The evolving nature of education emphasizes the importance of fostering 21st-century skills. To align with the requirements of the contemporary era, Uzbekistan introduced its new competency based National Curriculum, highlighting the development of 21st century skills. Despite the National Curriculum's emphasis on contemporary skills, a gap persists due to the exam-focused education system in Uzbekistan, with university entrance exams largely dictating classroom practices. This qualitative study, through students’ lenses and experiences, aims to explore how preparation for these exams, particularly in English, aligns with the goals of National Curriculum. Washback, defined as the influence of tests on teaching and learning, has been utilized as the study’s conceptual framework. Reflexive thematic analysis has been employed as the method for data analysis. The participants include first-year public university students in Uzbekistan. The findings revealed a multifaceted, complex and context-specific nature of washback. Key observations include a negative washback effect of high stakes public university entrance exams, leading to the prioritization of exam subjects at the expense of holistic education, a misalignment between English instruction and the curriculum, high-stakes entrance exam induced stress, and broader educational context factors, such as lack of teacher qualification and competence, low teacher salary, contributing to poor quality education. The study also highlights the crucial role of private tutoring in preparing for higher education and the emergence of unethical practices in schools. While the exams fostered certain 21st-century skills in students, an overemphasis on rote memorization limits deeper cognitive competencies. Positive washback is observed in lyceum education and among students preparing for the IELTS exam - an alternative pathway to fulfill the English language requirement for public HE, advocating for measurement-driven instruction and comprehensive language skill development. The study concludes that positive changes in Uzbekistan’s public university admission system could be achieved through a more holistic assessment of students’ skills and competencies and measurement-driven approach to education. The study recommends incorporating students' school performance as an admission criterion, offering a more comprehensive assessment of their abilities and knowledge.

De nationella proven som fenomen har på olika sätt och utifrån olika ämnesområden undersökts och utretts i stor utsträckning genom åren. Detsamma kan dock inte sägas när det kommer till lärares yrkesutövning relaterad till de nationella proven, vilket är ett tidigare tämligen icke beforskat område. Med washback-begreppet som teoretiskt perspektiv är därför syftet med denna studie att synliggöra högstadie- och gymnasielärares egna utsagor gällande deras yrkesutövning i samband med det skriftliga nationella provet i svenska. Genom en kombination av kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med tolv svensklärare samt en kvantitativ och kvalitativ webbaserad enkät med både öppna och slutna frågor som besvarats av 122 svensklärare, besvaras frågor rörande hur svensklärare anser att olika aspekter av deras yrkesutövning kan påverkas i samband med det skriftliga nationella provet. Dessutom undersöks huruvida lärarna anser, och i sådana fall på vilket sätt, att det skriftliga nationella provet kan utvecklas för att bidra till deras profession. Studiens resultat visar att det finns både negativa och positiva påverkansfaktorer, där främst planering, bedömning och texttyper pekas ut som specifika aspekter som på ett eller annat sätt har inverkan på lärarnas yrkesutövning och autonomi i samband med det skriftliga nationella provet. Rörande potentiella utvecklingsområden lyfts central rättning fram, vilket dock görs tillsammans med en oro rörande bland annat hur införandet kommer att påverka lärarnas professionalitet.

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De nationella proven har undersökts många gånger tidigare sett till proven som fenomen, men desto mindre när det kommer till hur lärares undervisning, yrkesroll och professionella kunnande påverkas i samband med de nationella proven. Syftet med litteraturstudien är därför att med utgångspunkt i forskningsresultat från bland annat vetenskapliga studier och avhandlingar undersöka hur lärare kan förbereda sina elever inför de nationella proven samtidigt som potentiella möjligheter och hinder sett till förberedelser, genomförande och efterarbete undersöks. Studien belyser även ett internationellt perspektiv på andra höginsatsprov för att undersöka hur lärares yrkesutövning påverkas när höginsatsprovet har en mer avgörande roll än vad de nationella proven för närvarande har i Sverige. Resultaten visar att det både finns möjligheter och hinder i samtliga skeden i sambandet med nationella prov och höginsatsprov, där det mest framträdande hindret rör att proven är tidskrävande medan den mest framträdande möjligheten är att lärare kan utforma sin undervisning utifrån elevers tidigare prestationer på proven.

