Hong Kong secondary students’ perspectives on selecting test difficulty level and learner washback
Effects of a graded approach to assessment
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19381004 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Chi Lai Tsang (0000-0002-1160-2686, University College London, UK), Tony Isaacs (0000-0003-4302-3379, University College London, UK, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 212-238 |
| Publication date | 2022-04-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Language Testing (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0265-5322 • E-ISSN: 1477-0946 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/02655322211050600 |
| OpenAlex | W3207928497 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 32 |
This sequential mixed-methods study investigates washback on learning in a high-stakes school exit examination by examining learner perceptions and reported behaviours in relation to learners’ beliefs and language learning experience, the role of other stakeholders in the washback mechanism, and socio-educational forces. The focus is the graded approach of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education English Language Examination (HKDSE-English), incorporated in 2012, that allows test-takers to choose between easier and more difficult sections for reading and listening-integrated skills papers. Inductive coding of focus groups involving 12 secondary students fed into the development of the Washback on Students’ Learning questionnaire, which was administered to another 150 learners. Exploratory factor analyses of identified washback effects revealed four major types straddling different settings (classrooms, tutorial schools, learners’ personal environment), and seven categories of mediating variables pertaining to learners themselves, other stakeholders, and societal influences. Simultaneous multiple regressions identified influential clusters of mediating variables and showed the strongest predictors for each macro-level washback type varied. At least one intrinsic and one extrinsic factor category significantly contributed to all types, reaffirming learner washback as a socially situated, negotiated construct. Implications related to the consequences, use, and fairness of the graded approach are discussed
Active listening · Developmental psychology · Exploratory factor analysis · Linguistics · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Perception · Psychometrics · Educational and Psychological Assessments · Educational Assessment and Improvement · Psychology · Student Assessment and Feedback
Language Testing and Validation
Language Policy
A Review of Exploratory Factor Analysis Decisions and Overview of Current Practices
An Index of Factorial Simplicity
Does Washback Exist?
Impact of a public english examination change on students' perceptions and attitudes toward their English learning
Toefl preparation courses
Drawing on repeat test takers to study test preparation practices and their links to score gains
Do test design and uses influence test preparation? Testing a model of washback with Structural Equation Modeling
Validity and washback in language testing
Impact and consequences of school-based assessment (SBA)
Will the new fine-tuning medium-of-instruction policy alleviate the threats of dominance of English-medium instruction in Hong Kong
Do component weighting and testing method affect time management and approaches to test preparation? A study on the washback mechanism
Targeting washback—a case-study
Learning English in the Shadows
Scale Development Research
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2025 (4) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |