Exame de proficiencia em leitura de textos academicos em ingles : um estudo sobre efeito retroativo

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2004

RESUMO

This study uses quantitative and qualitative data to investigate the backwash effect of a proficiency exam whose purpose is to evaluate the ability to read Academic texts in English. Backwash (or washback) effect can be understood as the influence of evaluation on learning and teaching, as well as on attitudes and motivation of students and teachers. This exam, called TEAP - Test of English for Academic Purposes, is required for admission in master?s degree courses in a renowned public university in Brazil. This exam can be considered, therefore, a high-stakes exam. One of the purposes of this study is to determine whether the exam causes backwash effect, and the characteristics of those who are more affected and those who are less affected by the exam. There is also an attempt to understand how the backwash effect can be characterized in terms of variation in type and intensity. The quantitative analysis of this study was made from a corpus of ninety subjects, all of them applicants for a master?s degree, and empirical data were obtained through a questionnaire and analyses of their exams. In the qualitative section of this study, three subjects were analyzed in depth. These subjects took the TEAP exam more than once before obtaining the minimum score required by the departments. Through the analysis of quantitative and qualitative data it was possible to realize that the TEAP exam affected most subjects, but not all of them. The backwash effect of the exam occurred mainly on those subjects with lower linguistic proficiency in English, who confer high relevance to the exam. Subjects with higher proficiency levels were the least affected by the exam. Nevertheless, the exam affected the subjects not only in a positive or negative way but also in a positive and negative way, which demonstrates the complexity of the concept of backwash effect

ASSUNTO(S)

avaliação tradução - interpretação avaliação de proficiencia leitura - compreensão lingua inglesa

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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