Title:
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Washback of TOEFL iBT in Korean commercial test-preparation institutes
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This study explored the washback of TOEFL iBT on Korean teachers and students in
commercial language institutes in Korea. Firstly, it observed the participants '
perceptions and attitudes towards TOEFL iBT and secondly, their teaching and learning
practices in test-preparation classrooms. 194 adult students participated in the survey,
six of whom were interviewed. Seven teachers participated in the research: four in
classroom observations and questionnaires and six in interviews. Qualitative data were
analyzed with Saldana's (2009) coding methods using NVivo 9 and quantitative data
were analyzed using SPSS 19.
The findings show that the participants had positive attitudes towards note-taking, the
exclusion of the Structure section, the usefulness of the Speaking and Writing sections,
and the validity of TOEFL iBT. However, some participants were negative about the
addition of accents in the Listening section, the testing methods, and the Speaking and
Writing sections. Their learning and teaching methods were various depending on the
individuals. However, the general learning methods were highly focused on improving
test scores and the Speaking and Writing classes were the same as typical test-preparation
classes. Thus, some positive washback on teaching and learning were found.
However, the participants' approaches towards the Speaking and Writing sections were
limited to mastering test-taking strategies.
It is proposed that this study will be useful for test-developers, such as those in the ETS
(Educational Testing Services) and the KICE (Korean Institute for Curriculum
Evaluation) in terms of designing English proficiency tests. In addition, the findings
indicate the importance of teacher training for teachers conducting test-preparation
classes.
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