Classroom-based Language Assessment Research Articles

Teacher agency and ICT affordances in classroom-based language assessment: The return to face-to-face classes after online teaching

Recent research on classroom-based assessment (CBA) during the COVID-19 pandemic has examined language teachers’ strategic responses to challenges in online teaching. However, there is still a paucity of empirical research on their CBA practices supported by information and communication technology (ICT) during the return to face-to-face (f2f) classes. Moreover, most studies on CBA during and after the pandemic have focused on secondary or higher education, leaving young learner contexts underexplored. Thus, this study investigated how two primary school English teachers in South Korea exercised their agency to implement ICT-afforded CBA to address challenges in returning to f2f classes, grounded in an ecological perspective. It further explored mediating factors that influenced their agency in both temporal and relational aspects. Observations, interviews, and reflection papers revealed four main themes regarding their agency enactment in identifying ICT affordances for CBA, which were linked to individual factors in their agency enactment, including their pedagogical beliefs, ICT use experiences, identity, and professional development. The cultural (e.g., national curriculum), structural (e.g., student wellness and parental voices), and material dimensions (e.g., institutional support of teacher training) also influenced their agency enactment. This study provides both theoretical and practical implications for ICT-afforded CBA in the post-pandemic era.

English Language Teachers’ Perceived Classroom Assessment Knowledge and Practice: Developing and Validating a Scale

This study sought to develop and validate a classroom-based language assessment literacy scale to measure teachers’ perceived classroom-based assessment knowledge and practice. Exploratory factor analysis revealed that the scale items clustered around four factors: (a) purposes of assessment and grading, (b) assessment ethics, (c) student involvement in assessment, and (d) feedback and assessment interpretation. Moreover, the scale was administered to 348 Iranian English as a foreign language teachers. The findings showed that the majority reported to be literate in classroom-based language assessment and agreed to the allocation of more space to classroom-based language assessment in teacher education courses. The findings suggest that the newly-developed scale can serve as a valid and reliable tool to explore language teachers’ classroom-based assessment literacy.

Classroom-based language assessment literacy and professional development need between novice and experienced EFL teachers

Classroom-based language assessment (CBLA) in the Indonesian context has become more significant since the shift of the assessment model from summative based assessment (Ujian Nasional or the final exam) to formative-based assessment (Asesmen Kompetensi Minimum (AKM); therefore, teachers need to develop their classroom-based language assessment literacy (CBLAL). The model places a greater emphasis on students' learning outcomes in class rather than final test scores. This study aims to examine the CBLAL level of experienced and novice EFL teachers, their perceptions of CBLAL, and their needs for CBLAL training. Quantitative and qualitative data were used in conjunction with a case study research design. The CBLAL questionnaire, adopted from Lan and Fan's work (2019), collected quantitative data from 55 EFL teachers. Meanwhile, the qualitative data were collected from four of them (novice and experienced) in the interview sessions. The CBLAL levels of 55 teachers are between functional and procedural-conceptual literacy levels. Both experienced (ETs) and novice teachers (NTs) could grasp fundamental principles in language assessment and can use them in the classroom. Although the ETs have higher levels, there is no significant difference in CBLAL levels between ETs and NTs. The study also revealed that the teachers' understandings of technical skills and language pedagogy were among the highest compared to their knowledge of theories and principles on language assessments. However, they indicated that still require professional development (PD) in CBLAL, despite their functional and procedural-conceptual literacy. The current study has pedagogical implications for both ETs and NTs. They should actively participate in various professional development activities, focusing on classroom evaluation.

Designing a Drug-Dispensing Test Task Using the SPEAKING Grid

Although the ethnography of speaking is one of the approaches used to analyze discourse (Schiffrin, 1994; Cameron, 2012), its benefits and uses can be applied in the field of language assessment when designing a drug-dispensing, classroom-based test task. In this article, pharmacy specialists and students functioning as members of the pharmaceutical profession community shared their beliefs and practices on how to dispense a drug appropriately and successfully. The SPEAKING grid was subsequently used as a principle to formulate a manual for administrators, raters, and test-takers. This article discusses the elements of the SPEAKING grid as a sample framework and the subjectivity of this test task for assessing pharmacy students. The elements of the SPEAKING grid described in the manual aided not only raters when administering the task but also test-takers when preparing and practicing it. The article concludes with the idea that the SPEAKING grid can be adapted to fit classroom-based language assessment purposes even though some shared norms presented in the dispensing context may not occur as authentic as in real life.

Language assessment frameworks as language policy

Reviewing the development and implementation of the Steps to English Proficiency (STEP) language proficiency assessment framework in Ontario, Canada, this article calls attention to how language proficiency is operationalised in English language proficiency (ELP) standards in ways that may institutionalise hierarchies among home, school and community language practices. Use of these standards for classroom-based language assessment requires teachers to play a defining role, to observe, interpret and make judgements about students’ bi/multilingual language practice. However, STEP was developed and validated based on teacher perceptions of students’ language use, revealing the monolingual ideologies at work in Ontario education. The study concludes by discussing opportunities for teachers to identify, observe and document students’ multilingual practice through teacher-inquiry to align curriculum and assessment policy and practice with the sociolinguistic reality of Ontario’s multilingual classrooms and communities.

