皇家华人

The award is given to an English Language dissertation that 鈥渕akes the most significant contribution to the field of language testing鈥�.

His dissertation, entitled 鈥楨xamining Washback on Learning from a Sociocultural Perspective: The Case of a Graded Approach to English Language Testing in Hong Kong鈥�, was supervised by (UCL Centre for Applied Linguistics). The dissertation was also commended for the 2018 ELT Masters Dissertation Award for its potential impact on English language teaching.

Heskey presented his dissertation and received a winner鈥檚 cheque at the Language Testing Research Colloquium (LTRC) in Atlanta, United States.

Dr Isaacs said: 鈥淭his is an outstanding, carefully constructed, ambitiously conducted dissertation that approaches washback on learning from a sociocultural perspective.

鈥淭his is the first empirical study, to my knowledge, that examines washback effects in Hong Kong鈥檚 HKDSE-English, a high-stakes test that helps determine test-takers鈥� career prospects and educational futures. The dissertation moves beyond existing small-scale washback studies to examine intrinsic and extrinsic dimensions by combining qualitative elements with advanced statistical modelling.

鈥淭he study argues for the adoption of a fairer, more scientific way to inform test-takers鈥� decision-making that takes into account their individual differences and seeks to empower test takers鈥� voices. Congratulations to Chi Lai Heskey Tsang鈥�.

Links

• MA Applied Linguistics
• UCL Centre for Applied Linguistics
• Department of Culture, Communication and Media

Image

Photo credit:聽Dr Gad Lim