Washback Effect Research Articles

Exploration and Comparison of the Effects of Vibration and Backwashing Methods on the Process of the Sulfur-Based Autotrophic Denitrification

Both the vibration and backwashing methods are efficient pathway to improve the denitrification ability in reactors. However, the comparison of the effects of vibration and backwashing on the sulfur-based autotrophic denitrification (SAD) reactor is still lacking. In this study, two SAD reactors were compared under various conditions, and the results showed that the use of the oyster shell powder could lower the sulfate productivity with better denitrification ability, and the denitrifiers could be more enriched due to the use of the oyster shell powder. In addition, vibration method performs better than backwashing in improving SAD denitrification ability, reasonable vibration intensity can not only help to reduce energy consumption, but also improve the ability of denitrification of the SAD reactors to a greater extent. Overall, the results of the experiments in this study are helpful for improving the ability of SAD reactors at low temperature and could provide the possibility for wider application of SAD technology.

Connected knowledge spillovers, technological cluster innovation and efficient industrial structure

In the context of China's knowledge economy, cluster-based technological innovation can promote the communication of knowledge among industries, advancing the industrial structure. This study constructs the Ricardian model with the differences in productivity between different sectors to explore the mechanism of connected knowledge spillovers of technological cluster innovation driving efficient industrial structure, applying a spatial Durbin model to Chinese provincial panel data from 2003 to 2017 to analyze spatial effects. The results demonstrate a significant positive correlation between regional efficient industrial structure and technological cluster innovation under connected knowledge spillovers. These effects increase sequentially from the perspectives of the technology introduction, technology upgrade and independent innovation. Moreover, technological cluster innovation exhibits a significant backwash effect, negatively influencing the efficient industrial structure of neighboring areas. Finally, the study discusses some policy recommendations on optimizing the regional technological innovation environment.

What Makes an Effective Language Learner? Translation and Interpreting Department Students’ Changing Perceptions over a 3-year Period

This study aims to investigate perceptions of the students enrolled in the Department of Translation and Interpreting in relation to what makes an effective foreign language learner and explore the changes in these perceptions, if any, over a 3-year period. The participants were enrolled in prep year, first-year, and second-year at a state university located in southern Turkey. Data were collected from 12 students in the first year, 37 students in the second year, and 26 students in the third year of the study. The Repertory Grid Technique and interviews were utilized as data collection tools, which were administered on yearly basis over three years with a view to exploring the changes in students’ perceptions about what makes an effective foreign language learner during their education. Data were analyzed using Repertory Grid and content analysis methods. The results showed that students’ perceptions went through changes that indicated the washback effects of the exams as well as of the education in an English-major department.

Washback Effect of the Achievement Test on English Teaching in Senior Secondary Vocational Schools in Beijing

Washback Effect of the Achievement Test on English Teaching in Senior Secondary Vocational Schools in Beijing

Washback Effect of the Achievement Test on English Teaching in Senior Secondary Vocational Schools in Beijing

Washback Effect of the Achievement Test on English Teaching in Senior Secondary Vocational Schools in Beijing

Evaluating Perceptions towards the Consequential Validity of Integrated Language Proficiency Assessment

This research study explores teacher and student perceptions to verify consequential validity and the potential washback effect of a locally developed university-level English language proficiency test which consists of reading and listening-to-writing assessment tasks. The integrated language proficiency test is used upon completion of the English language preparatory program in the Turkish context to determine learners’ access to further English medium academic courses in their departments. To examine whether this source-based proficiency test has achieved its intended outcomes, 39 freshman students and 19 university instructors, who offered courses in various departments, were surveyed through questionnaires. Interviews were conducted with the instructors to gauge their perspectives about the validity of the integrated proficiency test-based decisions (whether students pass or fail) over time in terms of the language competency and academic skills of their learners. Quantitative and qualitative data analysis also revealed evidence both for positive and negative issues concerning the consequential validity of the test. Findings may help educators to reach a better understanding of the construct of integrated language assessment tasks in EAP contexts and the consequences of their use in achieving the intended and unintended curricular goals.

