Investigating the Effect of Washback in Enhancing EFL Students’ Oral Proficiency: The Case of Third Year EFL Students at Tlemcen University

Abstract

The aim of the current research study was to recognize the major problems that face EFL students when communicating and when they are assessed in oral examination. It also examines the effect of positive washback in enhancing students’ oral proficiency. To reach this end, an exploratory case study of the third year students was undertaken in the Department of English at Tlemcen University, Algeria, in which data were collected from a sample population based on 30 students and 4 teachers of English.The study built only on one research instrument: questionnaires administered to the students and teachers. The data were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The results uncovered that there are several factors leading to difficulties in oral communication, like lack of self-confidence, stress and anxiety. The results also showed that the teachers use different types of tests to assess their students’ oral communicating performance such as the IELTS test. At the end of the research, a number of recommendations were suggested with the aim to improve teaching/learning and assessment of the oral communicating skill.