Investigating the Washback Effect of Examinations Phobia in EFL Learning Context Students and Teachers’ Perceptions

Abstract

The effects of testing on students learning a foreign language have been the subject of substantial investigation in related literature. In practice, the majority of teachers evaluate their students through scheduled tests that they hold following the semester's initial syllabuses. This qualitative study investigated the importance of the washback effect (negative and positive) of examinations on Saudi EFL undergraduates at Majmaah University considering their perceptions related to learning, teaching methodology, and course contents. The study adopts a qualitative approach conducting interviews to collect data from teachers and students. The qualitative data was analyzed through thematic analysis. The washback effect was interpreted about issues such as teaching methodology, learning, and contents of the course. The results indicated that learners' fear of examination level increased and their performance decreased when they were aware of the assessment in terms of lack of background knowledge, grammar and syntax, course content, and teaching methodology. The pedagogical implications were related to authentic activities, formative assessment, and language skills.

Washback Effects of High-Stakes Examinations on Teachers’ Perceptions of their Instructional Practices

“…The phenomenon of examination washback significantly shaped teachers' perceptions and teaching approaches, as corroborated by prior research (Cholis, 2018;Sadighi et al, 2018;Thu, 2020;Mitsiaki, 2021;Baidoo-Anu, 2022;Canli, 2022;Shah Toti, 2022). The BAC examinations detrimentally influenced the effective deployment of the CBA and broader educational reforms.…”

“…The study's results showed a significant divergence between the intent CBA and the traditional rote learning in BAC. Both the present study and a host of prior studies unanimously identified the negative influence of such high-stakes examinations, leading teachers to adopt a 'teach-to-the-test' methodology, sidelining the broader, more comprehensive objectives of a competency-based curriculum (Kiliçkaya, 2016;Cholis, 2018;Sadighi et al, 2018;Thu, 2020;Baidoo-Anu, 2022;Canli, 2022;Shah Toti, 2022).…”

“…This misalignment significantly increased their workload. Consequently, the examination negatively impacted their teaching practices, compelling them to modify their methods to align with the BAC examinations' demands (Kiliçkaya, 2016;Cholis, 2018;Sadighi et al, 2018;Thu, 2020;Baidoo-Anu, 2022;Canli, 2022;Shah Toti, 2022). Specifically, teachers felt obliged to substitute the CBA with methodologies more congruent with the content and format underscored by the BAC examinations.…”

Teachers’ Perspectives on the Competency-Based Approach: Are We Ready for a New Educational Reform?

“…Nevertheless, despite this solid understanding, and following two decades of CBA implementation, this study, in line with previous research (Bouhadiba, 2015;Bellour, 2017;Djerouane, 2022;Mansour, 2023), revealed that English teachers have developed considerably negative attitudes towards the CBA. They have increasingly expressed dissatisfaction with their students' proficiency levels and their achievements, and the CBA itself, due to a multitude of factors such as the inadequacy of the Algerian CBA framework, inadequacy of PDT, a lack of resources, the heaviness of the curriculum, overcrowded of classrooms, and an ill-defined concept of competency which was deemed unmeasurable and unobservable, and washback effects (Shah Toti, 2022). These factors played a significant role in shaping teachers' negative attitudes towards, and resistance against, the CBA.…”