Geopolitics of Assessment

Cheng, Liying

doi:10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0814

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Standardized testing, which has been prevalent since the 1970s, is faced with sharp and poignant criticism for its "power" (Shohamy, 2007). This is mostly because testing is often attached with high stakes so as to make it an effective policy "tool" for transforming teaching and learning practice (Cheng 2018;Hamilton 2003). The focus on highstakes testing, however, has entailed severe consequences, intended as well as unintended (Rea-Dickins and Scott 2007;Stobart 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When testing stakes are no longer high: impact on the Chinese College English learners and their learning

2020

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It is now a consensus that high-stakes testing exerts powerful impact in controlling curriculum and pedagogy, and shaping students' learning. The power of testing is especially strong in contexts where testing culture prevails. The Chinese educational context is such a context which is dominated by competitive tests. The language testing results from large-scale tests, such as CET-4 (College English Test-Band 4), used to be included as a compulsory prerequisite for undergraduates to get their bachelor's degree. Such a requirement has been removed recently to reduce testing stakes for leverage purposes. Thus, it is worthwhile to investigate whether the change will possibly help to impact students and their learning in a positive way. Our study aimed to explore the impact of changes in the stakes of a language test in the Chinese university context. Data were collected through questionnaires from 544 College English students at a university in northwestern China. Our analysis via SPSS 2.3 showed that test-taking was still well accepted and practiced; while reducing the stakes helped to redirect the students towards English learning, it had less impact on their English learning motivation and approaches. The findings also show that the test-dominated environment that is deep-rooted in the macro-and micro-contexts decided the students' responses to this policy change.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When testing stakes are no longer high: impact on the Chinese College English learners and their learning

2020

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“…Questioning the relationship between the exam preparation, test scores and actual learning, Cheng (2018) in her recent article on 'Geopolitics of assessment' concluded:…”

Section: Influences Of Testing On Learning Compared To Washback Resementioning

confidence: 99%

Testing Regime Change as Innovation: Washback Potential Over Time

Anand¹

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Research (Fox, 2004(Fox, , 2009Shohamy, 1993) highlights how policy makers use high-stakes tests as part of a testing regime to promote curricular innovation. In this dissertation, a testing regime is defined as a systematic approach to the use of assessment (often high-stakes tests) to impact curriculum and classroom practices. The influence of high-stakes tests on classroom teaching and learning is known as washback, and the beneficial influences of tests on teaching and learning is positive washback . The present study explored washback as deeply contextual, arising from and influenced by a complex set of interrelated factors (e.g. stakeholders, powerrelationships) within a testing regime. Specifically, it investigated whether a high-stakes test could be used to leverage positive washback in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) program over time, and which factors were most influential. This longitudinal case study examined washback from a newly introduced highstakes test -the innovationas evidenced in stakeholders' accounts: two administrators, 15 teachers, and 201 students, over a period of 20 months. The study drew on Hughes' (1993) principles of Washback, and Henrichsen's (1989) Hybrid Model of Diffusion/Implementation of Innovation, and was conducted in three phases: Phase 1 during the former testing regime; Phase 2 during implementation of the new testing regime (immediate washback); Phase 3 after three semesters (delayed washback).Results indicate that EAP teachers mediated washback to the satisfaction of their students in both the former and new testing regimes. Although the new high-stakes test had the potential for positive washback, based on "an evidential link" (Messick, 1996, p. 247) for washback between the new test and classroom practices, other meta-contextualiii factors such as power relationships in the EAP program's testing regimes hindered this potential. It was problematic to use a stand-alone, high-stakes test to leverage positive washback over time.Recommendations address stakeholder issues within the EAP research site, while calling for in-depth, longitudinal explorations in future washback research. Future studies can examine interactions between stakeholders' accounts and testing regime change contexts, in order to pinpoint specific factors that trigger positive or negative washback within such contexts.iv Acknowledgements

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Washback into an Ecosystem of Teaching, Learning and Testing within Asia and Beyond: An Interview with Liying Cheng

Khan,

Hassan

2023

Language Assessment Quarterly

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Geopolitics of Assessment

Cited by 3 publications

References 17 publications

When testing stakes are no longer high: impact on the Chinese College English learners and their learning

When testing stakes are no longer high: impact on the Chinese College English learners and their learning

Testing Regime Change as Innovation: Washback Potential Over Time

Washback into an Ecosystem of Teaching, Learning and Testing within Asia and Beyond: An Interview with Liying Cheng

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