Washback effects of VSTEP.3-5 on lecturers' teaching practices and students' learning strategies at tertiary level in Vietnam

The study aimed to explore the washback effects of “Vietnamese Standardized Test of English Proficiency” (VSTEP.3-5) - a locally produced high-stakes test that fulfills the country’s specific requirements – on Vietnamese EFL lecturers’ teaching practices and undergraduate students’ learning strategies. The study utilized a mixed-method design, incorporating three primary research instruments: questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observation. Quantitative data were obtained through questionnaires delivered to 25 lecturers of English and 600 sophomores, Academic year 2022, at Hue University of Foreign Languages and International Studies (HUFLIS), Hue City, Central Vietnam. Qualitative data were collected thanks to in-depth interviews with 8 selected teacher participants and 12 student participants at the same research site. Classroom observations were also employed at 4 classes to further ensure qualitative data. The findings indicated that: 1) a majority of lecturers claimed that VSTEP.3-5 test had a positive washback on their teaching. The lecturers mostly maintained their Communicative Approach and focused on developing communicative skills for students rather than preparing them with exam-oriented materials and forms of assessment; 2) most teachers had positive attitudes towards the use of VSTEP.3-5 as an exit requirement for undergraduate students, as well as its effects on their teaching practices; 3) a majority of students reported that there were notable changes in their learning strategies after the introduction of VSTEP.3-5; 4) Vietnamese undergraduate students had both mixed attitudes towards the use of VSTEP.3-5 as an exit requirement and its effects on their learning. Through acknowledging washback effects of VSTEP.3-5 test, lecturers and instructors can better tailor their teaching practices to promote ‘positive’ washback and diminish ‘negative’ one.