Teaching Korean as a Foreign Language: Theories and Practices

Teaching Korean as a Foreign Language: Theories and Practices

A Systematic Literature Review on the Impact of Classroom-Based Language Assessment on the EFL Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

The trend in investigating how teachers apply assessment in EFL classroom has been at the momentum. As many as 44 research articles during this past ten years were found. Their findings are beneficial for EFL learning. Research investigating students' perceptions of Classroom-Based Language Assessment (CBLA) shows that students tend to have positive perceptions of CBLA. On another topic, stated that students' motivation to implement CBLA depends on how the test itself is carried out. Few studies state that CBLA contributes greatly to student achievement, what is there is that they learn a lot from CBLA, and they sufficiently understand CBLA's function for learning. From the EFL teacher, assessment literacy is crucial for teachers to think about. at least 75% of research focuses on the application of assessment literacy, and the practice of assessment is one-way and balanced.

Developing a Classroom-based Language Assessment of Japanese for Children Who Speak Minority Languages in Japan: The Dialogic Language Assessment

ABSTRACT One of the challenges of developing assessments for young language learners is the shortage of evidence-based information about such assessments for languages other than English. In light of this situation, this paper discusses the development of an assessment for young languages learners in the context of Japanese as a second language (JSL). In response to the growing number of young JSL learners (defined as children age 6–15) in Japanese schools, a JSL assessment called the Dialogic Language Assessment (DLA) has been developed and endorsed by the Japanese government. This paper discusses challenges and issues that emerged in the process of developing the content and format of the reading section of the DLA. The DLA has largely been developed through trial and error, and it has been revised based on the results of a series of pilot studies. A particular consideration is given to factors related to JSL students’ age and educational and societal environments as well as to the unique aspects of the Japanese language (a nonalphabetical language). Because the DLA is a work in progress, this paper also discusses additional steps that need to be taken.

Teachers’ Challenges on the Implementation of Classroom-Based Assessment for Oral Proficiency: A Literature Review

Oral proficiency is one of the most fundamental skills yet challenging to acquire. Although numerous initiatives and measures have been taken by the Malaysian education authorities in moving towards the cultivation of learners’ authentic English communication competency including the implementation of the new classroom-based language assessment through communicative language teaching, Malaysian students still struggle in obtaining the minimum requirement for speaking skill in the established language proficiency tests. In accordance to that, this paper provides a literature review on 1) the challenges faced by teachers related to classroom-based assessment for oral proficiency and 2) past studies on language assessment literacy among Malaysian ESL teachers. Some of the challenges may due to the dependency on summative and standardised tests, difficulties in assessing oral proficiency, ineffective courses and trainings on formative language assessment and the low level of language assessment literacy on formative language assessment among Malaysian ESL teachers. By understanding the limitations encountered by the Malaysian ESL teachers in assessing oral proficiency, education authorities as well as educators may work together in finding the solution.

Developing classroom-based language assessment literacy for in-service EFL teachers: The gaps

Teachers are expected to keep up to date with challenges and expectations that arise in classroom-based language assessment. This study responds to the call for increased research in the area of language assessment literacy in the context of classroom-based assessment. In particular, our research provides insights into assessment literacy training for in-service teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL). By way of gap analysis based on a questionnaire of 344 EFL teachers in Chinese middle schools, this study found that EFL teachers investigated were nearly at the functional level of classroom-based language assessment literacy (CBLAL), and that they wished to be procedurally and conceptually literate through professional training so as to understand the central concepts of classroom-based language assessment and use their knowledge in practice. The study will shed light on views regarding the assessment literacy topics that are important to be included in in-service EFL teacher training programs.

The role of foreign language anxiety on L2 utterance fluency during a final exam

This study examines how foreign language anxiety (FLA) and proficiency relate to second language (L2) utterance fluency during a final oral exam. Thirty-eight learners of Spanish (L1 English) completed unplanned narratives that were coded for ratio and length of pauses between and within Analysis of Speech Units, mean length of run, phonation-time ratio, and articulation rate. Learners’ oral proficiency was measured with an aural/oral sentence imitation task. Multiple regression analyses showed that anxiety is a strong predictor for certain temporal features associated with subjective ratings of fluency. Overall oral proficiency, however, was not a significant predictor in any case. The findings confirm the interference of FLA with cognitive processing and contribute to our understanding of the challenges faced by anxious learners during classroom-based language assessment.