The Backwash Effect of IELTS on English Teaching in China

The influence of language testing on curriculum design, teaching methods, and learning habits is referred to as the “washback effect.” This effect has an impact on the decisions made by students and teachers. Teachers may, for example, teach to a test, or learners may concentrate on parts of language acquisition that will be tested in their future courses. In language testing, the washback effect is usually categorised as either negative or positive, with the latter being referred to as wash-forward. When definitions of language competence are excessively narrow, it can be destructive to more flexible methods to language education; nevertheless, it can be useful when effective teaching techniques occur. Washback may also be helpful or bad depending on whether it aids or hinders the achievement of educational objectives. Teaching the curriculum becomes the same as teaching to the test if a test has positive washback. When there is a mismatch between the declared aims of teaching and the emphasis of assessment, negative washback can develop, leading to the abandoning of instructional goals in favour of test preparation.

Constructive alignment in foreign language curricula: an exploration of teaching and assessment practices in Dutch secondary education

ABSTRACT While Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) is recognised as an effective approach worldwide, its implementation in foreign language (FL) classrooms remains difficult. Earlier studies have identified factors impeding CLT implementation, such as a lack of communicative lesson materials or teachers' more traditional views on language learning. In the Netherlands, CLT goals have been formulated at the national level, but are not always reflected in daily FL teaching and assessment practice. As constructive alignment between learning goals, classroom activities and assessments is a precondition for effective teaching, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of the degree of alignment in Dutch FL curricula and the factors influencing it. The current study therefore aims to take a systematic inventory of classroom practices regarding the translation of national CLT goals into learning activities and assessments. Findings revealed that teaching activities and classroom assessments predominantly focused on grammar knowledge and vocabulary out of context and, to a lesser extent, on reading skills. External factors, such as teaching and testing materials available, and conceptual factors, such as teachers' conceptions of language learning, were identified to contribute to the observed lack of alignment. Assessments in particular seem to exert a negative washback effect on CLT implementation.

A Corpus-based Analysis of High School English Textbooks and English University Entrance Exams in Turkey

This study aims to explore the missing link between English textbooks used in high schools (9th-12th grades) and English university entrance exams (2010-2019) in Turkey on lexical and syntactic complexity levels by using corpus linguistics tools: AntWordProfiler, TAALED, and the L2 Syntactic Complexity Analyzer (L2SCA). Official textbooks and complementary materials obtained from the Ministry of National Education have been compared against the official university entrance exams from the past decade. The results show that: (i) differences in lexical sophistication level can be observed between the two corpora, the lexical sophistication level of the exam corpus was higher than that of the textbook corpus, (ii) there is a statistically significant difference between the two corpora in terms of lexical diversity, the exam corpus has a significantly higher level of lexical diversity than the textbook corpus, (iii) statistically significant differences also existed between the two corpora regarding the syntactic complexity indices. The syntactic complexity level of the exam corpus was higher than that of the textbook corpus. The findings suggest that Turkish high school students who have to learn English with the official textbooks throughout their high school years will have to tackle low-frequency and more sophisticated words at a higher level of syntactic complexity at the time of taking the nationwide exam. This, in return, creates a negative backwash effect, distorts their approach to L2, and raises other concerns about the misalignment between the official language education materials and nationwide exams.

E-assessment: Wash-Back Effects and Challenges (Examining Students’ and Teachers’ Attitudes Towards E-tests)

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Performance Funding: Exam Results, Stakes, and Washback in Danish Schools

High-stakes testing is meant to create a positive washback effect on student learning. Performance funding can raise stakes. However, it is not often used, and its washback is uncertain. The purpose of this paper is to examine performance-funding programs based on students’ exam results. We study principals’ perceptions and interpretations of how this influenced stakes and washback effects of the exit exams. For that purpose, we selected four schools based on theoretical sampling criteria. The empirical data comprise semi-structured interviews with management over the 2-year program and documents describing the performance-funding program. The findings indicate that implementing performance funding increases stakes and has washback effects, but that stakes depend partly on the principal’s choices. Although the consequences were unintended, the program and its effects were mostly perceived as positive. The paper shows how unintended consequences call for careful consideration of the pros and cons of accountability systems when high-stakes test-based funding mechanisms are introduced.

