... 46

Table 37. Students’ Negative Views about the Quizzes ... 48

Table 38. Students’ Positive Views about the Midterm Exams ... 50

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Table 40. Positive Washback Effects of the Quizzes from the Students’ Point of View.... 54

Table 41. Negative Washback Effects of the Quizzes from the Students’ Point of View .. 54

Table 42. Positive Washback Effects of the Midterm Exams from the Students’ Point of View ... 55

Table 43. Negative Washback Effects of the Midterm Exams from the Students’ Point of View ... 55

Table 44. Positive Washback Effects of Both the Quizzes and the Midterm Exams from the Students’ Point of View ... 56

Table 45. The Effects of the Exam Results on the Students... 57

Table 46. The Parallelism Between the Quizzes and the Course Objectives and Aims ... 59

Table 47. The Parallelism Between the Midterm Exams and the Course Objectives and Aims ... 61

Table 48. The Content of the Midterm Exams in terms of Speaking or/and Writing ... 62

Table 49. Positive Views About the Reflections of the Results of the Quizzes ... 63

Table 50. Negative Views About the Reflections of the Results of the Quizzes ... 64

Table 51. Positive Views About the Reflections of the Midterm Exam Results ... 65

Table 52. Negative Views About the Reflections of the Midterm Exam Results ... 65

Table 53. The Impact of the Quiz Results on the Students’ Motivation ... 66

Table 54. The Impact of the Midterm Exam Results on the Students’ Motivation ... 67

Table 55. The Positive Impact of the Quizzes and the Midterm Exams on the Instructors’ Motivation ... 69

Table 56. The Negative Impact of Quizzes and the Midterm Exams on the Instructors’ Motivation ... 70

Table 57. The Skills or Components of English That Should Be Included in the Quizzes 71 Table 58. The Skills or Components of English That Should Be Excluded from the Quizzes ... 72

Table 59. The Skills or Components of English That Should Be Included in the Midterm Exams ... 73

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

EFL English as a Foreign Language GPA General Point Average

SEPPPO The Selection Examination for Professional Posts in Public Organizations

ESOL English for Speakers of Other Languages FCE First Certificate in English

IELTS International English Language Testing System TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language

TOEIC Test of English for International Communication ILE Inter-University Foreign Language Examination IBT Internet-Based Test

HSSC Higher Secondary School Certificate KET Key English Test

CET College English Test

ITA International Teaching Assistant ELT English Language Teaching PCA Principal Component Analysis

SPSS Statistical Package for Social Sciences KMO Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (Measurement

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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1. Presentation

This chapter presents the background of the study, statement of the problem, the aim, significance, limitations and assumptions of the study and definitions of the terms and abbreviations.

1.2. Background of the Study

Language is a means of communication between people. When people speak the same language in their interactions, they can easily understand each other. However, as there are a lot of different languages, it sometimes becomes impossible to communicate with people from different countries. To prevent this language barrier, most education systems give great importance to language teaching. Because English is a widely used language, it is generally taught at schools. Nevertheless, there are so many difficulties in teaching this language including the differences in cultures, alphabets, people’s attitudes or even geographical situations. This fact has been taken into account, so English language teaching and learning has been an issue of great importance in education world.

Throughout the history, a lot of approaches, methods and techniques have been used in order to make learning better and more permanent. With the emergence of each approach, new ways have been put into use. The materials, the roles of students and teachers and even the focus on skills have changed from one approach to the other. Some approaches

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support teaching grammar, while others support teaching reading or communication skills which are speaking, writing or listening. Some approaches support teacher-centered classrooms, while others support learner-centered classrooms.

No matter which approach or method is used, the aim is the same: Teaching English and making learners competent in English. Nonetheless, it is not easy to become competent in a language if you are not a native speaker. For this reason, people are still attempting to find the most suitable way to teach English, so they try to find the effectiveness of their teaching styles, methods or approaches on their learners. In other words, they test it with the help of some kinds of exams and it has been proved that testing has either positive or negative effects on teaching and learning the target language.

As an example, taken the education system in Turkey into consideration, one can easily say that people pay too much attention to teaching and learning English. They know the importance of learning English, so English lessons are included even in the curriculum of primary schools. Students start to learn English at a very early age and go on this education even at universities. Moreover, in some departments of universities, courses in the curriculum are taught totally in English. While doing this, lecturers or teachers try hard to choose and use the correct ways or methods in lessons. In other words, students are exposed to English in lessons intensively. However, it is not very easy to learn and use this language as it is not the mother tongue in Turkey and it is not used outside the classroom. This fact makes the evaluation of the process more difficult, so the only way to see the strengths and weaknesses of the learners is to test them with various kinds of examinations. Because only their results can show the performance of the learners, these tests have a great importance in the education system.

