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The Effect of Testing on Test Takers and Test Users (The Backwash Effect)
In the following short article , I am going to tackle
the impact of testing on both test takers and test
users, with special reference to the testing situation
in Egypt.
The impact of testing on teaching and learning is
known as backwash (or washback). Backwash is assumed
to have an impact on individuals, educational systems
and societal systems.
If the test contents and testing techniques are at
variance with the objectives of the course, then there
is likely to be harmful backwash. The proper
relationship between teaching and testing is surely
that of partnership. It is true that there may be
occasions when teaching is good and appropriate and
the testing is not.
In the following sections, the impact of testing on
individuals (test takers and users) will be
investigated in more detail.
The Impact of Testing on Test Takers (Students):
A variety of individuals will be affected by a given
test in any particular situation. Test takers
(students) are most directly affected by the test.
Students can be affected by three aspects of the
testing procedure:
the experience of taking and, in some cases, preparing
for the test, the feedback they receive about their performance on
the test, and the decisions that may be made about them on the basis of their test scores.
In the case of public examinations, or standardized
tests for nationally or internationally recognized
qualifications, test takers may spend weeks preparing
for the test. In Egypt, public examinations are used
for selection and placement into higher levels of the
school system or into colleges and universities.
Consequently, teaching is usually focused on the
syllabi of such examinations for up to several years
before the actual tests are taken and the techniques
needed for testing are practised in class.
The General Secondary Certificate Examination in Egypt
places very heavy demands on high school students
because students' acceptance or non-acceptance into
universities depends on the scores they obtain on this
test. Therefore students work day and night preparing
for this examination.
The experience of taking the test itself can also have
an impact on test takers. The test taker's topical
knowledge can be affected if the test provides topical
or cultural information that is new. Test takers'
areas of language knowledge may also be affected by
the test. For many test takers, the test can provide
some confirmation or disconfirmation of their own
perceptions of their language ability. The test taker
may improve his/her language knowledge either while
taking the test or from feedback received.
The types of feedback test takers receive about their
test performance are likely to affect them directly.
Feedback must be relevant, complete and meaningful to
the test taker. Feedback is almost always in the form
of some sort of score. We need to consider additional
types of feedback such as verbal description to help
interpret test scores as well as verbal descriptions
of the actual test tasks and the test taker's performance.
Finally, the decisions that may be made about the test
takers on the basis of their test scores may directly
affect them in a number of ways. Acceptance or
non-acceptance into an instructional program, and
advancement or non-advancement from one course to
another are examples of decisions that can have
serious consequences for test takers.
Impact on Teachers
The second group of individuals who are directly
affected by tests are teachers. Most teachers are
familiar with the amount of influence testing can have
on their instruction. If teachers have to use a
specified test, they may find teaching to the test
almost unavoidable. Teaching to the test usually
implies doing something in teaching that may not be
compatible with the values and goals of the
instructional program. If teachers feel that what they
teach is not relevant to the test (or vice versa) ,
the test may have harmful backwash , or a negative
impact on instruction.
In Egypt, the ultimate goal of teaching English as a
foreign language in Egyptian high schools is to enable
students to use the language for purposes of
communication, as well as for other academic purposes.
However, because of the great significance of the
General Secondary Education Certificate (GSEC)
Examination, the main goal of most teachers of English
is to prepare their students for this examination. The
result is obvious to all. Language is no longer viewed
as a means of communication. There is indeed a wide
gap between the material taught to students and the
final exam that evaluates their progress.
Unfortunately, teachers view language in the same way
they view biology or physics. They are not teaching
the language. They are actually teaching about the
language.
In this situation, we should be able to bring about
improvement in test procedures and instructional
practices through the use of tests that incorporate or
are compatible with what is believed to be principles
of effective teaching and learning.
Enhancing the Positive Impact of Testing:
To enhance the positive impact of testing on test
takers, the following classroom testing procedures
should be avoided:
using tests as punishment - for example, because no
one did the homework,
administering tests instead of giving instruction,
using tests as the exclusive measure for grading,
Testing material that was not taught,
Returning tests to students without offering
corrections or explanations,
Using only one testing method,
Giving tests that students did not know how to take,
and
Taking too long in returning tests.
The following classroom testing procedures have been
found to be very effective in enhancing positive
backwash:
broadening the scope of what is included in assessment
from tests alone to a variety of formal and informal
assessment techniques,
viewing assessment as an opportunity for meaningful
interaction between teacher and student,
judging students on the basis of the knowledge they
have, rather than on what they do not know,
using assessment measures intended to help learners to
improve their skills,
making sure that the criteria for success on an
assessment task are made clear to the respondents,
having students grades reflect their performance on a
set of tests representing different assessment
methods, rather than being based on just one measure,
training the test takers in test-taking strategies if
performance on the assessment task could benefit from
such training,
returning the evaluated tests promptly, and
discussing the results in class or in individual
sessions.
In summary, in assessing the impact of test use, we
must consider the characteristics of the particular
testing situation in terms of the values and goals of
the individuals affected and of the educational system
and society, and of the potential consequence for all
parties concerned. The notion of backwash in language
testing includes the potential impact on test takers,
on teaching and learning activities and on educational
systems and society.
References:
Andrew D. Cohen. 1994. Assessing Language Ability in
the Classroom. Heinle and Heinle Publishers.
Lyle F. Bachman & Adrian S. Palmer. 1996. Language
Testing in Practice. Oxford University Press
W. James Popham, 1995. Classroom Assessment: What
Teachers Need to Know. Allyn & Bacon.
