Washback Effect of Examinations: A Case of Fundamentals of Language and Linguistics

Abstract

This study has been carried out to find out the wash back effect of the examinations on teaching and learning of Fundamentals of Language and Linguistics which is taught in B. Ed. first year as a specialization course in English education since the introduction of new-curriculum. The washback effect of the examination has been examined in terms of teaching learning process and the extent whether the examination questions asked in the previous examination are according to course objectives or not. The questions asked in the previous examinations (from 2054-2063) were collected and analyzed in relation to the course objectives of Fundamentals of Language and Linguistics. Two sets of questionnaires were also prepared for data collection. Population of the study for questionnaire administration consisted of students of B. Ed. first year and ten subject teachers teaching the course Fundamentals of Language and Linguistics at different campuses of the Kathmandu valley. The result shows that the examination of Fundamentals of Language and Linguistics are the negative washback effect because the question asked in the examinations did not fulfil the objectives of the course, mostly they encouraged the students to guess the future questions and teacher centre techniques. Students were not satisfied with the present system of asking questions. Teaching was focused on the exam oriented view and students rely only on the class notes given by the teachers. The whole study is divided into four different chapters the first chapter consists of the background of the study, review of the related literature, objectives and significance of the study. The second chapter consists of source of data, sampling procedures, tools for data collection, process of data collection and limitation of the study. The third chapter deals with the analysis and interpretation of the data and the fourth chapter summarizes the whole study by presenting findings and suggesting some recommendations.