“We’re Away From Everything”: Understanding the Struggles Faced by Internationalized Schools in Non-Urban Contexts in China

This paper reports on an emerging type of international school, which we refer to as the Chinese internationalized school. This school caters to Chinese citizens and aspires to offer a fusion of national and international curricula. The majority of internationalized schools in China are to be found in large metropolitan centers. Accordingly, the literature has focused on relatively affluent urban centers, such as Shanghai, Suzhou, and Beijing. However, in recent years, internationalized schools have started to emerge outside of metropolitan areas in what have been described as tier-3 and 4 cities, which could also be described as non-urban or rural contexts, due to their remote location and proximity from metropolitan centers. This study adds to the scholarship on internationalized schooling in China by focusing on the struggles that schools in a non-urban contexts are likely to face. Focusing on one school, our interviews with 16 teachers and the school’s principal revealed that the school’s remote location made recruiting students and teachers problematic. Moreover, the effects of COVID-19 compounded this issue, with many prospective students abandoning their plans to study abroad and instead choosing to study in a local school offering the Chinese national curriculum. As a result, the school was forced to recruit students who did not possess the necessary English language ability to access the content of the Cambridge curriculum. This created a washback effect, which impacted on students’ academic achievement, their motivation, and the teaching strategies employed by the teachers. The paper concludes by considering what implications the findings might have for teachers and school leaders in internationalized schools in non-urban contexts.

The Washback Effect in Online Language Assessment on Student's Learning Interest

This research was conducted with a descriptive-qualitative approach with a case study as the research design. Data was collected by conducting interviews via Google Form with open-ended questions, the number of students who were used as respondents was 30 students from the Department of English Education. This study aims to examine the assessment process in the summary of assignments for the Seminar Proposal course for the English Education Department. This rapidly growing world of technology also affects aspects of education, education can be run online without the need for face-to-face meetings. Especially at this time where the world is being hit by the Covid-19 virus which increasingly requires people to stay at home. Learning is done entirely at home by relying on online learning. Even so, teachers still need to pay attention to choosing the right assessment for students in order to produce a positive washback effect from each given task. The results of this study indicate that the assignment has a positive washback effect because it is considered capable of improving students' English skills and abilities.

Investigating Washback Effects of the GRE (Verbal) on Test Takers (Successful & Unsuccessful) in Sindh, Pakistan

Investigating Washback Effects of the GRE (Verbal) on Test Takers (Successful & Unsuccessful) in Sindh, Pakistan

A phenomenographic study on language assessment literacy: hearing from Iranian university teachers

This study aims to disclose the Iranian university teachers’ perceptions of the fundamentals of language assessment literacy (LAL). To this aim, using purposive sampling, eighteen university teachers from two Iranian universities were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Their viewpoints were audio-recorded, transcribed, and subjected to a phenomenographic analysis. Findings yielded two overarching LAL domains: knowledge (e.g., having an acceptable level of digital LAL, satisfying ethical requirements, benefiting more from performance assessment, considering students’ individual differences, making assessment valid, assuring that tests are reliable, and having an acceptable level of pedagogical content knowledge) and skills (e.g., involving students in assessment, using alternative assessment methods, employing logically traditional assessment methods, informing students about test results, administering tests in standardized ways, using valid grading procedures, and bringing positive wash-back effects). After discussing the results, the study concludes with proposing a range of implications for different testing stakeholders and highlighting some avenues for further research.

Exploring the Shortcomings of the Iranian MSRT English Proficiency Test

The Iranian Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology (MSRT) English Proficiency Test (EPT) has been in use since 1992. While the MSRT-EPT is generally claimed to be reliable, valid, and practical, it does not assess speaking and writing skills. In this exploratory study, a qualitative approach was used to examine the MSRT-EPT test-takers experiences and language education experts’ beliefs about the test as well as their congruence with each other through semi-structured telephone interviews. Convenience and purposive sampling procedures were used to select 15 participants. Inductive coding method was applied to determine invariant constituents. Then, the constituents were reduced to categories, and finally the categories were clustered into 11 themes. Dependability and validity of the study were established through triangulation, inter-coder agreement, and member checking technique. The problems associated with the MSRT-EPT and a lack of productive skills included a lack of correspondence between the test content and Ph.D. Candidates'' needs, negative washback effect, non-theory-based content, inappropriate listening conditions, and a lack of test items originality. On the other hand, the candidates’ and experts’ perspectives were highly congruent. In light of these findings, the importance of designing a more comprehensive test including all facets of the language proficiency construct was highlighted, and some suggestions were made for future research.