1.2.1. Testing

Tests are important instruments which give feedback about teachers’ teaching styles and learners’ performances and proficiency in the target language. By looking at test scores of learners, a teacher can evaluate her/his own teaching performance. However, the benefits of tests are not limited to teachers’ self-evaluation. For example, in addition to giving feedback to teachers, language tests also show the performance of learners. They give information about learners’ language ability. Sheng-ping & Chong-ning (2004) define tests

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as “the main sources for both teachers and students to get feedback, which enables them to reflect on their teaching and learning activities and thus to help improve the jobs of both sides”. (p. 1)

Tests are not restricted to a specific kind. There are various kinds of tests, which change according to the needs of learners, the skills to be tested or the period. Whatever the type is, tests must include the topics, skills or areas which are taught in lessons and are attempted to be tested. This fact shows the effectiveness of the tests. Especially, if tests are designed to measure the level of a language, they must be more comprehensible in terms of skills as language learning is not only based on paper skills, such as memorized rules or patterns, but also on communicative skills or social and cultural issues. For this reason, preparing and evaluating language tests requires more attention and attempt. Otherwise, it affects the lesson in terms of both teaching and learning badly. In other words, if tests are well-designed by taking the needs of learners and the content of the lessons, their effect on learning and teaching, which is termed as “washback effect”, increases at the same time.

1.2.2. Washback Effect

Washback Effect, which is generally known and explained as the effects of tests on learning and teaching, is also named as “Backwash Effect”. However, according to Alderson (1993), there are no semantic and pragmatic reasons to use each term. The only difference is that “backwash effect” is used in general education circles, while “washback effect” is preferred by British applied linguists. Moreover, Pan (2009) states, “some writers used the term “washback” while others preferred “backwash” to describe the effects or influences brought by tests or examinations”.

Tests are generally hated or criticized by students as they increase the anxiety levels of them and they force them to study their lessons. However, this does not mean that tests have only negative effects, so washback effect can be classified as positive effect and negative effect. If the effect of testing is beneficial on teaching, it is regarded as “positive effect”. On the other hand, it is regarded as “negative effect” if the effect is harmful. The reasons of the effects’ being positive or negative can be various. Taylor (2005) defines positive and negative washback:

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Negative washback is said to occur when test content or format is based on a narrow definition of language ability and so constrains the teaching/learning context. Positive washback is said to result when a testing procedure encourages ‘good’ teaching practice and positive learning outcomes. (Taylor, 2005, p. 2)

1.3. Statement of the Problem

English is a universal language, so teachers in Turkish schools including universities endeavor to teach English. After teaching sessions, students and teachers’ performances are observed and assessed via exams or quizzes. However, these tests may not be comprehensible and effective enough to measure the students’ target language abilities. Moreover, as these kinds of tests are scored and taken as criteria to pass, they may create anxiety in students. Because of this anxiety, students may not exactly show their performances. Furthermore, there may be mix-ability classes. In such classes, it is difficult to measure individual success as it is difficult to prepare exams which are suitable for all students’ levels. In addition, these tests are sometimes prepared by the teachers of the classes or a testing center. If these teachers or testing centers do not know the real level of students or do not know what to test, this factor may also pose a problem.

Moreover, at first the students are very enthusiastic to learn English. However, they see the difference between other students, so their motivation levels decrease because they are used to finding the same results with other students, as in Mathematics or Physics. For instance, if the result of 2 plus 2 is asked, there is only one answer for this question, so grading is objective. If students find the answer, they take the point for this question. Nonetheless, in language learning, the situation is a bit different as language is one of the social sciences. As there may be no unique answer for a question in language tests, especially in speaking parts, they cannot decide whether they have achieved the test or not. Sometimes they even get disappointed because they think they have performed better than the score they get. Such kind of disappointment causes lack of motivation. Moreover, one can speak better than the other, while the other one can write better than him/her. This fact also has an impact on the motivation level of the students. These psychological factors may create a problem for learning English, as well.

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5 1.4. Aim of the Study

Gazi University is one of the largest universities in Turkey and it focuses on the vitality of English during the students’ education and their whole life, so it teaches English to its students before they start their own departments. For this reason, this study focuses on finding the attitudes of both students and instructors about the quizzes and midterm exams. In other words, the purpose of this study is to investigate the washback effects of the quizzes and midterm exams at Gazi University Preparatory Classes. To achieve this goal, this study aims to find answers to the following questions:

1. What are the attitudes of the students towards the quizzes in the first and second term? 2. Do the quizzes have positive or negative effects or both on the students’ learning

English in the prep school?

