For many years it was asserted that language tests had a negative impact on teach ing and thereby on learning/learners. This impact has become widely known in language testing as 'washback' ('backwash'). A theory of washback is emerging and its domain being delineated; in this article the theory of washback is linked with the broader concept of 'impact' in educational measurement, and thence to the recent debate on construct validity associated with Messick.
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