Les travaux réalisés dans cette thèse proposent une aide à la décision pour améliorer la qualité de l’apprentissage. L’apprentissage scolaire englobe deux dimension; une dimension humaine et une dimension pédagogique. La dimension humaine inclut l’apprenant et l’enseignant. La dimension pédagogique, représentée par le programme fixé par l’établissement éducatif, correspond au savoir. Ce dernier va se transformer en connaissance chez l’apprenant. Les deux notions de connaissance et savoir sont donc tout à fait différentes. La distance entre les deux représente la distance entre ce que l’enseignant présente (le savoir) et ce que l’apprenant acquière (la connaissance). La qualité de l’apprentissage concerne les apprenants qui vont à l’école pour acquérir le savoir. En fait, apprendre consiste à intérioriser le savoir. Cette intériorisation demande des efforts pour un changement intellectuel persévérant et exige une continuité basée sur les expériences antérieures. L’acquisition du savoir et sa transformation en connaissance par l’apprenant sont influencées par plusieurs facteurs qui interviennent positivement ou négativement sur la quantité et la qualité de cette connaissance. Il peut résider chez l’apprenant une confusion entre les deux notions qui peut l’amener à valoriser ou ignorer sa connaissance. Le processus de construction des connaissances par le savoir diffusé exige une constante mise en œuvre de procédures d’évaluation. Le processus d’évaluation apprécie alors la structure de la connaissance pour prendre des décisions destinées à la faire évoluer. Cependant, lors d’une évaluation, la confusion entre connaissance et savoir peut amener l’apprenant à valoriser le score, négligeant ainsi le regard qu’il pourrait porter sur les processus de transformation des connaissances au profit d’une restitution la plus fidèle possible du savoir. Cette confusion peut être mise en évidence pourvu que l’évaluation intègre une dimension processuelle. Dès lors, l’évaluation peut être mieux associée à des actions d’amélioration et de transformation des connaissances. L’évaluation peut alors être abordée dans une logique d’aide à la décision. Dans ce travail nous montrerons donc qu’une situation d’apprentissage s’apparente à une situation d’aide à la décision. / The research realized in this thesis proposes a decision support to improve the quality of learning. The learning includes two dimensions; human dimension and pedagogic one. The human dimension includes the learner and the teacher. The pedagogic dimension represented in curriculum set by the educational establishment; it is the know. The learner is going to transform the know into knowledge. Thus the know and the knowledge are two notions completely different. The distance between both is the distance between what the teacher presents (the know) and what the learner acquires (the knowledge). The quality of the learning concerns the learners who go to the school to acquire the know. In fact, learning consists in interiorizing the know. This internalization requires the efforts for persistent intellectual change and demands continuity based on past experiences. The acquisition of knowledge and its transformation into knowledge by the learner is influenced by several factors that affect positively or negatively on the quantity and quality of this knowledge. The confusion between the know and the knowledge guide the learner to value or to ignore his knowledge. The knowledge construction process by the diffused know requires an constant evaluation process. The process of evaluation then appreciates the structure of knowledge to make decisions intended to make it evolve. However, during an evaluation, the confusion between knowledge and knowledge can bring learner to value the score so neglecting the importance which he must give for the transformation knowledge process in favor of the highest possible fidelity of knowledge. This confusion can be detected provided that the evaluation includes a processual dimension. Therefore, the evaluation may be better associated with improvement actions and transformation of knowledge. Then the evaluation can be addressed in a logical decision support. Therefore In this research we demonstrate that the learning situation is a decision aiding situation.

