Negative Wash-back Effect in Online Assessment: Learners Inadequacy in Language Skills and Disengagement are the offspring

Abstract

The term wash-back effect describes how testing may affect several facets of education. The decisions that learners make and the choices that instructors make may both be influenced by testing. Wash-back may be seen as detrimental to more flexible techniques in language education, particularly in contexts where definitions of linguistic competence may be restricted; nevertheless, it may be seen as advantageous when strong teaching practices are the consequence. The current research intended to highlight the results of the negative washback effect in online instruction on learners' language achievement and engagement. To achieve this goal, 96 English as foreign language learners were grouped into an experimental group (EG) and a control group (CG). In both online instruction, language skills are taught at the intermediate level. The CG only intended to acquire language proficiency, whereas students in the EG aimed to pass a national exam. The pretests and posttests used the SInAPSi Academic Engagement Scale (SAES) and researcher-made tests to gauge learners' language proficiency. According to data screening, the language improvement of EG was less than CG. Moreover, the EG experienced more disengagement in online instruction and assessment. The results of this study have significant repercussions for the learning-oriented evaluation in online educational environments.