Washback on speaking and spoken interaction: teachers’ perceptions in the French as an additional language classroom

The increasing importance of tests in society raises questions about their impact on teaching and learning situations, and washback is precisely concerned with the effects they can have on teaching materials and classroom management. Although research in washback is extensive, there are languages th...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Cañada Pujols, Ma. Dolors, Milà-Garcia, Alba
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya)
Repositorio:Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya
OAI Identifier:oai:recercat.cat:10230/68866
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10230/68866
http://dx.doi.org/10.30827/portalin.vi40.21814
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Assessment
Washback
French as an additional language
Speaking
Teachers’ perceptions
Descripción
Sumario:The increasing importance of tests in society raises questions about their impact on teaching and learning situations, and washback is precisely concerned with the effects they can have on teaching materials and classroom management. Although research in washback is extensive, there are languages that have not received much attention, such as French. Using a corpus of interviews, we study the influence that a standardised exam at the end of the B1 level in Escoles Oficials d’Idiomes (EOI) in Catalonia (Spain) has on teachers’ practices, particularly concerning oral activities. Although most of the teachers believe that their focus is still on teaching rather than testing, the interviews reveal that they may attach more importance to the exam than they realise. Moreover, they seem particularly concerned with the format of the spoken exam, the communicative nature of which they consider questionable. The results of this qualitative analysis further the knowledge of the role of wash-back in the teaching of additional languages.