Essam Wahba
In the following short article , I am going to tackle
the impact of testing on both test takers and test
users, with special reference to the testing situation
in Egypt.
The impact of testing on teaching and learning is
known as backwash (or washback). Backwash is assumed
to have an impact on individuals, educational systems
and societal systems.
If the test contents and testing techniques are at
variance with the objectives of the course, then there
is likely to be harmful backwash. The proper
relationship between teaching and testing is surely
that of partnership. It is true that there may be
occasions when teaching is good and appropriate and
the testing is not.
In the following sections, the impact of testing on
individuals (test takers and users) will be
investigated in more detail.
The Impact of Testing on Test Takers (Students):
A variety of individuals will be affected by a given
test in any particular situation. Test takers
(students) are most directly affected by the test.
Students can be affected by three aspects of the
testing procedure:
the experience of taking and, in some cases, preparing
for the test, the feedback they receive about their performance on
the test, and the decisions that may be made about them on the basis of their test scores.
In the case of public examinations, or standardized
tests for nationally or internationally recognized
qualifications, test takers may spend weeks preparing
for the test. In Egypt, public examinations are used
for selection and placement into higher levels of the
school system or into colleges and universities.
Consequently, teaching is usually focused on the
syllabi of such examinations for up to several years
before the actual tests are taken and the techniques
needed for testing are practised in class.
The General Secondary Certificate Examination in Egypt
places very heavy demands on high school students
because students' acceptance or non-acceptance into
universities depends on the scores they obtain on this
test. Therefore students work day and night preparing
for this examination.
The experience of taking the test itself can also have
an impact on test takers. The test taker's topical
knowledge can be affected if the test provides topical
or cultural information that is new. Test takers'
areas of language knowledge may also be affected by
the test. For many test takers, the test can provide
some confirmation or disconfirmation of their own
perceptions of their language ability. The test taker
may improve his/her language knowledge either while
taking the test or from feedback received.
The types of feedback test takers receive about their
test performance are likely to affect them directly.
Feedback must be relevant, complete and meaningful to
the test taker. Feedback is almost always in the form
of some sort of score. We need to consider additional
types of feedback such as verbal description to help
interpret test scores as well as verbal descriptions
of the actual test tasks and the test taker's performance.
Finally, the decisions that may be made about the test
takers on the basis of their test scores may directly
affect them in a number of ways. Acceptance or
non-acceptance into an instructional program, and
advancement or non-advancement from one course to
another are examples of decisions that can have
serious consequences for test takers.
Impact on Teachers
The second group of individuals who are directly
affected by tests are teachers. Most teachers are
familiar with the amount of influence testing can have
on their instruction. If teachers have to use a
specified test, they may find teaching to the test
almost unavoidable. Teaching to the test usually
implies doing something in teaching that may not be
compatible with the values and goals of the
instructional program. If teachers feel that what they
teach is not relevant to the test (or vice versa) ,
the test may have harmful backwash , or a negative
impact on instruction.
In Egypt, the ultimate goal of teaching English as a
foreign language in Egyptian high schools is to enable
students to use the language for purposes of
communication, as well as for other academic purposes.
However, because of the great significance of the
General Secondary Education Certificate (GSEC)
Examination, the main goal of most teachers of English
is to prepare their students for this examination. The
result is obvious to all. Language is no longer viewed
as a means of communication. There is indeed a wide
gap between the material taught to students and the
final exam that evaluates their progress.
Unfortunately, teachers view language in the same way
they view biology or physics. They are not teaching
the language. They are actually teaching about the
language.
In this situation, we should be able to bring about
improvement in test procedures and instructional
practices through the use of tests that incorporate or
are compatible with what is believed to be principles
of effective teaching and learning.
Enhancing the Positive Impact of Testing:
To enhance the positive impact of testing on test
takers, the following classroom testing procedures
should be avoided:
using tests as punishment - for example, because no
one did the homework,
administering tests instead of giving instruction,
using tests as the exclusive measure for grading,
Testing material that was not taught,
Returning tests to students without offering
corrections or explanations,
Using only one testing method,
Giving tests that students did not know how to take,
and
Taking too long in returning tests.
The following classroom testing procedures have been
found to be very effective in enhancing positive
backwash:
broadening the scope of what is included in assessment
from tests alone to a variety of formal and informal
assessment techniques,
viewing assessment as an opportunity for meaningful
interaction between teacher and student,
judging students on the basis of the knowledge they
have, rather than on what they do not know,
using assessment measures intended to help learners to
improve their skills,
making sure that the criteria for success on an
assessment task are made clear to the respondents,
having students grades reflect their performance on a
set of tests representing different assessment
methods, rather than being based on just one measure,
training the test takers in test-taking strategies if
performance on the assessment task could benefit from
such training,
returning the evaluated tests promptly, and
discussing the results in class or in individual
sessions.
In summary, in assessing the impact of test use, we
must consider the characteristics of the particular
testing situation in terms of the values and goals of
the individuals affected and of the educational system
and society, and of the potential consequence for all
parties concerned. The notion of backwash in language
testing includes the potential impact on test takers,
on teaching and learning activities and on educational
systems and society.
References:
Andrew D. Cohen. 1994. Assessing Language Ability in
the Classroom. Heinle and Heinle Publishers.
Lyle F. Bachman & Adrian S. Palmer. 1996. Language
Testing in Practice. Oxford University Press
W. James Popham, 1995. Classroom Assessment: What
Teachers Need to Know. Allyn & Bacon.
Essam Wahba
