The Washback Effect of IELTS Examination on EFL Teachers’ Perceived Sense of Professional Identity: Does IELTS Related Experience Make a Difference?

A teacher’s self-perception and identity are shaped by the test accountability context where they teach. Although research on washback effect and teacher-related factors is not an uncharted territory, investigating the nexus of high-stakes tests and teachers’ professional identity has been kept at the margins. In response to this gap, the present study examined the washback effect of IELTS examination on Iranian EFL instructors’ professional identity. To this end, at the beginning of the study, a professional identity questionnaire was administered on 120 IELTS instructors to determine the relationship between EFL teachers’ IELTS Related Experiences and their Professional Identity. Likewise, 15 IELTS instructors were closely examined at the outset of their IELTS course and at its end to examine the change in their perceptions. Regarding the qualitative phase, the researchers carried out a semi-structured interview with all 15 instructors. The results of t-test and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test indicated there was no statistically significant improvement in IELTS instructors’ Professional Identity total scores from pretest to posttest (p>.05). However, the results of Spearman rho indicated a positive and significant relationship between instructors’ professional identity and their past IELTS related experiences. Likewise, the interview results indicated that Iranian instructors’ professional identity has been extensively affected by IELTS examination in that they had no option but to work for the test rather than developing genuine literacy skills. The participants further argued that to survive in such a score-polluted context, they have had no choice but to use tips and tricks, test-taking strategies, and past papers.