A Study on the Washback Effects of the Test for English Majors (TEM) Implications for Testing and Teaching Reforms

This book adopts a multi-method and multi-phase approach to investigate the washback effects of Test for English Majors (TEM) on program administrators, teachers and students, shedding new light on TEM reform and the reform of English teaching and learning in China. TEM, a nationwide test used to measure the language proficiency of undergraduate English majors in China, is a major standardized test taken by nearly 400,000 students every year. The book’s key features include: an in-depth discussion of the nature of washback and a framework for investigating it; a multi-method and multi-phase approach, employing both the quantitative method of questionnaire surveys and the qualitative methods of interviews and classroom observations; large-scale questionnaire surveys conducted among experts, program administrators, teachers and students, and involving over 30,000 participants; detailed assessments of TEM’s washback effects on stakeholders’ perceptions, classroom teaching practice, students learning activities, etc.; and essential insights into testing and teaching reforms.

Ms. Jun Liu is an ESP teacher at Shanghai University of Electric Power. She holds a Master’s degree in language testing and teaching theories from Shanghai International Studies University, where she was a visiting scholar majoring in Jewish literature. She was mentored by the internationally renowned English testing professor Ms. Shen Zou and the world-famous Jewish literature scholar, Mr. Guoqiang Qiao. Her research interests include language assessment, English teaching and Jewish literature, and she has published extensively in the field of language teaching and assessment.