Washback Of The University Entrance English Exam (ueee) On Teachers And Students Practices The Case Of Preparatory Schools In Amhara National Regional State

Washback of the University Entrance English Exam (UEEE) on Teachers’ and Students’rnPractices: The Case of Preparatory Schools in Amhara National Regional StaternSimachew GashayernAddis Ababa University, 2012rnThe main purpose of this study was to examine the influence of the UEEE on teachers’ andrnstudents’ practices. Specifically, it examined the influence of the exam on the domains ofrnteaching and learning. It further explored mediating factors of washback on teachers’ andrnstudents’ practices.rnThe study employed concurrent mixed methods research design. The participants of the studyrnwere all the 62 Grades 11 and 12 English language teachers and 1,579 randomly selectedrnstudents from nine preparatory schools in Amhara National Regional State. Differentrninstruments were used to collect data. Classroom observations were conducted to look into whatrnteachers’ and students’ practices looked like. To assess teachers’ perceptions about the influencernof the exam on their practice and mediating factors of washback, questionnaire and interviewrnwere utilized. On the other hand, to examine students’ perceptions about the influence of thernexam on their practice and mediating factors of washback, questionnaire and focus grouprndiscussion were used. To further examine the influence of the exam on teachers’ and students’rnpractices, document anlyses were conducted on Grade 11 and 12 English syllabi, the UEEE, andrnteacher-made tests. The collected data were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively.rnFindings of the study reveal that the UEEE affected the domains of teaching and learning to bernexam-oriented. Teachers’ pervceived awareness of the exam, students’ learning attitudes,rnexternal pressure in teaching, and their teaching experience mediated washback on theirrnpractice. Correspondingly, students’ perceived ambition for success in the exam, importance ofrnthe exam, awareness of the exam, external pressure in learning, and teachers’ teaching attitudesrnmediated washback on their practice.rnThe exam yielded overt, strong, and harmful washback on teachers’ and students’ practices thatrnin turn led the implementation of the syllabi to be less successful.

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