The Wash back Effect Of Ethiopian General Secondary Education Certificate English Examination (Egsecee) On Students’ Learning Preference: The Case Of Shirka Secondary School

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to assess the washback effects of the Ethiopian General Secondary Education Certificate English Examination (hereafter EGSECEE) on students’ learning preference and study behavior towards teaching-learning English. To attain the objectives of the study, 80 students of grade 10 from 14 sections were selected purposefully using their attendance list and 9 Shirka Secondary School English language teachers were used. The researcher used mixed research design for this study. Both data collection tools, i.e. quantitative data (document analysis & students’ questionnaires) and qualitative data (teachers’ interviews & classroom observation) were used. Document analysis (analysis of the current English syllabuses of grades 9 & 10, and the past EGSECEE papers of the years 2014-2016) were used to collect data about the point of emphasis given for different language skills and sub-skills. Students’ questionnaires were employed to collect data about the effect of the EGSECEE on students’ learning preference towards learning the skills and contents of the syllabuses and their study behavior outside the classroom. In addition, teachers’ interviews were used in order to enrich the data from document analysis and students’ questionnaires. Classroom observation was used to see the practical things that were happened in the classroom. The data were analyzed using both quantitative (percentage & mean) and qualitative (inductive analysis) methods. The finding of this study shows that students use the previous years’ EGSECEE papers as the major study materials by reducing the implementation of the current syllabus. Their focus area was mostly on the grammar and vocabulary parts of the textbooks. Furthermore, teachers’ attitude toward implementing the syllabus and teaching language skills and sub-skills were affected by the EGSECEE. Based on the findings of the study, skills that were positively and negatively influenced by the EGSECEE were drawn. Finally, the successful implementations of the syllabuses and the textbooks were recommended.