The Washback Effect of TEFL University Entrance Exam on Academic Behavior of Students and Professors

The present study was an attempt to investigate the washback effect of the TEFL MA University Entrance Exam on the teaching and learning behaviors of students and professors. The TEFL MA UEE consists of three sub-components that deal with particular aspects of applied linguistics; each of these parts measures the participants’ knowledge in linguistics, language testing, and teaching methodology. To realize the effects of the TEFL test, the researchers developed an observation checklist and two questionnaires based on the underlying theories of washback. The questionnaires were answered by 32 professors and 210 students. In addition, 13 linguistics, testing, and methodology classes were also observed.  Finally, to find answers to research questions, Chi–square test and frequency analyses were conducted using SPSS. The results of this study indicated that TEFL MA UEE had a negligible effect on the students’ and professors’ academic behavior.