Washback in Action: The Case Study of Iranian EFL

There seems to be two major areas of washback studies- those relating to traditional, multiple-choice, large-scale tests, which are perceived to have mainly negative influence on the quality of education, and those studies where a certain examination has been modified or improved to exert a positive influence on the teaching and learning process. The present study done on the washback effect of the National English Exam (NEE) can be included in the latter domain of washback studies. The purpose of this study was to find out whether the National English Exam (NEE) has any washback effect on EFL teachers and learners. The sample included 15 Iranian EFL teachers as well as 90 students who were conveniently selected when they were to take the test. The instrument used was teacher and learner questionnaire. The questionnaire included 13 items reflecting the 13 sections that constitute the NEE. The results indicated that the NEE did have a washback effect on the content of the educational program, methods of high school English instruction, the test construction and administration procedure, the types of tests used in high school classes, the way that the participants perceive the test items and the students’ and the teachers’ attitude toward it. Furthermore, the NEE proved to have some positive and negative washback effects on the English language teaching-learning process. Also, some strategies were suggested to promote the positive washback effect and some for reducing the negative ones.