TOEFL preparation courses: a study of washback

'Washback' (sometimes also known as 'backwash') is the influence that writers on language testing, syllabus design and language teaching believe a test will have on the teaching that precedes it. Much has been written about the influence of testing on teaching. To date, however, little empirical evidence is available to support the assertions of either positive or negative washback.

The English proficiency test TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language: ETS) is among the best-known examinations in the field of ELT. The study reported in this article set out to investigate common claims that the TOEFL exerts an undesirable influence on language teaching. Our data consist of interviews with teachers and students, and observations made of two sorts of classes: 'normal' language proficiency classes, and parallel classes intended for students preparing to take the TOEFL. We observed both TOEFL preparation classes and non-TOEFL preparation classes by the same teachers in order to be able to separate washback from the TOEFL from any possible effect of individual teacher style.

This study leads us to suggest that simple forms of washback hypotheses are too naive: influences on what happens in class are much more complex than unexamined beliefs about washback allow. The results of the study suggest the need for more complex hypotheses about washback.