The theoretical part of this diploma thesis provides a broader academic context for the research presented in the theoretical part and is concerned with the specifics of the writing assessment. It proposes reasons why writing should be assessed, describes methods of assessment and scoring, and also examines writing tests. At the end of the theoretical part, the presumed controlling idea, called the washback effect, which significantly influenced the course of the research in the practical part of the thesis, is presented. The practical part is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the types of scoring ESL grammar school teachers employ for assessing grammar school pupils. The aim was to discover how many of them use analytical and/or multiple-trait scoring. It was revealed that analytical scoring the most used means of assessment. Holistic scoring was next, followed by multiple-trait and lastly primary-trait scoring. Other scoring procedures are rarely employed. The second part is a case study of assessment criteria of selected teachers which compares these criteria against those used in Cambridge English: Preliminary examination and the Czech state secondary school-leaving exam. The author of the thesis tried to identify criteria or descriptors which appear across these systems and could,...

Language assessments are increasingly being leveraged for the purposes of educational reform and accountability, yet relatively little is known about how teachers respond to their implementation or what impact they have on the learning outcomes of students. Drawing on theories of educational innovation, this mixed methods study explores the interplay between testing, teaching, and learning in an urban Midwestern K-12 world languages program. Specifically, it investigates the washback effect of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL), and the potential for its influence on teachers’ practices to complement strategic efforts to introduce and manage curricular innovation at the local level. The study was divided into three distinct but complementary phases. In Phase 1, teachers (n=47) responded to an online survey addressing their background, instructional practices, and the potential influence of the AAPPL therein. In Phase 2, semi-structured interviews were conducted with a subset of teachers (n=12) in order to more richly describe their instructional and assessment-related practices. Finally, in Phase 3, AAPPL scores were obtained for all students (n=846) who took the assessment. Quantitative analyses predominantly involved the use of descriptive statistics to depict teachers’ practices and students’ performance on the AAPPL, as well as bivariate correlations to measure the relationship between the two. Qualitative analyses of interview data were aimed at identifying categories and themes leading to a rich description of teachers’ behaviors and activities in response to the AAPPL. In the final stages of analysis, both qualitative and quantitative data sources and analyses were synthesized in an attempt to develop a more nuanced understanding of the interplay between assessment, instruction, and learning. Findings suggested a moderately positive washback effect of the AAPPL, which was manifested through individual and collective efforts to refine curricula and instruction with the goal of further enhancing students’ language performance and proficiency development. Key findings included teachers’ increased use of ACTFL’s core documents to guide their planning, and an adjustment to the amount of instructional time devoted to the four modalities (listening, reading, writing, and speaking). This evidence for positive washback of the AAPPL was observed among teachers across languages and levels, and extended beyond those immediately implicated in its administration. Furthermore, the strength and direction of the influence was mediated by the close link between testing and teaching, individual differences among teachers, and the collaborative approach to managing the innovation. Evidence connecting teachers’ practices with student outcomes on the AAPPL was diffuse, with bivariate correlations indicating a potential relationship between the use of target language and explicit grammar instruction and students’ composite scores. This investigation has contributed to a greater understanding of how external language performance assessments may serve as a catalyst for refining and improving language teaching in K-12 contexts. Those seeking to promote the adoption of similar innovative practices should ensure that the assessment is aligned with the pedagogical goals of the curriculum and that their approach to introducing and managing change is responsive to the local context. While more research is needed in order to determine the potential influence of innovation on the learning outcomes of students (Green, 2013), world language programs should be encouraged to implement standards-based external assessments as a means by which to promote teachers’ adoption of proficiency-oriented instructional practices.