3. What are the attitudes of the students towards the midterm exams in the first and second semesters?

4. Do the midterm exams have positive or negative effects or both on the students’ learning English in the prep school?

5. What are the attitudes of the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) instructors towards the quizzes prepared by the exam center?

6. Do the quizzes have positive or negative effects or both on the instructors’ teaching English in the prep school?

7. What are the attitudes of the EFL instructors towards the midterm exams prepared by the exam center?

8. Do the midterm exams have positive or negative effects or both on the instructors’ teaching English in the prep school?

1.5. Significance of the Study

The results of this study may help the exam center, which prepares quizzes and exams for Gazi University Preparatory Classes, learn about the students’ and the instructors’ views and preferences about the quizzes and midterm exams. By this way, the exam center can also see its strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, the results may provide ways to improve

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the weaknesses. The findings of this research may also be beneficial by giving insights to similar prep-schools of other universities.

1.6. Assumptions of the Study

1. Control variables are taken under control while the questionnaires are being administered to the students and teachers.

2. The students and the teachers are sincere when responding to the questionnaires and interview questions.

3. The data collection instruments have high reliability and validity.

1.7. Limitations of the Study

This study is limited to six teachers and ten students for the interview section since it is done voluntarily. Although the number of the participants who responded to the questionnaire was 464, the number of the participants was not high in the interview section because most of them were not willing to take part in the interviews because the interviews were going to be audio-recorded. Moreover, this study cannot measure the washback effect of the final exam as it is given only once on the last day of the year. Students leave the school for summer holiday after the final exam and it is impossible to collect data from them about their opinions.

1.8. Definitions

Target Language: It is the language that non-native speakers try to learn.

Assessment: It is a process of measuring the skills of learners and improving these skills. Washback Effect: It is also known as “backwash effect” and is generally described as the effect of testing on teaching and learning.

Negative Washback: It is the harmful effect of testing on teaching and learning. Positive Washback: It is the beneficial effect of testing on teaching and learning. Rote Learning: It is a way of learning based on memorizing what is aimed to learn.

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CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. Presentation

In this chapter, the studies conducted on washback effect are reviewed. These studies are presented under the title of testing, washback effect and the nature of washback.

2.2. Testing

Testing is a good way to check whether the lessons achieve their goals or not. Since tests are sometimes the only criteria to evaluate the learning process, there are various kinds of examinations designed to measure the ability of students and both teachers and students are affected by the existence of these tests. In other words, as students know that the only thing to show their learning process is exams, they study to accomplish the demand of tests. Moreover, it is generally thought that teachers are also affected by the content of the exams, so they choose their teaching methods and lesson content according to the tests’ demands (Taylor, 2005b).

Taking this fact into account, Shohamy (2005) describes tests as “democratic tools to allow equal opportunity to all” in the past, while they are being used as “devices of power and control” now (p. 103). As teachers are highly affected by the existence of tests, this book shows the detrimental effects of tests and it adds information about the usage of tests as a disciplinary tool. In other words, tests do not only categorize students as being winners or losers, they are also used as a way of threat by teachers. For this reason, students get afraid

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of tests because tests have the power to shape and change their future. In addition to students’ fears, teachers sometimes become servants of the tests. They decide on what and how to teach according to the content of tests. However, this book states that teachers should view tests as only being educational and pedagogical tools. They should give importance to tests, but they should not regard them as the master of classes.

Despite this view, Spratt (2005) undermines the effect of exams by stating that “an exam cannot of itself dictate what and how teachers teach and learners learn” (p. 27). Teachers are one of the most important factors who shape the classroom environment. They are responsible for teaching and students learn what they teach, so students perform in exams as well as or as much as they learn in classes. In other words, teachers have a strong impact on exams and their results.

2.2.1. Assessment and Evaluation

Two concepts called “assessment” and “evaluation” are distinctive parts of testing although they are generally accepted as equal terms. They share a common interest, learners’ performances but they deal with these performances with different aims. According to Baehr (2005), while assessment gives insights about skills of learners and aims to improve these skills in future, evaluation gives importance to learners’ performances to know about current levels. In other words, assessment focuses on improvement of learners; however, evaluation puts an emphasis on their grades. Evaluation process does not include the reasons of getting these grades, whereas assessment requires answers of why learners get these grades to make them better in future.

