Investigating the Washback Effectof ComprehensiveWeekly Quizzes on Preparatory Year Students'Summative Grades at Umm Al Qura Univerity, Makkah

Abstract

The current study is an attempt to investigate the washback effect of comprehensive weekly quizzes onsummative exams grades of Preparatory Year scientific streamstudents at Al Qunfudah Campus, Umm Al Qura University, Saudi Arabia .The quizis one of the most effective tools of formative assessment for coursework learning. Quiz affects students learning and grades. This effect of a quiz on English language learning, in Applied Linguistics, is called a washback effect. Many researchers have tried different tools of formativeassessment to get a positivewashback effect.There are many different tools of formative assessment which are applied by teachers during coursework for language learning like class participation, assignments, and quizzes. Quizzes, asa tool of formative assessment, also carry a washback effect on coursework learning progress as well as on final grades. It enhances the classroom learning process, language practice, memorization, feedback, and also influences the students' final summative grades. However, on the other side, some researchers oppose the quizzes' washback effect. They believe that frequenttesting might have a negativeimpact on anxious students. This study used the quantitative- experimental method to know whether students taking weekly comprehensive quizzes performed better in the summative exams. Fifty students of Preparatory Year of First Semester 2016-2017were selected and divided into two groups. One group of 25 receiveda routine formative assessment for coursework followed by summative-midterm and final- exams, and the other group received weeklycomprehensive quizzes along with the routine formative assessment tools followed by summative -midterm and final- exams. The results analyses showed that the group with weekly comprehensive quizzes performed significantly better than the other group.