Assignment 6

1. The Impact of English
Language on Taiwanese
Schools
A Closer look at the cause and effect of the
General English Proficiency Test
By Michael Chang

2. Acknowledging English as the
International Language
In response to the demands of English language by the
International Communities, General English
Proficiency Test has being developed and promoted as
a scheme to raise awareness of English Proficiency and
an assessment to measure one’s ability in English.

3. The Good vs The “Oopsies”
Good
The promotion of GEPT Oopsies
successfully raised some
awareness of English proficiency GEPT is a Indirect Test, as pose to
of the Taiwanese people. Direct test.Raise the awareness of
English, but did not raise the
Taiwanese English proficiencies.
GEPT has been XXXX as the
requirements of graduation
assessments in high-schools and
Junior colleges, and prerequisite
of University entrances.
The over promotion of GEPT
causing schools to reconstruct
their curriculums .

4. Why the “Oopsies”?
GEPT is a Indirect test, which only measures the ability or
knowledge that underlies the skills we are trying to sample, there
is no indication of the candidates’ oral proficiency, accuracy, or
appropriateness of pronunciation. Or simply, knows how to
communicate using English even.
After schools start to implement GEPT to the exams, Student had
shift their focus on the scores of the test, promoting the Washback
Effect of testing. May the schools only taken the first part of the
GEPT tests as requirements, students may only be focusing on
Reading and Listening part of English, thus narrowing the
learners’ goals.

5. More “Oopsies”!?
The rapid implementation of GEPT had cause schools to
reconstruct the curriculum to based around GEPT in order to
prepare students. Course materials of English subject had been
replaced by GEPT materials only. Teachers are focusing on
teaching the students to be able to pass GEPT as the main goal in
English language and the orientation of Teaching method has
been shift from performance of English, to GEPT.
In other words:
WASHBACK EFFECT LIVES OMG!!

6. What should we do?
What needs to be done so we could fix this problem?
Implementing Direct-Tests and Performance-based Tests.
Urge schools to focus on English Language
Competence, and not GEPT alone.
Provide more authentic English materials, even materials
subjected to interests of the students such as video
games, TV shows, fashion…etc. (unorthodox method in
Taiwan).
Promoting student exchange programs such as JET.

7. What CAN we do?
The scale of this issue is large. It will take more than just English
teachers and scholars to change this long-lasting trend. In
reality, there are other considerations such as resources, financial
capability and even the political aspects regarding the change of
Taiwanese education system.
So what we can do as English teachers right now, is to take the
responsibility upon our hands, to provide our students as much
help as possible towards English acquisition.

8. Reference
• Arndt, V., Harvey, P., Nuttall, J. (2000). Alive to language: Perspectives on language
awareness for English language teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
• Liao, P., & Chiang, M. (2004). How College Students’ Beliefs about English Learning
Relate to Their Strategy Use. Journal of National Hsin Chu Teachers College 19,137-
154.(THCI)
• The Language Training & Testing Center. (2010), 全民英檢網. Retrieved from
https://www.gept.org.tw/Exam_Intro/t01_introduction.asp
• Shawcross, P. What do we mean by the ‘washback effect’ of testing?. Aviation English
Services. Retrieved from
http://www.icao.int/icao/en/anb/meetings/ials2/docs/15.shawcross.pdf
• Nunan, D. (2003). The Impact of English as a Global Language on Educational
Policies and Practices in the Asia-Pacific Region*. TESOL QUARTERLY, 37(4).
Retrieved from
http://nzdl.sadl.uleth.ca/gsdl/collect/literatu/index/assoc/HASH01fc.dir/doc.pdf

9. The End!