국가영어능력평가시험(NEAT)에 대한 중등교사들의 인식

An evaluation of the NEAT from the perspective of secondary school teachers

This study examined secondary school teachers’ perspectives on the National English Ability Test (NEAT). A questionnaire was administered to 58 secondary school teachers in Gyeongnam Province. The instrument measured the participating teachers’ perceptions of (a) the effectiveness of the NEAT in terms of validity, reliability, authenticity, practicality, and washback; (b) the efficacy of NEAT-related teacher training programs in preparing teachers for the NEAT; and (c) the perceived level of readiness of secondary schools and teachers for teaching the NEAT. The results indicate that the NEAT was perceived as having high validity and authenticity but low reliability and practicality. Positive washback included enhancement of the four skills for learners and exploration of various teaching methods for teachers, whereas negative washback indicated that students spend much time in private NEAT cram schools and teachers experience stress due to excessive workload and pressure to score reliably. The participants stressed that more systematic and continuous in-service teacher training should be provided so that teachers could become more confident in scoring. It seems that NEAT-related teacher training is perceived as helpful when it comes to giving participants basic knowledge of the NEAT but not when it comes to turning them into reliable evaluators. Finally, teachers perceived that most secondary schools did not actively prepare for the NEAT.