大学英语四、六级考试对大学生英语学习的反拨效应-以湘潭大学和湖南工程学院为例.pdf

学校代号学校代号 10530 学学 号号 201005021036 分分 类类 号号 h059 密密 级级 硕硕 士士 学学 位位 论论 文文 大学英语四、六级考试对大学生英语学大学英语四、六级考试对大学生英语学 习的反拨效应习的反拨效应 以湘潭大学和湖南工程学院为例以湘潭大学和湖南工程学院为例 学学 位位 申申 请请 人人 李 娜 指指 导导 教教 师师 王伟清 博士 学学 院院 名名 称称 外国语学院 学学 科科 专专 业业 外国语言学及应用语言学 研研 究究 方方 向向 应用语言学 二零一三年五月二十五日 washback of cet 4-6 on students english learning - a case study of xiangtan university and hunan institute of engineering candidate li na supervisor dr. wang weiqing college college of foreign languages program foreign linguistics and applied linguistics specialization applied linguistics degree master of arts university xiangtan university date may 25, 2013 湘潭大学湘潭大学 学位论文原创性声明学位论文原创性声明 本人郑重声明：所呈交的论文是本人在导师的指导下独立进行研究所取得的 研究成果。除了文中特别加以标注引用的内容外，本论文不包含任何其他个人或 集体已经发表或撰写的成果作品。对本文的研究做出重要贡献的个人和集体，均 已在文中以明确方式标明。本人完全意识到本声明的法律后果由本人承担。 作者签名： 日期： 年 月 日 学位论文版权使用授权书学位论文版权使用授权书 本学位论文作者完全了解学校有关保留、使用学位论文的规定，同意学校保 留并向国家有关部门或机构送交论文的复印件和电子版，允许论文被查阅和借 阅。本人授权湘潭大学可以将本学位论文的全部或部分内容编入有关数据库进行 检索，可以采用影印、缩印或扫描等复制手段保存和汇编本学位论文。 涉密论文按学校规定处理。 作者签名： 日期： 年 月 日 导师签名： 日期： 年 月 日 descriptive abstract in chinese 摘摘 要要 反拨效应是指测试对教与学所产生的影响，在应用语言学领域中特指语言测试尤其 是外语测试对相应的外语教和学产生的影响。 语言测试反拨效应研究是应用语言学中一 个相对较新的领域,同时也是测试领域的一个重要研究课题。近年来，众多学者对反拨 效应进行了大量而深入的研究，不断丰富和完善了反拨效应理论，同时也在一定程度上 推动了测试和教学改革。 大学英语四、六级考试（cet）是一项为了准确衡量我国在校大学生英语综合能力 的大规模标准化考试，在中国已有近30年的历史。 本研究重点探讨了大学英语四、六级考试对大学生英语学习所产生的反拨效应。研 究结合定量和定性两种研究方法，采用了三种研究手段，包括问卷，访谈和课堂观察。 研究对象为湖南省湘潭市两所高校的274名本科生。 研究结果表明：大学英语四、六级考试对大学生的英语学习动机，学习时间，学习 材料，学习内容以及课内学习活动和课外学习活动都产生了影响，但影响的程度不同。 它对学生的英语学习动机，学习材料，学习内容和课外学习活动的影响较大，对学生学 习英语的时间和课内学习活动影响较小。大学英语四、六级考试对大学生的英语学习既 产生了正面的也产生了负面的影响。正面影响表现为：它是有效推动学生学习英语的主 要动力之一；保证了学生有一定量的英语学习材料、学习内容和学习活动，从而增加了 英语的输入；使学生非常重视听力和阅读技能并提高了学生的听力和阅读能力。其负面 反拨效应包括：学生学习英语的动机过于功利性；学生学习英语的材料、学习的内容和 活动过于局限，重视听力和阅读能力却忽视了其他方面的能力。总的说来，绝大多数学 生认为大学英语四、六级考试对他们的英语学习所产生的正面反拨效应大于负面反拨效 应。 然而，反拨效应是一个复杂的现象。一系列复杂的因素影响了大学生的英语学习, 包括外在因素，内在因素和测试因素，而大学英语四、六级考试只是其中的部分。 根据以上研究结果，本文对四、六级考试设计者、学校管理者、教师和学生提出了 一些参考性的建议，以期达到促进四、六级考试改革和提高学生英语学习质量的目的。 关键词：关键词：大学英语四、六级考试；反拨效应；英语学习 english abstract abstract the effect of tests on teaching and learning is known as washback. in applied linguistics, washback specifically refers to the effect of language testing, especially foreign language testing on foreign language teaching and learning. it is a relatively new field in applied linguistics as well as an important issue in language testing. in recent years, a large number of studies have been done by many scholars on the washback effect of language testing. these studies have enriched and perfected the washback theory and to some degree promoted the reform and innovation in language testing and teaching. the cet is a large-scale, standardized test for almost 30 years. the purpose of the cet is to examine the english proficiency of undergraduate college students in china. the present study focuses on the washback effect of cet on college students english learning. with the combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, the study employs three instruments, including questionnaire surveys, interview and classroom observation. the research involves 274 undergraduates in two colleges in xiangtan, hunan province. the findings indicate that the cet has an effect on college students english learning motivation, learning materials, learning content, time invested in english learning, curricular and extra-curricular learning activities, but the effect is different in degree. it is more influential on students learning motivation, learning materials, learning content and extra-curricular learning activities, but less influential on time invested in english learning and curricular learning activities. the cet exerts both positive and negative washback on students english learning. the positive washback has manifested itself as follows: it is a major factor to effectively motivate students in their english learning; it ensures certain number of english learning materials, learning contents and learning activities for students, and hence increases the input in english; it pushes students to lay more emphasis on listening and reading skills, and consequently helps to promote students progress in these two skills. on the other hand, the negative washback includes: students are too instrumentally motivated in their english learning; with limited