Abstract
Individual test motive and test stakes are important considerations in constructing a model of washback, but beyond learners and teachers are a wide range of interrelated stakeholders in the testing community that equally, if not more powerfully influence test stakes. Accordingly, this chapter argues that washback cannot really be substantiated without full consideration of a test’s influence within wider society, and that a more comprehensive view of washback is one that also considers stakeholders at the macro level. Drawing on contributions from academics, news reports and editorials in Korea and Japan, and comments from students represented in this book, this chapter profiles the large scale impact and stakes of the TOEIC in the business and university sectors. Then, guided by Engestrom’s (Perspectives on activity theory. Cambridge University Press, New York, pp 19–38, 1999) schematic of Activity Theory, it further explores how different communities may affect (and may be affected by) the TOEIC to form a complex network of interrelated stakeholder interests. In all, this chapter calls for an expanded view of washback that accounts for the wider historical, economical, and sociocultural context in which a test is situated.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Akiyama, T. (2004). Introducing speaking tests into a Japanese senior high school entrance Examination. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
Brown, H. (2005). Learner perceptions of TOEIC test results and language skill improvements: I don’t want to study English, I want to study TOEIC. Paper presented at JALT. Retrieved from http://www.geocities.com/chosunaosan/Paper.htm?200823
Chapman, M., & Newfields, T. (2008). The ‘new’ TOEIC. Jalt Testing and Evaluation SIG Newsletter, 12, 32–37.
Choi, I. C. (2008). The impact of EFL testing on EFL education in Korea. Language Testing, 25(1), 39–62.
Cunningham, C. (2002). The TOEIC ® test and communicative competence: Do test score gains correlate with increased competence? Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Birmingham. England.
Educational Testing Services. (2008). TOEIC for the workplace. Retrieved June 14, from, http://www.ets.org/toeic/succeed
Engeström, Y. (1999). Activity theory and individual and social transformation. In Y. Engeström, R. Miettinen, & R.-M. Punamáki (Eds.), Perspectives on activity theory (pp. 19–38). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Funagi, H. (2000). TOEIC Buumu no shinjitsu (The truth about the TOEIC boom). Executive, (August), 42–46.
Guilloteaux, M. (2007). Motivating language learners. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. University of Nottingham.
Ikeda, M. (2005, March). Untitled presentation. Paper presented at the TOEIC Training Seminar sponsored by the TOEIC kenkyuu-kai.
In’nami, Y., & Koizumi, R. (2012). Factor structure of the revised TOEIC test: A multiple- sample analysis. Language Testing, 29(1), 131–152. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532211413444.
Iwabe, K. (2005, March). Untitled presentation. Paper presented at the TOEIC Training Seminar sponsored by IIBC.
Kane, M. (2013). Validating the interpretations and uses of test scores. Journal of Educational Measurement, 50(1), 1–73.
Kenji, I. (2002). TOEIC dewa hakarenai. Kigyo ga motomeru ‘bijinesu jissen eigo’ no youtei [What TOEIC cannot measure: The practical business English that companies demand]. Sapio, 13, 92–94.
Kim, T. (2009). The sociocultural interface between ideal self and ought-to self: A case study of two Korean students’ ESL motivation. In Z. Dornyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 274–294). Bristol: Multilingual Matters.
Kim, T. (2010, April). Korea’s TOEIC killer debut. The Korean Times. Retrieved from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2010/04/123_64757.html
Kim, S. (2016, May 31). TOEIC takers fall prey to fee rise. The Korea Times. Retrieved from http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2016/04/116_201612.html
Kinomoto, K. (2000). Eigo de shuusei ga kimaru. (Promotion decided by English ability). Shukan Asahi, 10, 27–29.
Knapman, G. (2008). The TOEIC: Critical Review. Fukuikogyodai Journal, 38, 85–94.
Lantolf, J. P., & Thorne, S. L. (2006). Sociocultural theory and the genesis of second language development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lee, E. (2005). A study of TOEIC results and college recruiting policy. English Language and Literature Teaching, 8(2), 55–70.
Legge, J. (1960). The Chinese classics in five volumes. Volume 1: Confucian analects, the great learning, the doctrine of the mean (3rd ed.). Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.
Liao, C., Qu, Y., & Morgan, R. (2010). The relationships of test scores measured by the TOEIC listening and reading test and TOEIC speaking and writing tests (ETS Research Report No. TC-10-13). Princeton: Educational Testing Service.
McCrostie, J. (2009, August 11). TOEIC no turkey at 30: Once-struggling test flying high in Japan as corporate partners take on larger role. The Japanese Times. Retrieved from http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fl20090811zg.html
McNamara, T. (2008). The social-political and power dimensions of tests. In E. Shohamy & N. H. Horberger (Eds.), Language testing and assessment. Volume 7 of encyclopaedia of language and education (2nd ed., pp. 415–427). Dordrecht: Springer.
Miller, K. (2003). The pitfalls of implementing TOEIC preparation courses. Retrieved from http://www2.shikoku-u.ac.jp/english-dept/pitfalls.html
Moritoshi, P. (2001). The Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC): Necessity, proficiency levels, test score utilisation and accuracy. Retrieved from http://www.cels.bham.ac.uk/resources/Essays.htm
Murai, S. (2016, January 25). Changes in store for the TOEIC, but test still not total gauge of fluency: Experts. The Japan Times. Retrieved from https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/01/25/reference/changes-store-toeic-teststill-not-total-gauge-fluency-experts/#.Wn6Ki-hubIU
Newfields, T. (2005). TOEIC ® washback effects on teachers: A pilot study at one university faculty. Toyo University Keizai Ronshu. Retrieved from http://www.tnewfields.info/Articles/washback.htm
Rebuck, M. (2003). The use of TOEIC by companies in Japan. NUCB JLCC, 5(1), 23–32.
Saville, N., & Hawkey, R. (2004). The IELTS impact study: Investigating washback on teaching materials. In L. Cheng, Y. Watanabe, & A. Curtis (Eds.), Washback in language testing: Research contexts and methods (pp. 73–96). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Seth, M. J. (2005). Korean education: A philosophical and historical perspective. In Y. K. Kim-Renaud, R. Grinker, & K. W. Larsen (Eds.), Korean education (Vol. 24). Washington, DC: The George Washington University.
Stoynoff, S. (2009). Recent developments in language assessment and the case of four large-scale tests of ESOL ability. Language Teaching, 42. https://doi.org/10.1017/S026144480805399.
Weir, C. J. (1990). Communicative language testing. Hemel Hempstead: Prentice Hall.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Booth, D.K. (2018). Washback Activity: At the Macro Level. In: The Sociocultural Activity of High Stakes Standardised Language Testing. English Language Education, vol 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70446-3_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-70446-3_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-70445-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-70446-3
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)