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4.1 Data Results and Analysis
This section details the data that was collected from the interviews,questionnaires, and classroom observations. Some analysis is also conducted to helpunderstand the data. There were only two significant answers to the second question. One teacher, anolder gentleman, was unhappy with the changes to the test because he becameaccustomed to the old format, and knew most of the prior tests by heart. “I have tostart all over,” he said. Another teacher had the opinion that the English used on thetest was a higher level than students were comfortable with, and that might discouragethem from trying very hard. The positive comments were all rather similar. The most commonly-notedchange was that students need to develop a certain level of competence in English todo well on the test, rather than merely memorize long lists of answers they can’tunderstand.Another positive change nearly all agreed on was the requirement on students tolearn independent research skills and to read for content, rather than merely writedown and memorize everything the teacher said. Beyond learning to answer questionsby themselves, students develop a habit of being informed and keeping up with theworld.

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Conclusion

The first research question being addressed is whether or not the changes to theSHSEET have brought about new washback effects. They most decidedly have. Theold SHSEET was important as being the SHSEET, rather than as a tool to measureknowledge or skill. The importance placed on the test led to the test becoming thesubject being taught, rather than an evaluation of how well English was taught orstudied. The over-emphasis on that test, combined with its simple format, also led tosome amount of cheating, as it proved almost trivially easy to do so. The revisedSHSEET demands and measures comprehension of the text. The inclusion ofknowledge of current events and contemporary culture requires independentpreparation. Test-takers can no longer rely on memorization and test-specifictechniques to score well. Nor can they hope to guess at many answers. The writingsection has also grown more sophisticated, and requires students to understandconcepts presented, then answer with their own original thoughts. In short, theSHSEET can no longer be memorized or guessed at: it measures the ability thetest-taker has in English.
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