Washback effects of end-of-trimester English exams on EFL teaching practices in public high schools

Abstract

Abstract: This study addressed the washback effect of end-of-term English exams on the teaching practices of public schools in Ecuador. The objective was to analyze this impact on lesson planning, work with texts, grammar, listening comprehension, materials, and classroom assessment. A descriptive, non-experimental, and cross-sectional study was conducted in two public schools in Alamor, Loja, with seven English teachers from grades 9 through 11. Data was collected through questionnaires and classroom observations in the weeks leading up to the exam. In the questionnaire, grammar and vocabulary were reported by 100% of respondents as evaluated components, while listening comprehension was reported by 0%. Additionally, 71.4% strongly agreed with reducing non-evaluated activities, and 71.4% agreed that the exam guided the course. The observations recorded practice with exam-type questions, and the overall assessment was 1 mostly positive, 4 mixed, and 2 mostly negative, therefore the carryover was considered mixed and more noticeable as the exam approached.