Assessment Orientations of State Primary EFL Teachers in Two Mediterranean Countries

Many researchers have highlighted the central role that assessment plays in second language (L2) classrooms and have expressed the need for research into classroom-based language assessment (CBLA), an area that is gradually coming into its own in the field of language testing and assessment (e.g., Hasselgreen, 2008; Leung, 2014; Hill & McNamara, 2012; Turner, 2012). Motivated by the prominence of CBLA in recent discussions, the present study set out to investigate the CBLA practices, knowledge and skills of Greek and Cypriot primary school EFL teachers. The data was collected through teacher interviews and classroom-based tests. The results showed that teachers employ a summative orientation towards evaluating their students’ performance and seem to have unclear ideas about the purposes and implementation of formative assessment, mainly due to lack of professional training in language assessment. The paper concludes with suggestions as to how EFL teachers’ CBLA literacy can be enhanced.

Preparing Teachers for Language Assessment: A Practice‐Based Approach

As the number of English language learners in mainstream classrooms increases, so too does the need for teachers skilled in classroom‐based language assessment (CBLA). All teachers must be able to monitor, evaluate, and support the English language development of their students. With a paucity of research on how to prepare teachers to enact ongoing, meaningful assessment of language development, this article describes how teacher candidates’ learning of CBLA was embedded into practice, responding to the question: How can teacher educators embed candidates’ professional learning of CBLA into practice across different course settings? The authors discuss the key elements of a practice‐based approach and describe how these elements were applied to the teaching of CBLA in both a controlled and a designed setting. The article concludes with teacher candidates’ reactions to this approach and recommendations for situating teacher learning of CBLA into practice.

Instructors’ Principles and Practices in the Implementation Stage of Classroom-Based Language Assessment in Higher Education in Turkey

The aim of this study is to explore Instructors’ perceptions relating to the implementation of classroom-based language assessment (CBLA). In this study, the current perceptions of higher education Instructors in Turkey are examined. The findings of the questionnaire were analyzed statistically, with the understanding that the Instructors usually exercise their own beliefs concerning CBLA. The results of the questionnaire showed that they did not put a number of their principles into application. Throughout the study, the Instructors mentioned that in some cases they did not have a chance to put their beliefs into practice due to the central assessment system of the institution, intensive syllabuses that they had to finish in a very restricted time, and students’ educational backgrounds that they brought from the primary and secondary school education systems.

Classroom-Based Language Assessment and L2 Learning

Classroom-Based Language Assessment and L2 Learning

One teacher's take on using a ‘test’ for diagnostic purposes in the classroom

More and more large-scale assessments are said to have diagnostic or formative potential for classroom instruction and student learning. However, there is limited research examining how a language teacher actually uses such assessments to inform his or her teaching. An empirically-developed framework on classroom-based language assessment (Hill & McNamara, 2011) frames the study. Using a case study approach this study offers an account of how one classroom teacher used diagnostic feedback, from the Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Assessment, to inform her teaching in an English for Academic Purposes (EAP) course. This case was considered intrinsic (Stake, 1995) because of the considerable instructional support offered to the teacher, as well as her integral role in creating the diagnostic assessment profiles. Data collection strategies included three interviews, five classroom observations, and document analysis. The results highlighted the possible tensions for the teacher related to course planning, curriculum alignment, and conflicts with intuitive judgments in the day-to-day assessment of student ability.

Methodological Diversity in Language Assessment Research: The Role of Mixed Methods in Classroom-Based Language Assessment Studies

Although an epistemic change often is labeled as a shift, some researchers representing the social sciences consider this paradigm shift as a paradigm expansion (e.g., Pollack, 2007) because epistemological and methodological diversity allows researchers to address a wider range of questions. The third paradigm, mixed methods (MM) research, is claimed to provide a more holistic picture of a research problem by combining two different data sources—quantitative and qualitative—in a single study (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2007; Greene, 2007; Teddlie & Tashakkori, 2009). This article discusses how mixed methods research approaches have been used to enrich the results and to enhance the rigor of classroom-based language assessment investigations, drawing on both the language testing and assessment (hereafter, language assessment) and classroom assessment literature in second language education. The article opens with a brief overview of the methodological evolution in language assessment research. Then, focusing on MM research studies that investigated various facets of classroom-based language assessment (CBLA) practices, the main part of this article outlines a proposal of MM methodology as an appropriate methodology for research on CBLA, particularly in a context where a new form of assessment is implemented. The article closes with a discussion of challenges that MM researchers might face, and a proposal of MM research methodology as an appropriate research approach for CBLA scholars, especially in settings where both the validation of assessment and the explanation of the phenomenon are required.

Book Review: Classroom-based Language Assessment

Book Review: Classroom-based Language Assessment

Looking backward and forward at classroom-based language assessment

In the past few decades, approaches to language assessment and perspectives on learning have changed. This article highlights those developments with the greatest significance for teachers and classroom-based language assessment, including the emergence of new perspectives on the nature of language ability and learning, use of an expanded array of assessment procedures, concern for the consequences of assessment, interest in embedding assessment in teaching and learning, and attention to the assessment of young learners. It concludes with a discussion of the implications of these developments for future research in classroom-based assessment and for teachers.