number and scope of english learning materials, learning contents and learning activities, students pay more attention to listening and reading but ignore other language skills. in summary, most students think the cet exerts more positive washback than negative washback on their english learning. however, washback is an intricate phenomenon. there are a complex set of factors that english abstract affect students english learning, which include extrinsic factors, intrinsic factors and test factors. the cet is only part of these factors. based on the findings above, the present study puts forward some suggestions to test designers, administrators of college, teachers, and students for the purpose of promoting the reform of the cet and improving students english learning. key words: cet, washback, english learning contents contents descriptive chinese abstract. english abstract list of tables. list of figures. introduction1 chapter one literature review.4 1.1 definition of washback and related terms4 1.1.1 definition of washback4 1.1.2 related terms6 1.2 classification of washback8 1.2.1 positive and negative washback8 1.2.2 overt and covert washback10 1.3 washback in communicative language testing11 1.4 theoretical frameworks for washback studies.12 1.4.1 alderson and walls washback hypothesis.12 1.4.2 hughes basic model of washback.14 1.4.3 shihs washback model of students learning.15 1.5 empirical research on washback17 chapter two research methodology .21 2.1 subjects.21 2.2 instruments21 2.3 procedures22 2.4 data analysis24 chapter three results and discussion.25 3.1 results and discussion of questionnaire25 contents 3.1.1 motivation of english learning25 3.1.2 time invested into english learning28 3.1.3 english courses taken.30 3.1.4 out of class english learning.34 3.1.5 preparation for cet.36 3.1.6 test anxiety.39 3.1.7 english learning after cet.41 3.2 results and discussion of interviews42 3.3 results and discussion of classroom observation.45 chapter 4 findings and implications47 4.1 major findings of the present study.47 4.2 implications of the present study.49 conclusion51 works cited54 acknowledgement58 appendix.59 informative abstract in chinese.62 rsum and publications since entering the program.65 list of tables list of tables 1. table3.1 students english learning goal 26 2. table 3.2 students attitude toward english and their motivation to learn english 28 3. table 3.3 time spent on english learning every day 28 4. table 3.4 comparisons between time spent on english learning and time spent on major learning29 5. table 3.5 time invested in preparation for cet-4 and cet-6 .29 6. table 3.6 attendance at college english class 30 7. table3.7 the proportion of the content of cet in college english class 33 8. table 3.8 whether to attend english class if the content of the class is related to cet .33 9. table 3.9 whether students have attended english classes in training institutions 34 10. table 3.10 materials in extra-curricular english learning in daily time .35 11. table 3.11 the main learning activities on which students spend more time .36 12. table 3.12 crosstabulation of learning materials for preparing cet 4-6 and learning materials in usual extra-curricular english learning .37 13. table 3.13 the most difficult part of cet.38 14. table 3.14 the part of cet paper that students spend the most time on when preparing cet.38 15. table 3.15 the ability that students emphasize cultivating when preparing for cet .39 16. table 3.16 the ability that can be improved by cet .39 17. table 3.17 whether students will sacrifice other classes to ensure there is enough time to prepare cet in order to prepare cet.40 18. table 3.18 what students will do when the english teacher instructs the textbook in class. 