LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 16:5 May 2016
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
         N. Nadaraja Pillai, Ph.D.
         Renuga Devi, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Investigation of Teacher as an Inducing Factor of Washback
in Pakistan

Mohammad Nawaz Soomro, M.A. (English Literature) & M.S. (Applied English Linguistics)
Dr. Natasha Memon, Ph.D.

Abstract

Washback is defined as the impact of test on teaching and learning. Teacher and learner are equally inter-relational but the former occupies a more prominent place in academics. Alderson (cited in Cheng & Watanabe, 2004) claims, “In short, it is at least as much the teacher who brings about washback, be it positive or negative, as it is the test” (p. 4). This study aimed to investigate the washback of Higher Secondary Exams (HSC) on the teachers at one of the government colleges in Hyderabad. The data for this small-scale study was collected using semi-structured interviews from 12 intermediate govt. college teachers from Hyderabad and small amount of observations. The findings of the study showed the mixed impact regarding the teacher largely inducing the negative washback and slightly the positive washback and vice versa too due to some ground realities irrespective of any pressure of test demands / examination, administration and parents. The findings further suggest that the HSC exams do not directly exert any adequate washback on teachers. Their teaching methodology and other related sub-factors have both washback directions – negative and positive.

Keywords: Washback, Impact, Test demands

1. Introduction

A teacher plays an instrumental part in achieving the curricular goals. Every government college has a sufficient amount of senior and junior teachers of different subjects. They engage the classes for sufficiently long period of an academic year. Every subject they teach is comprised of certain chapters or units to be completed in a given time that is referred as “syllabus” set by Board of Curriculum and all teachers know the educational goals of syllabus assumed by curriculum. To attain the expected aim of syllabus, that is the learning of students, the teachers adopt or innovate certain teaching strategies. These strategies are sometimes comprehensive and straightaway as envisaged by an ideal teaching; but sometimes, these strategies are “short – cuts” to the annual examination in order to secure an optimum score in examination. The reasons for both are multiple. For the former, the ideal learning of students is considered the first priority by the teacher and the examination the second. For the latter, the expected score in examination is the first priority by the teacher and the learning the second priority. The teacher who focuses on score based teaching has one purpose like ‘exam results for admission in higher level’. The future of the learner becomes the cause of grave concern for parental reputation and institutional credibility. These both forces equally exert at the teacher to carve out the score oriented pedagogy, materials and formative tests. But these two teaching mechanisms have certain variations at different public and private colleges. The administration at Government colleges in Sindh is considered the least concerned for the score in annual exam and the concern of the parents is also noted as lukewarm; therefore, the teacher too seems the least pressurized for “teaching to the test” for examination.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Mohammad Nawaz Soomro, M.A (English Literature) & MS (Applied English Linguistics)
Assistant Professor
Govt. Muslim Science College
Hyderabad
Sindh
Pakistan
smnawazz@yahoo.com

Dr. Natasha Memon, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
English Language Development Centre
MUET, Jamshoro
Pakistan
natashamemon@gmail.com
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