MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ------------ GIANG THI KIM TU GIANG THỊ KIM TÚ * MA THESIS IN EDUCATION AN INVESTIGATION INTO EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF TOEIC® TEST WASHBACK ON TEACHING PRACTICE AT TIEN GIANG UNIVERSITY * MA THESIS IN EDUCATION HUE - 2013 HUE, 2013 4b/75tr MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING HUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES ------------ GIANG THỊ KIM TÚ AN INVESTIGATION INTO EFL TEACHERS’ PERCEPTIONS OF TOEIC® TEST WASHBACK ON TEACHING PRACTICE AT TIEN GIANG UNIVERSITY FIELD OF STUDY: THEORY AND METHODOLOGY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING CODE: 60.10 MA THESIS IN EDUCATION SUPERVISOR: PHAM THI HONG NHUNG, PH. HUE, 2013 BỘ GIÁO DỤC VÀ ĐÀO TẠO ĐẠI HỌC HUẾ TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ ------------ GIANG THỊ KIM TÚ NGHIÊN CỨU NHẬN THỨC CỦA GIẢNG VIÊN VỀ ẢNH HƯỞNG CỦA BÀI KIỂM TRA TOEIC® TRONG VIỆC GIẢNG DẠY TIẾNG ANH TẠI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC TIỀN GIANG CHUYÊN NGÀNH: LÝ LUẬN VÀ PHƯƠNG PHÁP DẠY HỌC MÔN TIẾNG ANH MÃ SỐ: 60.10 LUẬN VĂN THẠC SĨ GIÁO DỤC HỌC NGƯỜI HƯỚNG DẪN KHOA HỌC: TS. PHẠM THỊ HỒNG NHUNG HUẾ, 2013 STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP I do hereby acknowledge that this study is mine. The data and findings discussed in the thesis are true, used with permission from associates and have not been published elsewhere.
Author Giang Thi Kim Tu i Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Pham Hong Nhung, whose advice and encouragement have oriented me in both content and writing style from the very beginning of the research. It is her detailed and robust suggestions on every part of the research that have guided me in conducting and completing this study. Without her scrupulous feedback, I might not have finished this research in a good way.
M y spec i al th ank s al s o g o t o al l t e ac h ers a t T i e n G i an g U n iv er s it y , H igh Sc ho ol f or G i ft ed St ud e nt s, N g uy en D i nh C h ie u H i gh Sc ho ol , a nd T an H ie p H i gh Sc h o ol , w h o hel p ed m e e nt h us i a s t ic a l l y an d ef f ec t ive l y w i t h t h e s u r v ey s. I would like to say thanks to all of my MA. classmates for their encouragements and cooperation. My last gratitude is for my dear family and my friends who gave me boundless support, inspiration, and encouragement during the time I conducted this study.
This is a very unforgettable memory in my life since I have two “big” projects to do at the same time – conducting this study and looking forward to the birth of my baby! ii ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Pages SUB COVER PAGE STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS. iii LIST OF FIGURE & TABLES. viii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION.
Background to the study. Rational of the study. 5 CHAPTER II: LITERATURE REVIEW. Definitions of Key Terms.
Washback and Test Washback. Test Washback and Test Impact. Reviewing literature on the influence of tests on teaching practice. The Washback Hypothesis.
Positive and Negative Washback. Washback from high-stake Tests. Identifying the Research Context. The TOEIC® test: An Introduction.
The TOEIC® test within the research settings. Washback and the TOEIC® test. 24 CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY. Context and Participants of the Research.
Participants of the Research. Data Collection Instruments. 32 CHAPTER IV: Findings and Discussions. Teachers‟ perceptions towards the TOEIC® test and its role in the.
33 curriculum of Tien Giang University 4. Teachers‟ perceptions on the difficulty of TOEIC® test. Teachers‟ perceptions on the usefulness of TOEIC® test. Teachers‟ attitudes towards the importance of the TOEIC-oriented .35 curriculum and its influence on the teaching practice 4.
Teachers‟ perceptions on the TOEIC test‟s washback on their teaching practice. Teachers‟ responses to washback on the content of their teaching. Teachers‟ responses to washback on their teaching time. Summary of the Findings.
Pedagogical Implications of the Study. Limitations of the Study. Recommendations for Further Research. 56 Appendix A: Teachers‟ questionnaire.
56 Appendix B: Questions for Teacher Interviews. 62 v LIST OF FIGURE & TABLES Figure/Tables Names Pages Table 3. Background Information on 28 Participants of the Research Figure 4. Teachers‟ perception on the difficulty of 34 TOEIC test Figure 4.
Teachers‟ perception on the 35 usefulness of the TOEIC test Figure 4. Teachers‟ perception on the 35 importance of the TOEIC-oriented curriculum Figure 4. Teachers‟ perception on the importance 36 of testing students‟ writing and speaking skill ability Figure 4. Teachers‟ perception on the importance 36 of developing students‟ communicative ability in English Figure 4.