41 list of figures list of figures 1. fig. 2.1 hughes basic model of washback15 2. fig. 2.2 a washback model of students learning 16 3. fig. 3.1 students motivation to learn english.26 4. fig. 3.2 students attitude toward english. .27 5. fig. 3.3 english learning in college english class .31 6. fig. 3.4 students attitude toward college english class32 7. fig. 3.5 help of college english class to improve english .32 8. fig. 3.6 help of english learning in training institutions to improve english 34 9. fig. 3.7 when the cet approaches, whether students will increase the intensity of english learning .40 10. fig. 3.8 how students continue learning english after passing the cet .41 introduction 1 introduction research background testing is a universal feature of social life. language testing, as a means of assessment system, plays a powerful role in many peoples lives, acting as gateways at important transitional moments in education, in employment and in moving from one country to another (mcnamara 4). it is generally accepted that the power of tests can influence students, teachers, parents and administrators. the effect of tests on teaching and learning is known as washback. as an important linguistic phenomenon, washback has attracted more and more attention since 1990s. although there are an increasing number of studies on washback, this phenomenon has not been fully understood and more empirical studies are needed for further understanding. the national college english test (cet) is an educational, standardized, criterion-related norm-referenced test, which is sponsored by the higher education department of the ministry of education of china and administered by the national college english testing committee (cet testing committee). the aims of the cet are: 1. to promote the implementation of college english curriculum requirements (cr) in college english (ce) teaching and learning 2. to measure objectively and accurately the english proficiency of non-english majors (ce students) at the tertiary level in china 3. to provide feedback, allowing ce teachers and students to improve their teaching and learning (gu 1) the cet consists of the cet band 4 (cet-4), the cet band 6 (cet-6) and the cet spoken english test (cet-set). generally speaking, the cet-4 and cet-6 are held biannually, in june and december. but the cet-set is only accessible to students who have passed the cet-4 with a score of 550 or above and the cet-6 with a score of 520 or above after the cet innovation in 2005. the purpose of the cet is to measure objectively and accurately the english proficiency of non-english major students at the tertiary level in china and guarantee the implementation of college english curriculum requirements. at present, there are an increasing number of candidates to take the cet exam. the high stakes of the cet have been widely perceived and recognized. to date, there have been numerous studies on washback of the cet. however, few empirical studies of cet washback from students perspective have been done (zhang 32). introduction 2 research methods this thesis investigates washback of cet 4-6 on students english learning in xiangtan university and hunan institute of engineering with both qualitative and quantitative research methods: questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations. the subjects of the study are 274 students who are chosen from these two sample schools. all of them are non-english major undergraduates. the questionnaire in this study is designed mainly on the basis of alderson and walls washback hypothesis, hughes basic model of washback and shihs washback model of students learning. the purpose of the questionnaire is to investigate the impact of cet on students english learning from the aspects of students english learning motivation, time invested in english learning, english learning materials, english learning content, curricular and extra-curricular english learning activities. in order to guarantee the validity of the questionnaire, there is a pilot study in xiangtan university before distributing the whole questionnaires. based on the students feedback in the pilot study, some items in the questionnaire are revised and reordered. and then 300 questionnaires were distributed to the students in xiangtan university and hunan institute of engineering. as a supplementary tool to the questionnaire, interviews and classroom observations are given to some students who have responded to the questionnaire and agreed to participate in the interview. half of them are from xiangtan university and the other half of them are from hunan institute of engineering. interviews and classroom observations aim to get a better understanding of the cet washback effects on students english learning and