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This qualitative study investigated the washback of performance-based assessment used by three English language teachers in Hokkaido, Japan, each of whom implemented their own course-specific assessments. The study employed qualitative research of an in-depth interview with 15 students and a self-reflective method from 3 teachers. Teachers demonstrated different approaches in implementing performance-based language assessment. However, they agreed that this type of assessment could enhance students' communicative skills and rubrics were crucial in the assessment process. In terms of washback on students, they found that performance-based assessment, with detailed feedback, provided learners with a comfortable and challenging learning environment, leading to self-developed English performances, feelings of accomplishment, and better retention of English used in the presentations. However, some students found performance-based assessment demanding, causing anxiety. The findings suggest that when implementing performance-based assessment teachers should consider different aspects of the assessment to create positive washback.

As blended language learning environments evolve within tertiary foreign language institutions, issues of power with regards to the privileging of electronic technologies come to the fore. Blended learning, or the principled mix of online and classroom-based activities, challenges the practices of traditional CALL and face-to-face teaching within newly emerging, hybrid learning environments. The aim of this study is to examine the role of power in relation to the design of these environments. To achieve this aim, a research team conducted a longitudinal study at two Japanese universities which employed blended learning practices in their EFL programs. We analyzed ethnographic and action research data using postmodern, critical, and ecological perspectives on technology, to explore hegemony in facility planning (online vs. face-to-face), control of materials development (publisher-based vs. teacher-based authorship), and development of software designs (proprietary ownership vs. distributed teacher initiatives). Results of the study reveal three significant changes in power: (a) the construction of classrooms shifted from single-purpose CALL laboratories to blended face-to-face/online spaces, (b) the production of teaching materials emphasized locally authored multimedia materials with a decreasing reliance on mass-market course books, and (c) the design of software modules was controlled by teaching teams for rapid customization. Overall, the process of innovation in institutional programs requires a collaborative management culture to be appropriate and sustainable in university contexts. (Contains 1 table.)