Orientador: Matilde Virginia Ricardi Scaramucci / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-13T23:16:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Oliveira_JussaraAzevedoSilvade_M.pdf: 5742161 bytes, checksum: 0351ec48a42cee9659f05ead5947292d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: A avaliação de rendimento em inglês como língua estrangeira (doravante LE) tem refletido, em sua aplicação na escola básica brasileira, os problemas inerentes ao ensino de LE ali presentes: a falta de envolvimento, o mau desempenho e a desmotivação de alunos para aprender inglês com LE. Neste trabalho é nosso objetivo aprofundar o conhecimento sobre a relação entre a avaliação e a motivação. Entre nossos objetivos específicos estão: conhecer se a avaliação formativa contribui para o desenvolvimento de orientações motivacionais que auxiliam no desenvolvimento da aprendizagem de inglês como LE, e de que forma a avaliação formativa intervém na percepção que o aluno tem da própria aprendizagem em LE. Para tanto, utilizamos métodos de pesquisa de caráter etnográfico, que tratam de descrever as percepções e orientações motivacionais dos alunos diante da avaliação, inicialmente somativa, depois formativa. Nossas análises revelaram a complexidade da relação entre avaliação e motivação, relação que é mediada pelo papel do professor controlador ou facilitador. Nessa análise retomamos conceitos relativos ao efeito retroativo (ALDERSON & WALL, 1983; CHENG, 1997, 2005; SCARAMUCCI, 2000, 2004), avaliação (BACHMAN & PALMER, 1996; GENESEE & UPSHUR; REA DICKINS, 2001, 2006; SCARAMUCCI, 1998, 2000) e motivação (BZUNECK, 2001, BORUCHOVITCH et alii, 2001, 2004; DORNYEI & OTTÓ, 1998) que permitissem descrever essa relação. Os resultados obtidos mostram que alunos de alto rendimento não sofrem grandes alterações em sua motivação, pois já são intrinsecamente motivados. Os alunos de médio rendimento mostram oscilações em suas percepções e motivações, indicando a permeabilidade que têm diante da intervenção por meio da avaliação. Finalmente, os alunos de baixo rendimento manifestaram pequenas mudanças em suas percepções da avaliação e orientações motivacionais, mas que consideramos significativas diante da desmotivação no início do ano letivo. Concluímos com as implicações teóricas e práticas deste estudo tanto para os estudos em avaliação e em motivação, assim como para o cenário de ensino/aprendizagem de inglês como LE na escola brasileira / Abstract: Achievement testing in English as a foreign language has reflected educational problems in Brazil , such as the lack of students' involvement, low achievement and demotivation. Our aim in this research is to approach the interrelation between assessment and motivation to learn EFL. Our specific aims are to know: what is the effect of formative assessment on the students' motivational orientation to learn EFL, and how formative assessment affects the students' awareness of learning and competence. In order to achieve these aims, ethnographic research methods were employed to describe students' perceptions and motivational orientations facing assessment, which was essentially summative at first, then combined with formative assessment, introduced in the second quarter. Our analysis revealed the complex relation between assessment and motivation, which is mediated by the teacher. To describe such relation, we discussed concepts such as washback effect (ALDERSON & WALL, 1983; CHENG, 1997 E 2005; SCARAMUCCI, 2000, 2004), assessment (BACHMAN & PALMER, 1996; GENESEE & UPSHUR; REA DICKINS, 2001, 2006; SCARAMUCCI, 1998, 2000) and motivation (BZUNECK, 2001; BORUCHOVITCH et alii, 2001, 2004; DORNYEI & OTTÓ, 1998). Results show that high achievers changed little in their perceptions and motivation to learn EFL, being intrinsically motivated throughout the school year. Medium achievement students showed changes in their perceptions and motivation, revealing flexible motivational orientations. Finally, low achievers showed small changes in their perception and motivational orientations, which are certainly meaningful considering their low levels of motivation at the beginning of this research. We conclude with some theoretical and practical implications for the studies in assessment and in motivation and for the teaching and learning scenario of English as a foreign language in Brazilian regular schools / Mestrado / Lingua Estrangeira / Mestre em Linguística Aplicada

