Washback effects of a high-stakes exam on lower secondary school English teachers’ practices in the classroom
Washback effects of a high-stakes exam on lower secondary school English teachers’ practices in the classroom

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to investigate the effects of the foreign language section of TEOG (Transition Examination from Primary to Secondary Education) on language teacher practices in the classroom. The participants of the study include 30 English language teachers working at lower secondary schools in Turkey. The results of the study indicate that language teacher practices in the classroom are greatly affected by several factors such as the style and content of the language exam. The main harmful washback of this exam is found to be the neglect of teaching several skills such as listening, speaking, and writing as these skills are not assessed, and stakeholders such as students and parents require reasonable level of success on these texts. Some other factors negatively affected have been found to be the selection of course books, the medium of instruction, classroom assessment as well as anxiety.

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