Perceptions of the General English Proficiency Test and its washback: A case study at two Taiwan technological institutes

This case study research investigated stakeholders' perceptions of the Taiwanese General English Proficiency Test (GEPT) as well as its washback on schools' policies, teaching, and English learning. The research sites were the applied foreign language departments of a university of technology (School A) and an institute of technology (School B). The latter required day-division students to pass the first stage of the GEPT intermediate level or the school-administered make-up examination, whereas the former did not prescribe any GEPT requirement. In each department, I reviewed its records and interviewed the department chair, 2 to 3 teachers, 14 to 15 students, and 3 parents or spouse of 3 participating students. I also observed one of the courses taught by each interviewed teacher as well as the self-study center 2 hours weekly for 8 selected weeks out of one semester. One exception was a GEPT Preparation course at School B which I observed for a whole semester.;The results of the study indicate that the existing theories or models do not fully explain the washback of tests on learning. I therefore propose a new, tentative washback model of students' learning to delineate this subject. Moreover, although results seemed to discourage using the GEPT as a degree requirement or other gate-keeping purposes, I suggest several guidelines for those schools which, out of some considerations, have to adopt the GEPT for these high-stakes purposes.;Results indicated that the GEPT had a minute or no impact on teaching at both schools, except for courses at School B which were germane to the school's GEPT policy. Although the GEPT generated various degrees of washback on English learning at both schools, there was an absence of long-term systematic preparation for the test. A handful of students prepared for the GEPT two months before the test, whereas some students had no preparation whatsoever. Some teachers believed that the GEPT was valid and reliable, whereas others had neutral or negative perspectives on these issues. Participating students believed that the GEPT had gained public credibility. However, they still pointed out several issues and problems with the test.