An Empirical Study On Washback Effect Of Certificate Test For Teachers Of Chinese To Speakers Of Other Languages

The Certificate Test for Teachers of Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages(CTCSOL)is an international standard test developed by Confucius Institute Headquarters(Hanban),named Center for Language Education and Cooperation now,in strict accordance with the Standards for Teachers of Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages.The term “Backwash Effect” refers specifically to the effect or reaction of tests on teaching and learning in the field of education.At present,the researches on washback effect mainly focus on English and Chinese tests,but little attention has been paid to the international Chinese teacher competence test.Therefore,this study aims at evaluating the effects on the professional competence of the master candidates of Shenyang University and several other universities in China who have taken CTCSOL on the basis of Certificate Test Syllabus for Teachers of Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages and the theoretical framework of backwash effect,adopting quantitative and qualitative research methods,taking questionnaires,personal interviews and so on as research tools,focusing on the learning strategies of the candidates.The results show that CTCSOL has noticeable effects on their professional competence learning and on the whole,the effects are more positive than negative.And their learning motivation,knowledge of the test pressure and the test environment are the main factors that influence the backwash intensity.This paper consists of six chapters.The first chapter introduces the origin and the mentality of this study,and introduces the domestic and abroad development of backwash effect theory.The second chapter gives a detailed account of the theory and framework of backwash effect,the development history of CTCSOL and discusses the necessity and feasibility of the study on the backwash effect of the test.The third chapter introduces the basic information of the respondents,describes the questionnaire and analyzes the reliability and validity of the survey.The Fourth Chapter,based on the questionnaire and interview data,introduces the positive and negative backwash effects of the CTCSOL on the professional competence learning of the master candidates and analyzes the four factors that determine the intensity of the backwash effect.The fifth chapter puts forward feasible suggestions to the study of the master candidates according to each influence factor,and gives full play to the positive backwash effect of CTCSOL,promotes the dual development of both the master candidates’ individual competence and the test.The sixth chapter summarizes the results and describes the deficiencies objectively of the paper.