It is often argued that the Japanese university entrance examinations dominate the whole educational process, including the practice of EFL. However, this type of argument has rarely been tested empirically. This research attempts to cast some light on this issue, with special reference to the relationship between university entrance examinations and the use of the grammar-translation approach to teaching in the years leading up to the examination. Classroom observations indicate that teacher factors, such as educational background, personal beliefs and teaching experience may outweigh the possible effect of the entrance examinations. The article concludes with several suggestions for future research.

In Japan it has long been considered that university entrance exams have a negative impact on teaching and learning of English in schools. Recent research, however, suggests that the relationship between testing and teaching is not so simple and requires finegrained ethnographic research in order to fully understand its complexities. This paper argues the case for the necessity of conducting empirical research before any conclusions about the presence or absence of washback can be drawn. An example of this type of research is offered and the processes involved in investigating washback in the Japanese context are described in such a way as to provide a model for future research in this area.

No abstract

The term Washback or Backwash has come to the prominence in the literature of English language teaching due to the contributions of Applied Linguistics in the field of ELT. It denotes to the influence which brims from the ongoing testing process on teaching and learning concerns. This term nowadays plays a critical role inside and outside the educational institutions in terms of positive or negative outcomes. Hence, the mismatch among the context, format, examination, and the instructional management would lead into derailing to achieve curriculum objectives, effectively. Such scenario will daunt English language learners to further their communicative competence to learn and affect on the stakeholders perspectives, forwardly. It is worth of note that, researchers in the field of ELT like Wall (1997) made a clear distinction between the microwashback (the effects on learners and teachers inside the school) and the macro-washback (the impacts on individuals, practices, and policy makers). Consequently, this term has the capacity to create a positive or negative condition which in turn can enhance or obstacle language learning process or stakeholder's strategic attitudes.

No abstract