the washback effect of the national seniorcertificate examinations: perceptions of teachers inumgungundlovu district, south africa

Thehigh-stake examinations are often claimed to have the positive washbackeffect of enhancing classroom practice and instruction. This notion proceedsfrom the position that tests contain what must be taught and learnt. While thisview is logically consistent and theoreticallydefensible, it fails to fullyacknowledge the negative washback of such tests. Using the National SeniorCertificate (NSC) examination as a case study, this paper draws on Alderson andWall’s (1993) conceptualisation of the examination washback trichotomyanddata elicited through 100 surveys with purposively selected teachers inuMgungundlovu District in South Africa. It challenges the assumption that thesehigh-stake examinations result in positive washback only. Instead, the paperargues that beyond their obvious benefits, the examinations also result in theunintended consequences of negative washback. Following a detailed analysis,the paper shows that the NSC examination led to improved accountability andenhanced classroom instruction, as teachers attempted to improve the pass ratesof their learners. However, they also resulted in the manipulation of test records;a narrow emphasis on teaching subject matter that would be covered inexaminations; and an emphasis on addressing past examination papers to finishthe syllabus. These findings have profound implications for education policy andpractice