2.3. Washback Effect

Cheng & Curtis (2004) define the term “washback” or “backwash” as “the influence of testing on teaching and learning”. In addition to their definition, this study explains negative and positive washback. According to it, in order for a test to have positive or negative washback, five question words are important. In other words, ”who” conducts the test, “where”, “when”, “why” it is conducted, “how” different approaches are used by different people are vital factors to make a test positive or negative.

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In addition, El-Ebyary (2009) explains the term “washback” as an “interactive multi-directional process”, so washback and its being negative or positive is not only affected by direct participants such as teachers and students, but also influenced by indirect participants such as parents and media. Moreover, this study connects the complexity of washback with “inter washback” which is the intentional or unintentional effect of one participant on other participants and “intra washback” which is the effect of the process on individuals, which may result in the changes of attitudes or behaviors.

Tsagari (2009), who aims to find the washback effect of the exam, the First Certificate in English (FCE), in Greek private language schools, also supports this view by stating the fact that there are more stakeholders in the washback process than it is generally thought. To large extent, it is thought that teachers or examiners, students or examinees and test materials should be emphasized while examining the washback, however this study also mentions the outside forces in this process, such as parents, local educational system and local beliefs.

In addition, Green (2013) defines washback as “the interaction between tests, teaching and learning”. According to this study, this interaction is affected by a various parts of education such as educational administration, teacher training, text book and test development, so people in charge of these parts should cooperate in the process of testing and teaching in order to understand the ways how washback occurs in teaching and learning. Moreover, especially test takers should be informed about what is included in the process and their needs have to be considered before organizing a testing procedure to become aware of the underlying reasons of washback effect on teaching and learning. These views related to the cooperation between students, teachers, administrators, policy-makers and teacher trainers are also supported by Wall (2000). Moreover, this study focuses on not only the evaluation of the tests by students as well as teachers, but also using traditional criteria such as reliability, validity and practicality while forming a test. Although some studies support taking learners’ opinions about tests, other studies reveal a fact that learners’ ideas are neglected in some parts of education. Green (2006), who aims to find IELTS preparation course expectations and outcomes from the teachers and learners’ aspects, emphasizes the fact that students’ needs and expectations have not been taken into account while deciding on the content of the courses. In this study, there are two types of courses which are IELTS and non-IELTS courses, but it can be indicated that

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students have not been placed in these courses according to their anticipation. As a consequence, the study states that learners’ expectations do not have a direct impact on washback to the teachers, while teachers and courses are considered effective on washback to the learners.

Some other studies also define the meaning of “washback effect” and explain in what ways it becomes negative (harmful) and positive (beneficial) (Alderson and Wall, 1993; Taylor, 2005a; Taylor, 2005b; Shawcross, 2007; Pan, 2008; Pan 2009; Green, 2007).

2.4. The Nature of Washback

In addition to the definitions of “washback effect”, some studies focus on some exams administered in their countries and analyze their washback effects on students or teachers. Among them, some researchers put an emphasis on positive effects, while others conclude their studies by indicating the negative effects of tests. Furthermore, some results taken from students’ or teachers’ views may show both negative and positive washback effects at the same time.

2.4.1. Negative Washback

To understand negative points of exams, concerning literature can be a good example. Chen (2002) analyzes the washback effect of an English test in Taiwan which has been designed according to the new curriculum and explains some factors which lead to negative effects. Firstly, the curriculum involves activities which are suitable for communicative approach; nevertheless, the test fails to evaluate the communicative learning process. In other words, the test consists of grammar-based questions although it is aimed to match with the curriculum which is based on communicative approach. Moreover, teachers are not ready for the change as they are not given any training about it, so they do not know how to teach and which materials should be used.

Fujimoto (2009), on the other hand, compares Japanese education system in terms of English proficiency with other countries as it is thought that English proficiency is poor in Japan. As a result of the study, it is concluded that the countries compared in the study give equal importance to four skills; however, Japan does not evaluate speaking and listening in

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university examinations. This fact is thought to be the potential reason of negative washback effect.

