THE WASHBACK EFFECT OF THE IRANIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE EXAM (INUEE) ON PRE-UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ ENGLISH LEARNING PROCESS

Abstract

Washback effect of the tests on learners was one of the seldom discussed topics until 1990s; however, it has increasingly ascended to a level of prime issue in washback studies of late. A review of literature shows that majority of the existing studies are largely focused on the influence of the test on teachers’ teaching process, and the research on learners and the learning side is still conspicuously scant, and educational context of Iran being no exception. This paper purported to investigate the washback effect of Iranian National University Entrance Exam (hereafter, INUEE) on English learning process of 218 female students at two pre-university schools in the city of Ahwaz, Iran. The relevant data were collected through student’s questionnaire, adopted from Hwang’s (2003) study, as well as the researchers’ observations in the context of English classes. The findings of the study revealed that students’ learning process was affected by the INUEE and the teachers’ teaching method. The INUEE affected learners’ learning content and learning strategies negatively, while teachers’ teaching method affected their learning in both positive and negative ways.