| Language testing is a key process in language teaching. The theories of language and language teaching, and the principles set up by the theories should be measured through a system of testing to measure their positive significances and effects. So, the study of testing is valuable both in language teaching and language teaching researches. In language teaching, the results of testing can be used to check the teaching quality, can improve the revision of teaching plan and can arrange better teaching procedures, etc. Language testing can be also used in the study of the nature of learners'language proficiency, language processing, language attrition/loss and language cognition.The standard for the measurement of language quality is mainly presented in the discrimination, the reliability, the validity and the washback effects among which validity and washback effects are becoming more and more popular at present. TEM8 is the highest level proficiency test for English majors, its scientificity is the highest one among the other tests. This research focuses on the validity of TEM8 and washback effects on language teaching and learning through the specific study of its forms and items.The production and operation of TEM8 items are conducted strictly under the principle of the scientificity. TEM8 is a language test with high validity. The newly reformed TEM8 items focus more on the students'linguistic competence, language knowledge, reading abilities, general knowledge and writing abilities. Through the specific analysis of the validity of each item of TEM8, this research is to analyze the competence targets and testing tendency of TEM8 items, to examine the learners'language knowledge and learning capabilities, to analyze the validity of the whole test and its items and to deduce the washback effects of TEM8 combined with professional language teaching.Through analysis, this thesis hold the view that there exists the necessity of further completion and development of TEM8 together with the further reforms of the Teaching Syllabus for English Majors and the Testing Syllabus for TEM8. The teaching and learning of the two main courses of Integrated English and Advanced English should be improved in many aspects. The teaching approaches of teachers and the learning strategies of students should improve urgently. TEM8 should be more functional and practical and can be tested and certified separately for its specific items in due time. TEM8 may be reformed and gradually developed into an international English proficiency test. At the same time, the reforms of language teaching and learning should be strengthened on the reforms of teaching approaches, testing reforms and the reforms of courses and analyzing the strategies for language learning so that language teaching and testing will be more effectively combined and they can promote and improve each other.This thesis consists of five chapters. The initial part is a general introduction which illustrates the research background, the purpose of the research and the organization of the thesis. The first chapter is a literature review of the results, significances of the related studies and washback effects both at home and abroad. The second chapter introduces the concepts, classifications and features of three main categories:validity, washback effect and TEM8. The third chapter is an illustration of the content validity analysis of TEM8 items. The fourth chapter discusses the wasback effects of TEM8 on the teaching and learning of two main courses to see the students'linguistic abilities and linguistic usage and also the problems in the development of their abilities. The fifth chapter suggests some implications on language testing, language teaching and language teaching research. The final conclusion expresses the findings obtained from the present study are put forward. The limitations of the study are pointed out and some suggestions are raised for the further study in this area. |
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