Implementing assessment for learning in L2 writing: An activity theory perspective

Abstract

While there is extensive literature on how assessment for learning (AfL) can be put into practice at the general classroom level, research examining teachers' attempts to implement AfL in writing, especially in the elementary context, is relatively less explored. The present study seeks to shed light on how four elementary teachers in Hong Kong attempt to foster change in assessment by implementing AfL in the L2 writing classroom dominated by the examination culture. Drawing on data gathered from classroom observations and interviews with administrators and teachers of two Hong Kong primary schools over the course of one year, this study uncovers the tensions that arise as a result of the introduction of AfL in writing. Using activity theory and its notion of contradiction, the study concludes that the uptake of AfL innovation in writing could be inhibited unless the contradictions in the activity systems can be resolved.