gain insights into agreement or disagreement between what they say and what they really do. objective and significance of the research students are the direct stakeholders because they prepare for exams and take exams. it is assumed that students could be influenced by test from various aspects, such as learning content, learning method and learning focus (cheng 43). and in case of the cet, the score or certificate of the cet has a profound effect on students to get their bachelors degrees or seek good jobs. therefore, it is meaningful to conduct cet washback study from students perspective. this thesis explores test washback within the specific context of cet. on the basis of the investigation of status quo of english learning in colleges, the author intends to investigate the impact of cet on students english learning. the author also puts forward some suggestions on promoting positive learning which students can benefit from and reduce introduction 3 negative effect, so that students can discover their own deficiency in learning, and educators can have a definite object to advance the development of english teaching according to students needs. organization of the thesis this thesis is divided into six parts. the first part is an introduction of the research background, research methods, objectives and significance of the research. chapter 1 reviews the research on washback in the literature, including the definition of washback, its classification, the theoretical frameworks for washback studies and empirical studies of washback. chapter 2 describes the research methodology of this thesis. chapter 3 analyzes the result of the investigation, and provides a detailed discussion on the findings of the research. chapter 4 summarizes the major findings of the research and gives the implications to promote positive washback on college students english learning. the conclusion overviews the whole study and makes recommendations for further studies. literature review 4 chapter 1 literature review over the past decades, there have been many studies on washback in the field of language education. the studies cover both theoretical and empirical research. this chapter will begin with the definition and classification of wasback, and the washback in communicative language testing. then the theoretical and empirical research on washback will be reviewed. 1.1 definition of washback and related terms 1.1.1 definition of washback it is considered to be commonplace that language test exerts great influence or impact on language teaching and learning. this phenomenon is referred to as backwash in general education circles, but it has come to be known as washback in british applied linguistics (alderson and wall 115). because of the tradition in language education, washback is a more favored term and it is more prevalent in both language testing and applied linguistics. since language testing was first launched, the impact of tests on teaching and learning has existed and this impact also has been recognized and approved by many educationalists since very early. pearson says: it is generally accepted that public examinations influence the attitudes, behavior, and motivation of teachers, learners, and parents (98). most of the educationalists see this influence as negative. for example, vernon in 1956 raised the view that examinations distort the curriculum (166). however, other educationalists like morris and swain treat washback in a more positive way. morris considers that examinations are necessary to ensure that the curriculum is put into effect (75). swain recommends that test developers bias for best and work for washback (42-4). the positive and negative responses and reactions will continue to be discussed in the part about positive and negative washback. there is a variety of understanding of the notion of washback from person to person. late in the 1980s, buck and hughes have considered what washback is and how it functions. buck describes a phenomenon that teachers and students often set their classroom activities according to the requirement of the test, especially when the test is very important to the future of the students, and pass rates are used as a measure of teacher success (17). buck points out that this infl