Teachers‟ perception on the TOEIC‟s 37 enhancing the English ability of students Figure 4. Teachers‟ perception on students‟ serious 37 interest in raising their TOEIC scores Figure 4. A comparison of responses to survey 38 questions 9-11 vi Figure 4. The TOEIC test washback on 39 teachers‟ teaching practice Table 4.
Teachers‟ view point on the TOEIC test 40 Figure 4. Changes teachers may make due to 41 the TOEIC context Figure 4. The amount of time per 50-minute class 42 the university teachers indicated devoting to TOEIC-related activities Figure 4. The amount of time per 50-minute class 43 the university teachers indicated devoting to TOEIC-related activities vii ABSTRACT This study explores how the use of the TOEIC® test at Tien Giang University has impacted EFL teachers‟ teaching practice there.
Both quantitative and qualitative data reveal mixed reactions to the effect of this kind of test on the teaching practice. This effect, generally known as washback, can be considered positive or negative depending how and what the teachers teach. The aim of this study was to find out from EFL teachers their perceptions towards the washback of the TOEIC® test at Tien Giang University. To achieve this aim, a validated survey questionnaire and interviews were administered to a random sample of fourteen EFL teachers who were teaching at Tien Giang University in Tien Giang Province.
The data analysis revealed that the TOEIC® test has both positive and negative washback on the teachers‟ teaching practice. Additionally, some implications and recommendations were drawn out so as to foster positive washback in this study. viii Chapter I INTRODUCTION 1. Background to the study It has long been believed that tests directly or indirectly influence educational processes in various ways; that is, tests have a powerful influence on language learners who are preparing to take these tests, and on the teachers who try to help their students prepare.
One common assumption is that teachers will be influenced by the knowledge that their students are planning to take a certain test and will adapt their teaching methodology and lesson content to reflect the test‟s demands. My own experience while working as a teacher at Tien Giang University and Tien Giang University-Center of IT and Foreign Languages helps me to notice a remarkable difference in the ways English is taught in these pedagogical different systems. Learners at Center of IT and Foreign Languages are in high motivation to learn English. They attend every class and join every activity which, they think, is interesting to them.
Their teachers also share the comfort and integrate all the skills – listening, speaking, reading, writing and structure expressions in their teaching. Year 2010 witnessed a change in EFL tests at the university. Students of Course 08 and backwards have taken tests including written structures, reading and writing skills while students of Course 09 and onwards are to take TOEIC-oriented tests including listening and reading skills only. Consequently, the students are taught the skills in their tests and there is little or even no time for speaking skill practice in class.
These facts have consequently led me to the argument whether the way English is taught at the university depends greatly on the kind of tests used in assessing the learners‟ English proficiency. English language tests, embedded in political and social contexts, contribute to decisions of critical importance in today‟s world, and yet the growing dominance 1 of these tests is often unquestioned. Adjacent to the growth of English as a global language, the demand for „worldwide English testing‟ has particularly flourished in recent times. Examples of globally recognised measures of English include: the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC).
Despite the powerful political and social impact of these examinations, relatively little research has explored the consequences of these tests. In particular, despite the high stakes nature of the TOEIC test, which has become one of the most powerful and influential tools for students who wish to graduate from the university, surprisingly little research by either test makers or independent researchers has monitored the influence of the test on English language teachers and learners. This study, which investigates the EFL teachers‟ perceptions of the TOEIC test washback on teaching practice at Tien Giang University, therefore, responds to an urgent need for research in this area. Rational of the study The research topic I have chosen is related to “washback of the TOEIC test on teaching practice”.
Washback, the major theoretical concept explored in this study, originates in the idea that although tests usually come at the end of a language course, they often influence the attitudes, behaviours, and motivation of teachers and learners in the period leading up to the test (Pearson, 1988). It has been demonstrated that it is simplistic to believe that a test can result in all desired changes in teaching and learning. Education is a complex phenomenon and there are many factors involved in bringing about changes, like school environment, messages from administration, expectations of teachers and students. For example, Saif (2000) argues that an analysis of the needs and objectives of learners and educational systems should be carried out as a starting point for the research in washback.
2 In addition, washback has long been observed in general education where assumption underlying much debate is that it is often testing that determines „what is taught, how it is taught, what is learned and how it is learned‟, as opposed to any curriculum. Since the TOEIC holds a dominant position in English language testing in Asia, this field is worth exploring. Over four million people have taken that test since its inception. When the researcher examines the volume of research that has been conducted on the TOEIC and compares it with other tests such as the TOEFL or IELTS, it becomes evident that much work remains to be done.
More importantly, “washback” or “backwash” is considered to be a topic gaining more attention from researchers recently (Hughes, 1993; Wall and Horak, 2008; Cheng & Curtis, 2004; Spratt, 2005). However, in Vietnam in general and in Tien Giang province in particular, this topic is still new. Additionally, according to Elton and Laurillard (1979), „the quickest way to change student learning is to change the assessment system‟; in other words, there is a certain relationship between testing and teaching. For most of the teachers in my context, traditional pedagogy serves the purpose.
We questioned neither the purpose and use of the test nor the way we taught. Although all of us had received training in textbook adaptation and communicative language teaching, never are we bothered to try to use that training in our classroom as we believed that only our traditional methods could work.