Investigating Test Practices and Washback Effects: Voices from Primary School English Teachers in Hong Kong

Abstract

Despite the significant role of teachers in assessment (Kim & Jang, 2019), their voice has been neglected in washback literature. In Hong Kong, curriculum and examination are ever-changing in order to provide better education for learners. Since 2004, a Territory-wide System Assessment (TSA) has been implemented into the school curriculum. Teachers have been seen as the major agents to foster positive washback effects. However, little research has been conducted on the washback effects of TSA at the primary school level and teachers’ voices have been overlooked. To fill this gap, this study explores teachers’ perceptions and behavioural changes under the context of the school-based examination change. It also investigates the phenomenon of the washback effect in light of school policy, English curriculum development, and school-based exams in a Hong Kong local primary school. A semi-structured interview has been conducted in a local primary school with three English teachers instructing elite, normal and small classes in the same level. Around ten questions were asked about examination changes and teachers’ workload. The interviews were recorded and later been transcribed for data analysis. The main findings reinforce how washback effects can be influenced by the length of the lesson, intensity of teaching content, students’ language foundation, and learning attitude.