African Educational Research Journal - Special Issue 8(2) - Washback effect of higher education institution exam foreign language test on university candidates’ attitudes

Oct 15, 2026

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Higher Education Institution-Foreign Language Test is a major Turkish examination taken annually by high school students seeking admission to bachelor programs in foreign language departments. This study examines university candidates’ attitudes toward the Foreign Language Test using open-ended questionnaires and content analysis with 42 participants. Findings show negative attitudes overall and highlight the need for improvements in content, style, and the examination’s reliability and validity to make it more positive and practical for candidates.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Purpose and significance of the study

Literature review

Washback effect

African Educational Research Journal Special Issue 8(2), pp. S121-S130, October 2020 DOI: 10. 30918/AERJ. 8S2.20.038 ISSN: 2354-2160 Full Length Research Paper Washback effect of higher education institution examforeign language test on university candidates’attitudes Mahmut Oğuz Kutlu 1, Gürcan Demirogları2* and Burcu Demirogları3 1 Faculty of Education, Çukurova University, Adana, Turkey. 23FEacuduclytioofnAal rtsScaiSces,iencesÇukurÇovUUnniviveerirsisttyy,,TMersurkeyin, Turkey | ABSTRACT
Higher Education Institution-Foreign Language Test is one of the most important examination in Turkey, taken by the high school students yearly that are seeking admission into bachelor of foreign language programs in universities. Students are awarded ELT, ELL or Interpreting and Translation degrees after graduating from these departments. Thus, this study aims to reveal the attitudes of university candidates’towards Foreign Language test. Forty-two (42) participants volunteered for this study and the required data were gathered by means of open ended questionnaires and analyzed using content analysis technique. During the research, the first questionnaire was designed to have knowledge about the participants’general ideas about Foreign Language Test, while the second questionnaire was conducted to reveal the factors affecting the participants’ attitudes towards Foreign Language Test. The results shed light on the fact that participants have negative attitudes towards Foreign Language Test. Besides, the findings revealed that there is need for improvements with respect to content, style and reliability, and validty of the examination for it to be more positive and practical for the candidates.
Keywords: Foreign language test, attitude, washback, realiability and validity. | | --- | | *Corresponding author. E-mail: [gurcand@cag.edu.tr. Tel:](gurcand@cag.edu.tr. Tel:) 05064561948. | INTRODUCTION Testing is a significiant and complex issue such that majority of researchers have been trying to determine fora long time the extent to which testing is supposed to be reliable, valid, and effective. Tests are also valuable sources for measuring the effectiveness of learning and teaching. Teachers, for example use tests to have an idea about the students’ progress. Additionally, they have an opportunity to figure out to what extent their methods are effective in classroom setting. Apart from the evaluation of the learning in classroom setting, learners have to sit for various tests or examinations held in national or international fields, such as YKS, KPSS, FLE, YÖK-DİL, IELTS and TOEFL. These tests are called high stakes examinations because critical decisions about the candidates’ future and careers are shaped with the tests. Therefore, high-stakes tests have been discussed extensively for a long time by the authorities, since, these tests affect educational strategies and even policies which will determine a nation’s developmental process in the long-run. Petrie (1987 : 254) pointed out that “it would not be too much of an exaggeration to say that evaluation and testing have become the engine for implementing educational policy.” There is a strong evidence that examinations, especially high-stakes tests, have important washback effects on learning and teaching ( Ross et al. , 2005) . Cheng (2005 : 98) indicates that examination results are regarded as a criteria by students, teachers and other stakeholders such as administrators, and parents with which considerable decisions are taken concerning the students’ future career plans. Greaney and Kellaghan (1996 : 98) argues that , examinations or tests are connected to the performance of the students or even teachers, and when taking important decisions about the learners’ future, those tests or examinations can be said to have high stakes effect, because the winner or the loser is strictly determined by those examinations. Besides this, Bachman (2000: 147) define hig

FAQs

What is the focus of this study?

The study focuses on the washback effect of the Higher Education Institution-Foreign Language Test on university candidates’ attitudes and motivations.

How were participants’ views collected and analyzed?

Data were gathered through open-ended questionnaires and analyzed using content analysis techniques.

What do the results indicate about candidates’ attitudes?

The results reveal that participants generally hold negative attitudes toward the Foreign Language Test and that improvements are needed in content, style, and reliability/validity.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Stanford