Moreover, the fact that economic or social differences between schools have an effect on the scores of the tests is stated by Mesler (2008). The study is concluded by highlighting the fact that although tests are a kind of reinforcement for students to study, they decrease their critical thinking skills as the curriculum, teaching methods and students’ learning styles are based on these tests. In addition, the research shows that tests do not only affect the individual teacher or student, which is called as “micro level”, it also affects entire schools and school districts throughout North Carolina, which is named as “macro level”. The view of tests’ affecting the participants in both micro and macro level is also supported by Özmen (2011b). According to this study, which analyzes the washback effect of the inter-university foreign language examination (ILE) on candidate academics, concludes his study by mentioning the negative washback effects of this test. He states that this exam affects the participants in both micro and macro level. In other words, this exam does not affect only an individual, but also a populated group working at universities. As this exam includes a multiple-choice test, which assesses grammar, vocabulary and reading skills, they think it does not measure their real English level as it is not life-like. This means examinees cannot use this language in their real life. Moreover, Özmen (2011a) also indicates the negative washback effects of the exam called “The Selection Examination for Professional Posts in Public Organizations (SEPPPO)” on examinees. Due to this exam, students have difficulty in concentrating on their department’s curriculum and they lose their motivation to become teachers. Moreover, they have some financial problems because of it. Besides, teachers’ views about tests should also be taken into account as well as students’ views.

Tsagari (2011) finds the impact of the pressure on washback effect after learning teachers’ views about Cambridge ESOL test applied in Greece and comparing these teachers’ views with the test’s content. Teachers state that they only teach the things which are included in this test and they give importance to the skills that are tested. They imply that they ignore the other skills which the students are not responsible for in the test. Moreover, the study also focuses on the psychological effects of tests both on teachers and students. Because both teachers and students are regarded as successful or unsuccessful according to the results of the test, they feel anxious and stressful. However, this study opposes the views of

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teachers’ by stating that the test (Cambridge ESOL) comprises four skills and communicative approach. For this reason, it indicates that teachers can teach every kind of things and skills with communicative activities, but they do not prefer it as they have negative feelings about the test, which generally results from the pressure of parents on students and them. Parents generally want their children to learn something more concrete such as grammar and vocabulary, so this traditional view plays a crucial role in shaping what is to be taught in classes.

Furthermore, the fact that the pressure on students increases negative washback effects is also supported by Kirkpatrick and Zang (2011). Their study shows negative impacts of tests on students by stating that the most important factor is their exam-oriented education system, in which successful students are praised, while unsuccessful ones are punished. Students are supposed to memorize what they have learned to take high scores in the exams, so teachers do not care about students’ creativity and thinking skills. Students do not reason any facts, but they just memorize everything they learn, so they become less motivated and less creative, but more anxious. Also, to make them memorize easily, they are given too much homework to do. As they cannot cope with what they are given and wanted, they tend to cheat to succeed in the exams. This is also another negative result caused by the pressure of exams and expectation of success.

In addition, Adnan and Mahmood (2014) state the negative effects of an English exam, Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC), on teachers’ methodology and materials these teachers use in Pakistan, as a result of a questionnaire administered to English teachers. The exam which is grammar-based requires teachers to teach grammar in order to make students successful in the exam. For this aim, teachers have to ignore the necessities of students and they do not give much importance to their students’ learning English. They organize their lessons according to the needs of the exam, instead of learners, so they adapt their teaching methodology and materials to this exam. In other words, this system helps students achieve in the exam; however, they cannot learn the skills which are needed to use the language outside the classroom.

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Despite negative effects, it is possible to talk about positive effects of tests. To illustrate, Manjarres (2005) intends to find washback effect of a new-competence based English test in Colombia. According to the results, it is concluded that this new test has a positive impact on teaching as some factors are changed to meet the needs of this test. The size of the classes is reduced and materials used in classes are changed and adapted to the new test and teachers also organize their lessons by taking the content of the exam into account. However, it states a problem about the test. It includes items related to grammar competence, so students are not successful in terms of communicative competence as teachers give importance to grammar, but not to listening and speaking. Nevertheless, this fact does not affect washback effect badly because teachers teach mostly grammar, students study grammar and the test consists of grammatical items.

The study by Gallagher and Mhaonaigh (2009), on the other hand, aims to find the washback effect of tests in Irish called “Teastas Eorpach na Gaeilge” (European Certificate of Irish), TEG, which were began to be used in 2005. Adult learners are chosen as participants. As a result of the research, these tests have a positive impact on these learners as they increase their motivation and self-confidence to learn thanks to its structured and coherent syllabus. However, this study adds that the difficulties underlying these tests should be kept in mind, such as the requirement of enlarging the education system according to these tests’ content and the existence of placement tests and Language for Specific Purposes tests.