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2015-12-17T13:28:08Z No. of bitstreams: 1 paulohenriquegoliath.pdf: 5642641 bytes, checksum: 96ce5a0dbabd199efddb89dc1609d5b5 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2015-12-17T18:00:47Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 paulohenriquegoliath.pdf: 5642641 bytes, checksum: 96ce5a0dbabd199efddb89dc1609d5b5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-17T18:00:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 paulohenriquegoliath.pdf: 5642641 bytes, checksum: 96ce5a0dbabd199efddb89dc1609d5b5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-30 / Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo investigar o tipo de efeito retroativo que os exames do SIMAVE/PROEB podem exercer sobre a prática avaliativa dos professores do ensino médio de uma escola pública estadual de um município do interior de Minas Gerais, principalmente no que se refere ao ensino/aprendizagem dos gêneros textuais. A percepção de tais professores sobre o possível efeito retroativo também foi investigada. O trabalho busca aporte teórico principalmente nas ideias precursoras de BAKHTIN (1929/1995; 1979/1992) sobre os gêneros, no Interacionismo Sociodiscursivo de SCHNEUWLY & DOLZ (2004), e nas contribuições de MARCUSCHI (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008) no contexto brasileiro. Para a teoria relativa à avaliação, utilizamos, entre outros, os estudos de PERRENOUD (1999a, 1999b), LUCKESI (1995/2008) e, em especial sobre o efeito retroativo, as publicações de ALDERSON (1996, 2000, 2004), ALDERSON & WALL (1993) e SCARAMUCCI (1999a, b, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2011). A pesquisa também se fundamenta em documentos como os Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais (PCNs), e usa como instrumentos de pesquisa boletins pedagógicos da Secretaria de Estado de Educação de Minas Gerais, entrevistas com os professores da escola investigada e provas elaboradas por esses professores. Os itens dos testes do SIMAVE/PROEB que foram publicados nos boletins pedagógicos foram analisados, bem como as questões das provas elaboradas pelos professores, e foram depois comparados. Verificou-se que existem indícios de efeito retroativo dos testes do SIMAVE/PROEB na prática avaliativa dos professores da escola pesquisada e que, embora ainda haja diferenças expressivas no tratamento dos dois instrumentos de avaliação, sobretudo em relação à abordagem dos gêneros, parece haver um pequeno movimento em direção a uma prática mais condizente com a perspectiva de trabalho com os gêneros recomendada pelos documentos oficiais. / This research aims to investigate the nature of washback that SIMAVE/PROEB exams may have on the teachers’ assessment practice from a state school in a Minas Gerais inland town, especially as regards teaching/learning of genres. Their perception on this possible washback was also investigated. This work searches theoretical support especially in the precursor ideas of BAKHTIN (1929/1995; 1979/1992) about genres, in the Sociodiscoursive Interactionism of SCHNEUWLY & DOLZ (2004), and in the contributions of MARCUSCHI (2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006 , 2008) in the Brazilian context. For the theory on assessment, we use, among others, studies by PERRENOUD (1999a, 1999b), LUCKESI (1995/2008) and, in particular about washback, the ALDERSON (1996, 2000, 2004), ALDERSON & WALL (1993) and SCARAMUCCI (1999a, b, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2011) publications. The research also relies on documents such as Parâmetros Curriculares Nacionais (PCNs), and uses as research instruments educational newsletters of Secretaria de Estado de Educação de Minas Gerais, interviews with the school teachers from the context investigated and tests produced by these teachers. SIMAVE/PROEB test items that were published in the educational newsletters were analyzed, as well as items prepared by the teachers, and were then compared. It was found that there are washback evidences of SIMAVE/PROEB tests on assessment practice of those secondary school teachers and that, although there are still significant differences in the treatment of the two evaluation tools, especially in relation to the approach of genres, one realizes a little movement toward a more consistent practice at the prospect of working with genres as recommended by official documents.

This study addresses issues of English as a foreign language (EFL) practice in the attainment-oriented context at the tertiary level. Referring to the widespread use of testing as an instrument for the enhancement of teaching quality, the study stresses the importance of teachers’ epistemological beliefs and other contextual factors to mediate teacher’s pedagogical decision-making. Four EFL teachers at Air Force colleges in Taiwan were selected to participate in the present research. The EFL teachers’ beliefs were collected by semi-structured interviews, and actual classroom practices were analyzed through a taxonomy of teachers’ questions, a taxonomy of teachers’ corrective feedback and Communicative Orientation Language Teaching (COLT) scheme analysis. The evidence of this case study generated four archetypal patterns of washback based on aligned or oppositional beliefs and its contexts. The study concludes that test designers’ expectations to use a test to innovate the curriculum do not always produce the desired results. Education reform that requires pedagogical changes of practitioners but fails to provide re-attribution training and sufficient resources to effect belief changes will likely yield resistance and pressure. Finally, implications of four archetypes of washback on the teaching of English are presented in order to sustain the successful testing, teaching, and learning.