An Investigation of the Washback Effect of the New National Matriculation English Test (NMET) on Senior Three English Teaching in a State High School in Hunan China

The National Matriculation English Test (NMET) is one of the compulsoryparts of China’s college entrance examination that is designed and organized yearly by the National Education Examinations Authority (NEEA). In addition to improving the fairness and authority of the NMET, as a high-stake test, allowing it to play the guiding role in high school English teaching and learning is one of most important reasons for its continuous reform. Hunan province located in central China has undergone two major NMET reforms in the last four years, which has had a great impact on high school English teaching and learning and this phenomenon is called the washback effect in the field of language education.

Washback Effects of Diagnostic Assessment in Greek as an SL: Primary School Teachers’ Perceptions in Cyprus

Washback of diagnostic tools targeted to young migrant learners has been an under-researched area in the language assessment field. This paper explores teachers’ perceptions on the Greek Diagnostic Language Assessment (GDLA) tool recently introduced into the SL preparatory classes of the Cyprus primary education. The tool’s implementation coincides with the launch of a new SL curriculum. The objective is fourfold: (1) to examine GDLA’s washback effects on teaching/assessment, (2) to investigate washback’s variability with respect to several contextual variables, (3) to collect feedback on the perceived credibility of the tool, and (4) to reflect on the use of the GDLA tool as a lever of instructional reform in support of curricular innovation. The study employs a mixed-methods approach and draws on (a) quantitative data (questionnaire, 234 informants) and (b) qualitative data (interviews, 6 participants). The results indicate a positive and quite strong washback on teaching and assessment. However, they bring to the surface several misconceptions on the purpose and the implementation of diagnostic assessment, pointing to gaps in the teachers’ assessment literacy. They also bring into play school administration constraints. Finally, they imply that a diagnostic assessment aligned to a context-sensitive curriculum may bind the test to positive washback.

Novel Dynamic Cleaning Model for Cyclic Operation of Biodiesel Membrane Reactors

A membrane reactor produces high-quality biodiesel by combining both reaction and separation in a single unit. However, the reactor has disadvantages such as high operating expense and reduced efficiency over time due to membrane fouling. To solve this issue, frequent cleaning with physical and chemical methods is required. Membrane cleaning contributes to the reactor’s operating cost to a large extent, including energy, chemicals and even production loss. Although there have been studies undertaken focusing on improving membrane cleaning, optimizing the performance of the membrane reactor in biodiesel production has received limited attention. In this work, a novel membrane cleaning model is presented and used to optimize the membrane reactor efficiency in terms of biodiesel yield and cleaning costs. The model captures the dynamic states of reversible and irreversible membrane fouling during the cleaning process. It is further used to evaluate the effects of backwashing and chemical cleaning on the membrane reactor. The results show that the number of backwashes during operation is a crucial factor to improve reactor productivity and reduce the cleaning cost. The membrane reactor’s operating time rose 2 to 3 times when the operating period between two backwashes, or an operating cycle, reduced from 70 min to 15 min. The biodiesel yield increased significantly due to the extended operation. However, longer operating time led to an accumulation of more irreversible fouling, which could not be removed by backwashing. The cost of chemical cleaning rose as the irreversible fouling level increased. Regarding the cost-to-yield ratio of the biodiesel reactor, the best operating conditions were found at the operating cycle of 25 minutes between 2 backwashes. Overall, the cleaning model allows the prediction and reduction of the cleaning expense of the membrane reactor, increasing its potential as a biodiesel production technology significantly.

SPEAKING CLASS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

In recent years the process of reform and innovation in higher education has been witnessed. Indonesia has also implemented the problem of based assessment almost throughout college in the fatherland, focusing on human resource development. Methods adopted to follow the qualitative study principle against ten students at one of the schools in Bogor. This research is limited to the students without even seeing the washback effect on the teachers. The objective of this report was to observe the washback effect during teaching activities in a spoken English class. The study proved that a student's point of view assessment affects the teaching process and the speaking skills in the classroom.