Reading for a Test: The Effect of High-Stakes Exams on Reading Strategies

This paper presents a study which investigates the reading strategies employed by Slovenian EFL students whose classroom context is influenced by high-stakes, curriculum-aligned national examination. The findings show that there are only minor differences between strong and weak students in their use of reading strategies. The results are discussed in light of the washback effect and the development of the reading skill/strategies in the classroom. The discussion suggests that educators should be aware of the limitations of high-stakes examinations, and introduce reading tasks not directly linked to such examinations, in order to minimise their potential negative effect in the classroom.