Wash-back Effect On Teaching And Learning Of The Senior High School Entrance English Test Since2005

This thesis is written with the intention of examining the washback effect of theSHSEET and how that effect has differed after the test was changed in2005inShenyang. The writer set out to use an empirical approach to study the effect the testhad on teachers, their methods, and their attitudes, and the effect on students and theirstudy of English. The primary research questions are whether or not the changes tothe SHSEET have brought about different washback effects, how those changes haveaffected teaching, and how those changes affected learning.To study the washback effects of the new SHSEET, the author observed classesin three schools, conducted interviews with teachers and students, and solicitedresponses to questionnaires. This data was collected and analyzed, so that conclusionscould be drawn and suggestions for further study and improvement could be made.The findings show that before2005the negative effect from SHSEET was strongerthan the positive effect and this resulted in the changes of the test. After the new itemswere added, the teachers and students paid more attention to the competence ofEnglish performance rather than studying for SHSEET. In a nutshell, the new testbrought more positive effect.This study is divided into five chapters. The first chapter details the significance,purpose, and structure of the thesis. The second chapter is composed of a review ofliterature on the subject of washback and its previous study. The third chapter detailsthe methodology employed in the study, and chapter four contains the results of that methodology. Finally, chapter five describes major findings, the possible implicationsof those findings, and conclusions that might be drawn from them. Suggestions forfurther study end the thesis.