خلاصة:
The phenomenon of how tests influence teaching and learning is commonly described as “wash back” in language instruction. Literature indicates that wash back effect is a complex concept that becomes even more complicated under different interpretations of the wash back phenomenon in teaching and learning. In the present study، some definitions of wash back and its two major types were introduced، and also the relationship between wash back effect of high school examinations and the learners’ language learning beliefs was investigated. To carry out this survey study، 120 female students were randomly selected from different high schools in Kermanshah. They were students of different grades in high school، 30% in the first، 35% in the second and 35% in the third grade. The participants were given two questionnaires to assess the wash back effect of high school examinations and their language learning beliefs. The wash back questionnaire selected from Nikoopour (2005) consisted of 42 items with a reliability of 0.82، which was designed based on a Likert scale. The second instrument was the so-called BALLI questionnaire selected from Horwitz (1987)، including 34-items، and designed to assess the learners’ language learning beliefs (hereafter LLLB). The present study focused on the relationship between the wash back effect of high school English examinations and the students’ language learning beliefs. The results indicated that the students agreed on the wash back effect of English high school examinations. Also، they agreed with the correspondence between different factors of learners’ language learning beliefs and foreign language learning.
ملخص الجهاز:
"29-49), 2011 The Wash back Effect of High School Examinations on Iranian EFL Learners’ Language Learning Beliefs Maryam Nazari 1*; Jahanbakhsh Nikoopour 2 1 Islamic Azad University, Science & Research Branch, Tehran 2 Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch Received: 10 January 2011 ; Accepted:1 May 2011 ABSTRACT The phenomenon of how tests influence teaching and learning is commonly described as "wash back" in language instruction.
There seems to be at least two major areas of wash back studies- those relating to traditional, multiple-choice, large-scale high-stake tests, which are perceived to have mainly negative in- fluence on the quality of teaching and learning (Madaus & Kellaghan,1992; Nolen, Haladyna, & Haas,1992; Shepard,1990), and those studies where a specific test or examination has been modified and improved to exert a positive influ- ence on teaching and learning (Linn & Her- man,1997; Sanders & Horn,1995; Nikoo- pour,2005, 2010; Nikoopour & Amini Farsa- ni,2010; Andrews & Hamp-Lyons, 2010).
Despite numerous studies regarding the test- ing effect on EFL teaching and learning in differ- ent contexts (Wesdorp,1982; Hughes,1988; Wall & Alderson, 1993; Alderson & Hamp-Lyons, 1996; Nikoopour, 2005, 2010, Andrews and Hamp- Lynons, 2010), research is still lacking on the wash back effect of high school examinations on learners’ beliefs, particularly in Iran.
To achieve the purpose of the study, the following research question is proposed: Is there any relationship between the wash back effect of high school examinations and Ira- nian EFL learners’ language learning beliefs?
As mentioned earlier, the research hypothesis was as follows: There is no relationship between the wash back effect of high school examinations and Iranian EFL learners’ language learn- ing beliefs."