As mentioned above, washback may affect learners’ actions and/or their perceptions, and such
perceptions may have wide-ranging consequences. Sturman (2003) used a combination of qualitative
and quantitative data to investigate students’ reactions to registration and placement procedures at two
English-language schools in Japan. The placement procedures included a written test and an interview.
He found that the students’ perceptions of the accuracy of the placement process (i.e., the face validity
of the results) were statistically associated with their later satisfaction with the school, the teachers, and
the lessons