As Hughes (1993) has pointed out, the key question about the products of washback is whether or not it
leads to learning (i.e., language learning). Alderson and Hamp-Lyons (1996), in a study of TOEFL
preparation courses in the United States, interviewed students in groups of 3 to 12 people at three
different institutions. The language learners were asked for their ideas about how they would like
TOEFL preparation classes to be conducted, compared to what they had already experienced. In the
preliminary findings reported by Alderson and Hamp-Lyons (1996), the students suggested “having a
placement test before a TOEFL preparation course, more opportunities for student participation and
student questioning; diagnosis of individual student weaknesses, and the combination of self-study with
revision in class” (p. 285).