The Practice of Teaching to the Test in General English Classes: A Case Study of a University in Vietnam
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/jltr.1604.19Keywords:
teaching to the test, general English, case studyAbstract
The assessment of both students and teachers depends too much on grades, causing most teachers to choose the “teaching to the test” method. This choice is due to the pressure of assessment and also the wishes of most students. This study examines how teachers have implemented “teaching to the test” in their General English (GE) classes, and what their views are on this method. To answer the above questions, a research method including both qualitative and quantitative methods was conducted with teachers at a university in Vietnam. Two data collection tools were a questionnaire and an interview. The results from the questionnaire show that teachers emphasize on test-wiseness training, curriculum narrowing, and motivational activities to maximize students’ final exam performance. However, teaching test content and format, although moderately employed, often overshadows efforts to develop students’ broader communicative and practical language skills. When interviewed about teachers’ views on this approach, they expressed concerns about long-term negative impacts such as limiting the development of comprehensive language skills and reducing students’ career opportunities. Although this approach helps students improve their short-term performance, its negative effects make it necessary for teachers and administrators to reconsider how they assess teachers’ and students’ abilities and rebalance their teaching programs accordingly.
References
Alderson, J.C., & Wall, D. (1993). Does Washback exist? Applied Linguistics, 4, 115-129.
Alnasraween. M., Almousa, A., Almomani. J., & Ammari. R. (2020). Psychometric properties of the attitudes scale towards electronic tests among graduate students, Universal. Journal of Educational Research, 8(12B), 8262-8273.
Bailey, K. (1996). Working for washback: A review of the washback concept in language testing, Language Testing, 13(3), 257–279.
Baker, E., Barton, P., Darling-Hammond, L., Haertel, E., Ladd, H., Linn, R., Ravitch, D., Rothstein, R., Shavelson, R., & Shepard, L. (2010). Problems with the Use of Student Test Scores to Evaluate Teachers. Education Policy Institute, EPI Briefing Paper 278, 29p. Retrieved on November 21, 2017 from www.epi.org/publication/bp278.
Barnes, N., & Fives, H. (2020). Managing classroom assessment to enhance student learning. Routledge.
Berman, R., & Cheng, L. (2001). English academic language skills: Perceived difficulties by undergraduate and graduate students, and their academic achievement. Canadian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 4, 25-40. doi:10.1177/1475240906065589
Brown, J.D. (2005). Testing in Language Programs. Singapore: McGraw-Hill.
Burgess, S., & Head, K. (2005). How to Teach for Exams. London: Longman.
Burns, G. N., Siers, B. P., & Christiansen, N. D. (2008). Effects of providing pre-test information and preparation materials on applicant reactions to selection procedures. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 16(1), 73–77. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2389.2008.00411
Gao, L. (2012). Digital Technologies and English Instruction in China’s Higher Education System. Teacher Development, 16(2), 161-179.
Gebril, A., & Eid, M. (2017). Test preparation beliefs and practices: A teacher's perspective. Language Assessment, 14, 360-379. doi:10.1080/15434303.2017.1353607.
Hong, W.-P., & Youngs, P. (2008). Does high-stakes testing increase cultural capital among low-income and racial minority students? Education Policy Analysis Archives, 16(6). Retrieved January 14, 2009 from http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v16n6/.
Hu, R., & Trenkic, D. (2021). The effects of coaching and repeated test-taking on Chinese candidates’ IELTS scores, their English proficiency, and subsequent academic achievement. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 24(10), 1486–1501. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2019.1691498
Jackson, E. W., & McGlinn, S. (2014). Know the test: One component of test preparation. Journal of College Reading and Learning, 31(1), 84-93. doi:10.1080/10790195.2000.10850104
Kohn, A. (2000). The Case Against Standardized Testing. Raising the Scores, Ruining the Schools. Heinemann.
Koo, H. (2020). The Effects of Different Lengths of Planning Time on Integrated Speaking Test Scores: The Mediating Roles of the Rhetorical Structure of Reading Passages and Test Wiseness Levels. The Journal of Studies in Language, 36(1), 041-058. https://doi.org/10.18627/jslg.36.1.202005.041
Mahmood, M., Fatemeh, H., & Khalil, T. (2022). The Effect of ESP Text Type on Iranian First-Year Medical Students’ Language Use Strategies and Test-Taking Strategies. MEXTESOL Journal, 46(4), 1–12.
McConlogue, T. (2020). Assessment and feedback in higher education: A guide for teachers. UCL Press.
Menken,K. (2006). Teaching to the Test: How No Child Left Behind Impacts Language Policy, Curriculum, and Instruction for English Language Learners. Bilingual Research Journal: the Journal of the National Association for Bilingual Education, 30(2), 521-546.
Millman, J., Bishop, C.H., & Ebel, R.L. (1965). An Analysis of Test-Wiseness. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 25, 707-726.
Ming, C., & Jaya, S. G. (2011). Factors Affecting the Implementation of Communicative Language Teaching in Taiwanese College English Classes. English Language Teaching, 4(2), 3-10.
Miyasaka, J.R. (2000). A Framework for Evaluating the Validity of Test Preparation Practice. Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association. New Orleans. LA.
Mo’en, S. A., Marwan. S, A., Habis. S. A., & Taha. O. A. (2022). The Level of Universities Students’ Test Wiseness in Jordan during Distance Learning in Light of Some Variables. Education Research International. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/6381857
Moore, W.P. (1994). Appropriate Test Preparation: Can we Reach a Consensus? Educational Assessment, 2(1), 51-68.
Ntumi, S., Agbenyo, S., & Bulala, T. (2022). Towards Understanding Test Score Pollution in Ghana: Test Preparation Practices, Test Administration Situations and External Factors as Predictors. Mediterranean Journal of Social & Behavioral Research, 6(3), 85-91. https://doi.org/10.30935/mjosbr/12323
Oakland, T. (1972). The Effects of Test- wiseness Material on Standardized Test Performance of Preschool Disadvantaged Children. Journal of School Psychology, 10(4), 355-360.
Pan, L., & Block, D. (2011). English as a “global language” in China: An investigation into learners’ and teachers’ language beliefs. System, 39, 391-402. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2011.07.011
Phelps, R. (2011). Teach to the Test? Wilson Quarterly, 38-42.
Popham, W.J. (1991). Appropriateness of Teachers’ Test-Preparation Practices. Educational Measurement: Issue and Practice, 10(4), 12-15.
Popham, W.J. (2001). Teaching to the Test? Educational Leadership, 58(6), 16-20.
Qi, L. (2005). Stakeholders’ conflicting aims undermine the washback function of a high-stakes test. Language Testing, 22(2), 142–173. https://doi.org/10.1191/0265532205lt300oa
Rathert, S., & Cabaroglu, N. (2022). Theorising textbook adaptation in English language teaching. CEPS Journal, 12(2), 169-188. DOI: 10.25656/01:25227
Shepard, L.A., & Dougherty, K.C. (1991). Effects of High-stakes testing on Instruction. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the America Education Research Association and the National Council on Measurement in Education, Chicago.
Smith, M. (1991). Meanings of Test Preparation. American Educational Research Journal, 28(3), 521-542.
William, K.S. & Dolly, J.P. (1993). Can Teaching Cognitive Strategies Improve Test-taking Performance. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 28, 423-420.
