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Washback in Language Testing: An Exploration with a Focus on a Specific EFL Context in Oman

The notion of washback has been a widespread topic in language teaching and testing literature and has been discussed and looked at from various perspectives. The significance of the topic emerges from the fact that the consequences of tests greatly determine or shape the nature of language teaching, learning, and testing. 

This paper aims to explore the notion of washback based on current perspectives in the literature and the needs of a specific teaching setting, which is the language Program at Oman Tourism College (OTC). The Literature Review section reviews the literature trying to shed light on the notion of washback as a core construct in language teaching and learning. The second section will discuss the influences of washback in ELT with a special reference to a teaching context. Finally, some useful implications are drawn to come up with recommendations for increasing the positive washback and reducing the negatively of it.