Mohammadi (2010) seeks for answers about washback effect in terms of just teaching. In other words, this study is applied to 45 teachers in Iran to understand the washback effect of MA Entrance Examination on teaching. Most of the participants agree on positive effects as tests give them an opportunity to use the same methods in lessons and decide on what to teach to fulfill students’ needs. They design their lessons according to the exams, however while doing this, they avoid teaching tricks and using the items of the tests in class. They only make students ready for the exam and they are generally pleased with this way of teaching.

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In addition, Şentürk (2013) conducts a study on 7th _{grade students and their teacher about}

KET (Key English Test) exam’s effect on teaching and learning. This study finds the positive effects of this exam on both students and the teacher because they are both enthusiastic about the exam. Moreover, as the exam is international and communicative, the teacher changes her teaching style according to its requirements, so this situation creates a communicative and real-life environment in the class. This study enlightens the fact that the type and content of tests have a really strong impact on both teachers and students’ performance, attitudes and interests, so it directly affects the nature of washback effect.

Tang (2013), also finds out the positive washback effects of a speaking test on oral proficiency in terms of both teaching and learning. The study designs a test only for daily participation of students, so it does not surely state whether this test has a positive impact on final grades. However, as the aim of the study is not to find the final result, it achieves its goal on a daily basis. It reveals that the group which has been prepared for a speaking exam has a better oral proficiency than the group without a speaking test. In other words, it can be stated that as students get prepared for the speaking exam with authentic materials, group-work and communicative activities, they show improvement in their speaking English. Moreover, teachers have been affected positively in this process while organizing their lessons according to the needs of the test. They allocate their time for communicative activities and real-like situations instead of grammar-based materials.

2.4.3. Negative and Positive Washback

As it is mentioned before, tests are not required to have only negative or positive effects. Sometimes they may have both negative and positive effects at the same time. Sevimli (2007) conducts a study on 10th and 11th grade students and their teachers to find the washback effect of the university entrance examination in foreign language classes. As a result of this study, this exam has both negative and positive results on classroom practices and student-teacher attitudes. Although the exams cannot measure their real levels, they increase both students’ and teachers’ motivation and self-confidence.

Moreover, with the aim of investigating washback effects of TOEFL IBT and IELTS exams, Erfani (2012) administers questionnaires to both teachers and students, and has an

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interview with teachers and observes the classes of test preparation courses in Iran. While finding the washback effects of these exams, this study also compares them with each other. According to this research, these exams have both negative and positive effects on learning and teaching English, but IELTS has more positive washback effects than TOEFL IBT has. In terms of their negative effects, it can be emphasized that they both limit the content of what is going to be taught. Teachers pay more attention to what is included in the exams while they ignore the other parts as they know that students are not responsible for them in these exams. Besides, rather than acquiring the language, students just memorize the words or some patterns as their main goal is to take a high score in the exams. Nevertheless, as the contents of these exams require students to interact with one another, this fact promotes participation of students in classes, which is found more in IELTS classes than in TOEFL IBT classes. Furthermore, these exams are based on integrated skills, so they include communicative activities, which make students understand and produce this language. When compared to TOEFL IBT, IELTS contains more communicative activities, pair and group work during the test preparation process. According to Li, Zhong and Suen (2012) the fact that students have to memorize words and grammatical patterns for the exam is also valid for College English Test (CET), so this exam shapes what learners study instead of the way they study. CET also lacks communicative skills. For this reason, learners cannot adapt what they have learned to the real life. Also, as they have to study hard to pass the exam, many of them feel anxious, so if they cannot do well in the test, they feel disappointed about learning English. However, such pressure can also result in different reactions. Students may also become motivated towards learning English to pass the test and at the end of the period; they may feel self-sufficient by achieving their goals.

In addition to several studies which aim to find washback effect of “tests or exams”, the study by Hung (2012) directs its attention to e-portfolio assessment and its washback effect on student teachers of English as a Foreign Language. It is concluded by stating both negative and positive effects of e-portfolio assessment. To start with, as the students read each other’s papers, they learn with the help of their peers by giving feedback to one another and practice what they have learned in a community. Moreover, this practice helps them improve in their professions and give them a chance to think critically by hearing different points of view. However, the fact that their assignments are read by their peers

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makes them feel anxious. They do not want to make a mistake, so this fact creates anxiety. Moreover, as they do their assignments on computers, they have some technical problems, so they lose their motivation for using the computer.

