What Causes Washback: Perceptions and Behaviour

This study examined the influence of a high stakes examination on test takers’ perceptions and their behaviour to study for it in terms of motivation. The researcher started the study with the assumption that test takers’ perceptions of an examination may influence how they study for the examination. The researcher analysed Korean Overseas Students’ perceptions of their high stakes examination in relation to the four variables generated by understanding what directs an individual’s motivation from the motivation theory: Flow Theory and Expectancy Value Theory. Interviews were employed to investigate students’ perceptions of the UEEKOS English. The analysis showed four significant relationships between the students’ perceptions of each section of their high stakes examination and their motivation―as represented by their claims of the amount of attention they paid when they studied for it―and six cause and effect relationships between their perceptions and their motivation. These findings showed that there are some cause and effect relationships between the perceptions of students and their motivation. This study may be considered as an empirical study to examine what causes washback and what relationship are between students’ perceptions and their behaviour.