Abstract
This paper reports on a study investigating the washback effect of the General Secondary English Examination (hereinafter referred to as GSEE), a high-stakes exit test for secondary school students (12 th grade) in Yemen. The main aim of this study is to gain preliminary insights into the relationship between teaching and learning factors affected by the washback effect. It focuses on eight pedagogical dimensions: four of them concerned the teachers (teaching methods, teaching experiences, content assessment, and beliefs) and four concerned the students (learning styles, learning activities, attitudes and motivation). A semi-structured interview was conducted with three English teachers who have over ten years of teaching experience. Based on the interview, a questionnaire was constructed and then administered to 30 Yemeni English teachers of the 12 th grade English classes. The data were analysed using SPSS software, version 20. The results showed that the test had a great influence on the learners and teachers mainly on teaching methodology and on learning styles. Triangulation with the qualitative data confirmed the findings. Hence, the study provides a clear evidence of the washback effect of the exam on the components of the language teaching-learning processes in Yemen and its influence on what and how the teachers teach, and the learners learn. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/GEMA-2014-1403-06
Highlights
IntroductionThe GSEE is a public examination administered at the last stage of pre-tertiary education in Yemen after students completed six years of learning English beginning from the seventh grade (the second stage of the primary education) until the twelfth grade (the 3rd and the last level of the secondary school education)
The GSEE is a public examination administered at the last stage of pre-tertiary education in Yemen after students completed six years of learning English beginning from the seventh grade until the twelfth grade
The first is that the main objective of the study is to know if the washback effect of the GSEE existed among teachers and this directly indicates its existence among students as direct stakeholders
Summary
The GSEE is a public examination administered at the last stage of pre-tertiary education in Yemen after students completed six years of learning English beginning from the seventh grade (the second stage of the primary education) until the twelfth grade (the 3rd and the last level of the secondary school education). The test is entirely prepared by the High Committee for Examinations (HCE), which is directly under the authority of the examinations department in the Ministry of Education, Yemen. School leavers take the test in June after completing the required tasks and exercises in all the examination subjects including English. It is a well-known fact that in Yemen, as in almost all Arab countries, the educational system is typically test-driven and examinations, especially the public ones, are of exaggerated importance It is necessary to investigate the washback phenomenon, and to find out to what extent it affects the stakeholders at both the micro and macro levels
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