As an addition to the evaluation of tests, Akpınar and Çakıldere (2013) also state both the negative and positive effects of high-stakes language tests on academic personnel in Turkey which are KPDS and ÜDS. Their study investigates the effect in terms of productive and receptive skills. According to the results taken from the participants’ views, their reading skills, which is one of the receptive skills, and grammar level increase thanks to these exams. The reason of this fact is that the exam includes reading and grammar sections, so examinees focus on these areas while studying; however, the participants’ productive skills (speaking and writing) and listening skills are not assessed in these exams, so they do not get prepared for these parts of the language. This research highlights the importance of four skills to achieve complete language learning, so it suggests involving these skills in KPDS and ÜDS.

Kennedy and Lui (2013), on the other hand, analyze the washback effect of a college entrance exam in China called BMET. According to the questionnaire and interviews with teachers and students, this exam can be considered to have both positive and negative influence on lessons. As a negative effect, it can be stated that teachers aim to prepare students for this BMET, so the content of the lesson, activities done in classes and materials used by teachers are shaped according to the requirements of this exam as it is very important in terms of students’ future. For this reason, students pay attention to what is to be asked in BMET. In other words, students and teachers give importance to grammar and vocabulary; however, they do not deal with productive skills. As a result, they get ready for the exam; nevertheless, they cannot learn communicative skills and English properly. On the other hand, as a positive effect, there are some teachers who use different kinds of materials or do some activities which are not related to the exam. Moreover, thanks to the exam, students were observed and found to be motivated in classes and follow lessons carefully to succeed in it.

In addition to the studies which come to conclusion that tests have both negative and positive effects on teaching and learning, the study by Mahmoudi and Abu Bakar (2013), which administers a questionnaire and an interview to 6 pre-university teachers in Iran, finds out that the university exam in Iran does not only have negative, but also positive

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washback effect. To start with, some teachers agree that this exam is a good way of measuring the exact English levels of students as one can easily understand the strengths and weaknesses of students by looking at the correct and wrong answers; however, others think that this exam is incapable of deciding on students’ proficiency levels as it lacks some skills such as speaking, listening and writing. Despite this disagreement among the teachers, all of the teachers focus on one common negative impact of this exam as other studies have mentioned before. They think that the exam puts them under pressure to teach according to its content. In other words, teachers are obliged to choose appropriate materials, activities and methods to make students successful in the university entrance exam. Otherwise, they may be regarded as unsuccessful teachers. Moreover, this study also enlightens a fact that if teachers are more experienced, they pay more attention to the exam as they do not want to be regarded as ineffective.

Meanwhile, Wang and Bao (2013) point out both negative and positive effects of the college English entrance exam on students in China. The study is conducted on 55 students and as a result, it is found out that students are really good at listening, writing and reading. As these skills are included in the exam, teachers pay more attention to them in lessons and ignore the speaking part. Moreover, while students improve themselves in terms of these skills, their interests are not taken into account. Even if they do not like practicing these skills, they have to focus on them to be successful in the exam. In other words, although tests have good effects on learning listening, writing and reading, students’ tendency and speaking English are not important factors for the education system. Furthermore, as they limit the skills, they directly limit the materials that should be used in classrooms.

2.4.4. Promoting Positive Washback

After finding negative or positive washback effects of tests, instead of just stating what they are, it is better to promote positive washback effects by decreasing the negative effects or by suggesting alternative ways or new tests. In other words, by taking negative effects into account, it is a good idea to eliminate weaknesses and increase the strengths of the tests by taking students’ needs into consideration. While doing this, it is important to warn them about the requirements and assessment of the tests and standardize the tools according to their levels. (Bedford, 2003)

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Moreover, according to Hughes (2003), it is essential for a test developer to know its aim while preparing a test. He should be careful about including questions related to skills which need encouraging. However, questions should not be limited to some specific types. Using various types of questions make students get more prepared. These tests and questions should also be based on objectives of the courses. Besides, norm-based tests should not be preferred to motivate students. If students feel less successful than others, they lose their motivation. Besides, not only students, but also teachers should be informed about the content and scoring of tests.

The suggestions about achieving positive washback are reinforced by some research which reveals the same results at the end of their case studies. To illustrate this fact, Brown (2000) points out some strategies to enhance the positive washback effects of university entrance exams in Japan. It divides these strategies into four groups; test design, test content, logistical and interpretation strategies. Under the title of these strategies, it is really important to design the tests according to the needs of learners and the curriculum. In other words, lessons should not be organized according to the needs of tests, but tests should be in accordance with lessons and learners’ requirements. Moreover, instead of focusing on one skill, students should be assessed in terms of four skills by using real materials. They should also be informed about the purpose of the test like other people in the process who have to cooperate with each other such as teachers, administrators and curriculum designers. Lastly, the results of the tests have to be meaningful and credible. In addition, Sheng-ping and Chong-ning (2004), conduct a study to measure the washback effects of three tests applied in China. At the end of their research, they state both negative and positive effects of these tests. However, instead of focusing on negative points, they try to make teachers or examiners aware of students’ needs and preferences. Finally, they lead teachers to evaluate or change their teaching process according to both these needs and the requirements of the tests to increase the positive effects of tests.

