Washback Definition of Terms

11 consequential validity Messick, 1996, measurement-driven instruction Popham, 1983, curriculum alignment Shepard, 1990, 1991, and possibly other terms, all refer to different aspects of the same phenomenon –the influence of testing on teaching and learning Cheng, 2005. The researcher has chosen the term washback as the most commonly used in applied linguistics and references. Alderson 1986 notices an additional area to which language testing research needed to turn its attention in years to come called the washback effect. He discusses the potentially powerful influence offsets. Washback is commonly introduced in testing for teachers as a powerful concept of which most classroom teachers are all too aware. Morrow 1986 uses the term washback validity for describing the quality of the relationship between testing and teaching and learning. He continues saying that conducting a study in washback validity of an examination is interesting for researchers. Messick 1996 has put the washback effect within a broader concept, namely construct validity consequential validity. He claims that construct validity covers facets of test use, the impact of tests on test takers and teachers, the interpretation of scores by decision makers, and the misuses, abuses, and unintended uses of tests. Washback is an inherent quality of any kind of assessment, especially wh en people’s future are affected by the examination result, regardless of the quality of the examination Eckstein Noah, 1992, 1993a, 1993b. Whether the washback effect is negative or positive can be so dependent on the examination itself. In short, washback is an educational phenomenon derived from research 12 studies into the relationship between teaching, learning, and testing. This is highly related to this study.

b. The Definition and Scope of Washback

Washback is a term commonly used in language testing, yet it is seldom found in dictionaries. However, the term backwash can be found in certain dictionaries. New Webster’s Comprehensive Dictionary of the English Language defines it as “the unwelcome repercussions of some social action”. Meanwhile, the Collin’s Cobuild Dictionary of English Language defines it as the “unpleasant after- effects of an event or situation”. Washback, commonly used in the field of applied linguistics, refers to the impact of a test on teaching Alderson Wall, 1993. It refers to the extent to which a test influences language teachers and learners to do things they will not necessarily otherwise do because of the test Alderson Wall, 1993. Messick 1996 notices that washback, a concept prominent in applied linguistics, refers to the extent to which the introduction and the use of a test influences language teachers and learners to do thing they will not otherwise do that promote or inhabit language learning. He continues to comment that some proponents have even maintained that a test’s validity should be appraised by the degree to which if it manifests positive or negative washback, a notion to akin to the proposal of “system validity” Frederiksen Collins, 1989 in the education measurement literature. Shohamy 1992 notes that this phenomenon is the result of the strong authority of external testing and the major impact it has on the lives of test takers.