Associations Between Teachers’ Attitudes Toward the Final Exam in the Norwegian Language Arts Subject and Washback: A Survey Among Norwegian Secondary Teachers

Abstract

The issue of washback effects from tests on instruction has been extensively investigated. The nature and extent of washback depend on many factors, some of which are related to teachers and exams. Work to redesign the national written exams in Norwegian Language Arts (NLA) for secondary school began in 2020, placing the issue of washback effects from exams on teachers’ instruction and assessment on the agenda. However, there is no systematic knowledge about the extent and nature of washback from the current exams. The present study reports on a survey of NLA teachers in lower- and upper-secondary school (N = 508) by investigating the washback effects they perceive and their attitudes toward the existing exams, as well as exploring how perceived washback and attitudes are related using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results show that, as regards instruction, teachers believe there is a washback effect from the NLA exams. This effect on instruction is strongly associated with teachers’ attitudes toward the exams. In contrast, the association between the teachers’ attitudes and the washback they perceive on their own formal assessment practices is rather weak in numerical terms.

Keywords

• L1
• backwash
• writing assessment
• writing instruction