According to a study by Caine (2005), existing English tests in Japan are not appropriate to measure the level of students as they are grammar-based. However, a new speaking test is suggested to make the learners use the language in real-life context. Most teachers and learners find it very useful as it is communicative, while other teachers fear the fact that they are not familiar with this new type of test and teaching way. For this reason, it is

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concluded that communicative skills or teaching methods should be included in in-service teaching programs to make teachers competent in this way of teaching.

In addition to this study which focuses on the washback effect of a speaking test, Saif (2006) also tries to increase positive washback by using a speaking test which is designed according to the needs of test takers. This study shows the difference in teaching ways and the use of materials of ITA (International Teaching Assistant). It states that these changes are the causes of teachers’ involvement in the test process, knowing the rating process and their interactive relations with other raters. In other words, if they actively participate in the administration of the test, they also become active in lessons in terms of choosing the right materials and teaching methods. Furthermore, to produce positive washback effect, it also puts an emphasis on differentiating the test effects and the expected educational change which results from these effects since test effects are based on the test itself, while education change may occur as a result of some factors which are unrelated to the test and cannot be controlled by testers and examinees.

Among the studies which support that tests have both negative and positive effects on teaching and learning, Djuric (2008) also states that one can eliminate negative effects or increase positive effects by taking some measures, which involves teachers and testers who take an active role in this process. They should become aware of their responsibilities, adapt to changes and help each other.

As it is stated in this study, Al-Jamal and Ghadi (2008) also indicate harmful and beneficial washback effects, but their research mainly focuses on teaching aspect, and gives some recommendations to eliminate negative effects, such as providing teacher training programs to make them more professional in their occupations, helping them evaluate their weak points and changing the content of the exam by integrating four skills in it.

Munoz and Alvarez (2010) also give some clues about how to create positive washback effect by analyzing the results of their study. In this study, oral assessment system is examined in an EFL classroom and positive washback effect is observed at the end of it. It is stated that students show a better performance if they are aware of the procedure in terms of scoring scales, objectives and tasks and if they know how to benefit from the assessment in educational terms. Moreover, the use of self-assessment should be preferred as it increases their feeling of responsibility and awareness of their strengths and weaknesses.

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Pizarro (2010), who attempts to examine the washback effect of a high-stakes English Test (ET), finds that the usual form of this test limits teachers in terms of methodology, materials and curriculum. Her study reveals that teachers teach their lessons according to the content of this test which lacks communicative skills. They ignore some important communicative skills such as speaking and listening as they do not take place in the test, so students are exposed to a grammar-based and mechanical language. To avoid this dead-end, this study suggest including speaking and listening skills in this test. Thanks to this integration, teacher can conform to the curriculum by changing the materials they use and teaching ways according to Communicative Approach.

Teachers must be more responsible for adopting new methods and techniques than other educational staff, which is also argued by Salehi, Karimvand and Kashefian-Naeeini (2011). Furthermore, Apichatrojanakul (2011) discovers both negative and positive washback of TOEIC exam on teachers and students of a Thai business school, so it puts forward some ideas with the aim of fostering positive washback. It puts an emphasis on using effective methods or strategies such as communicative approach in classes since pair work and group activities provoke a friendly and funny classroom environment. Besides, students should be motivated by mentioning the advantages of scoring high in TOEIC exam.

Maniruzzaman (2012) also focuses on some factors that can increase positive washback of tests as it finds out the strong impact of tests on teachers. It is stated that teachers are under so much influence of tests that they choose their activities and tasks which are appropriate for tests, so while students are highly successful in tests, they cannot use their language skills in their real lives. To eliminate these problems, this study suggests some solutions such as not informing teachers about the objectives of the curriculum, the need for the school authority to follow the process of lessons which has to consist of authentic materials and situations, designing the materials including the textbook according to students’ needs and interests and changing the test format from evaluating grammar skills to communicative skills.

Laborda, Litzler, Such, Bakieva and Juan (2012), on the other hand, aim to revise Spanish University Entrance Examination in accordance with students’ needs and expectations, so twenty five university professors propose a new test which includes oral tasks in addition to conventional process of grammar, reading and writing. At the end of this revision, the