The Washback of the Reformed College English Test in China: Focusing on Learner and Teacher Perceptions

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study is a preliminary attempt to estimate the effects of the reformed College English Test (CET) Band 4 on English education in China. Three research questions were addressed: (1) Does the reformed test format yield more beneficial effects on students’ development of reading ability than the previous CET? (2) Do students and teachers perceive the washback of the reformed CET on college English education to be positive, negative, or insignificant? (3) What factors of teaching and learning process are directly affected by the test? Two groups of intermediate-level Chinese learners of English (n = 188) had been instructed for eight weeks either with reading tasks similar in type to the ones in the reformed CET or with tasks similar to the ones in the traditional CET. A post-test revealed that the reformed CET group gained more in reading comprehension ability than did the traditional group. Data concerning student and teacher perceptions of the new CET were collected using a questionnaire based on Alderson and Wall’s (1993) Washback Hypotheses. It was found that their perceived washback varied in extent across a range of factors involved in teaching and learning practices, which was far greater on learners than on teachers. The positive and negative aspects of the washback are discussed with respect to each factor and suggestions are made for future directions.

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