Applying Formative Assessment to Help Non￣English Major Students Learn English

全紅　吳廣平　陳利平

【Abstract】The aim of this paper is to explore the perception of college students using formative assessment to learn English in Yunnan Agricultural (YAU) through case study. The research result shows that formative assessment improves students independent learning skills, it can strengthen students autonomous learning and cooperation learning, also the students have assessment ability on other students English learning, and the reliability of students assessment ability will more and higher after some practical training. As Colorado (2007) says that “Ongoing assessments are particularly important for English language learners (ELLs), based on students perception about applying formative assessment to learn English is also an ongoing research”.

【Key words】Formative assessment English perception case study

【中圖分類號】H319 【文獻標識碼】A 【文章編號】2095-3089（2012）05-0017-02

Introduction

In the 21st century, the goal started to gradually shift to develop students comprehensive abilities in English, especially listening, speaking and writing abilities to ensure their valuable communications in future. Good spoken and written English can improve college students to reflect on their learning and communicate better. The chosen issue relates to our situation as English teachers for non￣English major students in YAU. Traditional styles of teaching English has decreased students interest and hindered their improvement in English for a long time in China. Self￣reflective learning and cooperation of learning process in group work activities may help the students spread their own thinking and knowledge from their reflection and discussion, and these activities will promote their English learning skill, furthermore improve their autonomy and communication ability.

Critique of the Literature

The role that formative assessment in college English teaching and learning becomes more and more important (Sadler, 1989). Formative assessment is aimed at evaluating the students learning process, including the performance of their daily study, the achievements and the reflection of their emotion, manner, and strategies. It can encourage students learning, help the students to control their study process, let they obtain sense of achievement, enhance their self￣confidence, cultivate their cooperation. Formative assessment makes the students become active mutual participation instead of passive acceptance (Sadler, 1989). We fully agree with Nick (2010, p.64) says that “Good formative assessment is needed to enhance the student learning experience, provide useful and timely feedback, help students to understand and recognize quality, and lead to improved performance.” The study is going to research using formative assessment to improve students English learning ability. Formative assessment is fully integrated into the learning and teaching process and it can estimate students ability in detail. A formative assessment process emphasizes students self￣ and peer￣assessment. The teachers assessment only makes up a part of the assessment regime. This may show advantages of self￣ and peer￣assessment.

In summary, self￣assessment in formative assessment is a useful transferable skill, the students can reflect on their own work that they have done, and think about the character of assessment criteria. Peer￣assessment in formative assessment allows students to achieve a great deal more feedback than they could get just from their tutors, and they can share great advantages each other, so it is a really an experience of deeper learning.

The Research Design

Formative assessment, as a learning and development assessment tool, is first introduced to non￣English major students with a short informative lecture. As Biggs considered that self￣ and peer￣assessment are particularly useful for students action (2003, p.142), we are going to lead some improvements for using formative assessment to help students to learn English better. As Wilkinson proposes that data collection is “the stage at which you carry out the interviews, send out the questionnaires, and so on”(2000, p.9), data collection instruments are an important part of the research. In the research, it made use of data triangulation, by using questionnaire and one to one interviews Methodological triangulation. Using the guide for questionnaire construction (Cohen and Mannion, 2007) content of questions, structure of response and succession of questions will be decided. Applying different data collection methods allows the success of information from various perceptions which reinforce the validity of research. Triangulation is a powerful technique that facilitates validation of data through cross verification from more than two sources. Observation is the third way we choose for collecting data during the research.

Analysis and Discussion of Date

Based on the results obtained from participants of group work in one￣to￣one interview of the research, it would show that student thought that they have improved their motivation in this area. One student says, “Group work is very interesting. Because I like to share my idea with my classmates, so we can learn from each other.” Another student talks that “Im not well interest in group work at the beginning, but as a participant I grow to like it. Because I start to learn to express myself and like to communicate with my classmates, group work let me relax.”

Table 1 Participants attitudes of formative assessment

■

■

Table 1 shows that 20 of 24 participants like to take part in self￣ and peer￣assessment in 15th week but only 14 of 24 participants like it in 1st week; 21 of 24 participants would not be uncomfortable when taking part in peer￣assessment in 15th week but only 14 of 24 participants do it in 1st week. It means that more and more participants accept peer￣assessment from 1st week to 15th week. Table 2 means that self￣ and peer￣assessment encourages participants learning.

According to gather and analyze the questionnaires, the participants a report positive feeling towards group work is helpful for their English learning. It is “a significant factor in the successful transition from student life to working life” (Gibbs, 1994, p.111). After group work, I obtain some new ideas about English learning, such as the content, expression, grammar mistakes and so on. Then I begin to think how to learn English and make some progress in my English learning. “It also shows that the participants arouse their enthusiasm to learning and improve their ability of independent learning and cooperation learning through self reflection and peer cooperation.”

Conclusion

This study is focuses on the related theory and practical teaching and learning, making some explore to the outline about using self￣ and peer￣assessment in the teaching and learning English to non￣English majored college students. The result of the research show that the most students find that self￣ and peer￣assessment motivate their English learning and peer￣assessment group work can help them in active learning, self￣ and peer￣assessment motivate students English Learning. After all, students can reflect their learning. The students grasp language aspect from the minority to the majority after group work, and group work activities play an important role in motivation, cooperation and independence to learn English. The students have assessment ability on other students learning, and the reliability of students assessment ability will more and higher after some practical training. From analyzing the collecting data during the research, it can reply three research questions. The result of the students experience is affirmative on using formative assessment to learn English.

References：

Biggs, J. (2003) Teaching for Quality Learning at University, Second Edition, open University Press, Maidenhead: p.142

Colorado, C. (2007) Using Informal Assessments for English Language Learners. [online, cited 19th December, 2011] Available from：

Cohen, L. & Manion, L. (2007) Research Methods on Education. 6th Edition, London: Routledge Falmer.

Gibbs, G. (1994) Improving Student Learning: Through Assessment and Evaluation. The Oxford Centre for Staff Development, Oxford Brookes University, Gipsy Lane, Headington, Owford, OX3 OBP, p.111

Nick Z, Zacharis.(2010) Innovative Assessment For Learning Enhancement: Issues And Practices, Contemporary Issues in Education Research, p.61￣64

Sadler D. R.(1989). Formation and the Design of Instructional Systems. Instructional Science, 18(2).