Understanding and Implementing Learning-Oriented Assessment: Evidence From Three Chinese Junior High School EFL Teachers
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Ruijin Yang
Dr. Ruijin YANG is a lecturer in the School of International Studies at the Zhengzhou University, China. She obtained her PhD from Queensland University of Technology, Australia, in 2020. Her research interests include TESOL, language testing and assessment, and mixed methods research. Her recent research includes English education at the compulsory stage in China, learning-oriented assessment, peer feedback, production-oriented approach, and washback.
Lyn MAY is a senior lecturer in TESOL at Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Her research interests include L2 speaking assessment, interactional competence, English for academic purposes, and learning-oriented assessment.
Abstract
Assessment has had an enduring influence on teaching and learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL). The conceptualization and enactment of formative assessment as an integral foundation of learning-oriented assessment (LOA) has become the focus of recent studies, reflecting the mandated role of formative assessment in educational policies such as the national curriculum in China. However, it remains largely unexplored how junior high school EFL teachers in China understand and interpret formative assessment in response to policy imperatives and the enactment of learning-oriented assessment practices in classes that often focus on test preparation. To address the gap, this article reports a case study of three junior high school EFL teachers in a southwest city in China in order to explore their assessment beliefs and learning-oriented classroom assessment practices. The data collected included 15 audio-recorded classroom observations and three semi-structured audio-recorded interviews. The three teachers interpreted the concept of LOA in different ways and their classroom practices reflected these understandings. Despite working in a heavily exam-oriented context, the teachers were observed to provide contingent oral feedback to their learners, help learners develop their understanding through learner-centered tasks and interactions where learners were positioned as resources for each other through grouping and peer-assessment opportunities, and encourage learner autonomy. These findings point to ways in which LOA can be realized within exam-oriented English language learning contexts.
About the authors
Dr. Ruijin YANG is a lecturer in the School of International Studies at the Zhengzhou University, China. She obtained her PhD from Queensland University of Technology, Australia, in 2020. Her research interests include TESOL, language testing and assessment, and mixed methods research. Her recent research includes English education at the compulsory stage in China, learning-oriented assessment, peer feedback, production-oriented approach, and washback.
Lyn MAY is a senior lecturer in TESOL at Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Her research interests include L2 speaking assessment, interactional competence, English for academic purposes, and learning-oriented assessment.
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Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Developing Assessment Literacy for Classroom-Based Formative Assessment
- Assessment Literacy in a Better Assessment Future
- Assessment Literacy: Changing Cultures, Enculturing Change in Hong Kong
- Developing Classroom-Based Formative Assessment Literacy: An EFL Teacher’s Journey
- A Tale of Two Teachers: Construction of Novice University English Teachers’ Assessment Identity
- How Personal, Experiential, and Contextual Factors Mediate EFL Teachers’ Conceptions of Assessment: A Narrative Study
- Teachers’ Qualitatively Different Ways of Experiencing Assessment Feedback: Implications for Teacher Assessment Literacy
- Peer Review Circles: The Value of Working in Triadic Groups and Oral Observational Peer Feedback in the Development of Student Feedback Literacy
- A Difficulty-Informed Approach to Developing Language Assessment Literacy for Classroom Purposes
- Understanding and Implementing Learning-Oriented Assessment: Evidence From Three Chinese Junior High School EFL Teachers
- Chinese Abstracts
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Developing Assessment Literacy for Classroom-Based Formative Assessment
- Assessment Literacy in a Better Assessment Future
- Assessment Literacy: Changing Cultures, Enculturing Change in Hong Kong
- Developing Classroom-Based Formative Assessment Literacy: An EFL Teacher’s Journey
- A Tale of Two Teachers: Construction of Novice University English Teachers’ Assessment Identity
- How Personal, Experiential, and Contextual Factors Mediate EFL Teachers’ Conceptions of Assessment: A Narrative Study
- Teachers’ Qualitatively Different Ways of Experiencing Assessment Feedback: Implications for Teacher Assessment Literacy
- Peer Review Circles: The Value of Working in Triadic Groups and Oral Observational Peer Feedback in the Development of Student Feedback Literacy
- A Difficulty-Informed Approach to Developing Language Assessment Literacy for Classroom Purposes
- Understanding and Implementing Learning-Oriented Assessment: Evidence From Three Chinese Junior High School EFL Teachers
- Chinese Abstracts
