Technology-enhanced Formative Assessment Research Articles

Inquiry-Based Learning and Technology-Enhanced Formative Assessment in Flipped EFL Writing Instruction: Student Performance and Perceptions

Previous studies have shown that inquiry-based learning (IBL) and flipped learning effectively promote student engagement and learning outcomes in language classrooms. Meanwhile, technology-enhanced formative assessment (TEFA) with well-designed instructional strategies can provide engaging learning opportunities for learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL). However, research on combining these three teaching approaches to enhance foreign language skills is scarce. Specifically, this study integrated IBL and TEFA in flipped EFL writing instruction to address the research gap. A mixed-method design was employed to explore 48 students’ writing performance and their perceptions of these creative teaching strategies. The results of the quantitative analysis indicate that combining IBL and TEFA increased students’ writing quality, as shown by the significant difference between their pretest and posttest writing scores. In addition, qualitative analysis of their written reflections indicated that they appreciated the dynamic and interactive learning atmosphere, displayed positive attitudes, and perceived the value of IBL and TEFA. The students also provided insights regarding the difficulties they experienced with this teaching method. The implications concerning the impact of IBL and TEFA in teaching flipped EFL writing are discussed, highlighting future suggestions for EFL educators.

TECHNOLOGY-ENHANCED FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: UNRAVELING INDONESIAN EFL LEARNERS’ VOICES

The current research works have put great concern on the positive impacts of the implementation of formative assessment in EFL learning and teaching. Simultaneously, the swift technological development also takes effect on supporting the practices of formative assessment. This study aims to explore EFL learners’ voices on implementing technology-enhanced formative assessment in EFL classrooms. It is a case study intended to obtain detailed information from the participants for a particular case. Five EFL learners from different universities were involved in this study by using a telephone interview. The findings of this study reveal that EFL learners have positive views on the use of formative assessment in terms of getting a better understanding and promoting learning independence. Besides, most EFL learners also perceived that the integration of technology-enhanced positively affects them in working with formative assessments assigned by the lecturers. The last, the challenges of technology-enhanced formative assessment by EFL learners comprised the overload of work assignments, the difficulty of time management, the incapability of staring at laptops for a long time, the instability of LMS, and the unclear instructions as well as insufficient feedback by the lecturers. Several implications are provided in this study.Keywords: challenges; EFL learners; formativ

How Learning Analytics Can Help Orchestration of Formative Assessment? Data-Driven Recommendations for Technology- Enhanced Learning

Formative assessment provides teachers with feedback to help them adapt their behavior. To manage the increasing number of students in higher education, technology-enhanced formative assessment tools can be used to maintain and hopefully improve teaching and learning quality thanks to the high amount of data that are generated by their usage. Based on literature and on authentic usages of the formative assessment system called Elaastic, we use learning analytics to provide evidence-based knowledge about formative assessment practices. An Elaastic sequence consists in asking learners to answer a choice question with a vote, a confidence degree and a rationale, then to confront their viewpoints through a peer grading activity, and finally to answer the same question a second time. Benefits of such sequences are measured through the increase of correct answers between the two votes. Our results suggest that: (A) Benefits of sequences increase when close to 50% of learners' first votes are correct; (B) Benefits of sequences increase when peers provide better grades to rationales related to correct answers than others; (C) Sequences benefits do not significantly increase when learners who provided correct answers are more confident than learners who did not; (D) Grades attributed by peers depend on such peer's confidence degree; (E) Self-grading is inaccurate in peer grading context; (F) The amount of evaluations each learner performs makes no significant difference in terms of sequences benefits. These results lead to recommendations regarding formative assessment and to a new data-informed formative assessment process which is discussed at the end of the paper.

A design experiment on technology‐based learning progress feedback in a graduate‐level online course

Our literature review has revealed that the definition of learning progress as a function of formative feedback remains unclear, which continues to the lack of well-reasoned learning progress feedback (LPF) strategies. Also, few scholars have empirically examined student perceptions of informed learning progress in solving a complex problem. The current study aims (a) to generate insights that elaborate LPF in a technology-enhanced learning environment and (b) to gain better knowledge about LPF design for technology-enhanced formative assessment and feedback. In this design experiment, we proposed LPF design strategies in five categories. Then, we experimented with two LPF prototypes to see how students reacted to the LPF features and how students perceived the value of LPF feedback. In the context of a graduate-level online course with 35 student participants, we performed a mixed-data analysis. Results indicate that students benefited from the two LPF designs to navigate their learning progress. Students' LPF preference appeared to relate to their feedback literacy regarding revision behavior, cognitive progress, and emotional reaction. The current findings lay the groundwork for elaborate LPF models that are pedagogically effective and adaptive to diverse student needs. The proposed LPF design typology and further design suggestions can help advance LPF design experiments and improve technology-based formative feedback that enables students to pursue mastery.

Technology-enhanced formative assessment in higher education: A voice from Indonesian EFL teachers

The integration of information communication and technology in language teaching has been intensely examined in literature works. However, the study which explicitly investigates the advancement of technology for language assessment in higher education level is still underexplored, particularly in a formative assessment area. To fill that gap, the present study aims at investigating the perceptions of EFL teachers towards technology-enhanced formative assessment and how they implement it in the classroom. This study employs a qualitative case study approach. Of three participants from different universities were voluntarily participated in a semi-structured interview. The interview seeks to investigate the perceptions of teachers towards technology-enhanced assessment, the roles of technology in formative assessment, and the impact of technology on language learning. The findings reveal that EFL teachers view formative assessment as well as technology in a positive perception. They admit that technology is a practical tool that has multiple roles and it is deemed as useful and meaningful platform for assessing students. Finally, technology-enhanced formative assessment gives an impact on students� performance, particularly on language accuracy. The further implications are discussed in this paper.�

Technology Enhanced Formative Assessment for Students’ Motivation in Mathematics at Elementary Level

Technology Enhanced Formative Assessment (TEFA) is an advanced and evidence-based pedagogical approach for science and mathematics teaching using a classroom response system. Question-driven instruction, dialogical discourse, formative assessment, and meta-level communication are four core principles on which TEFA is built upon. These are implemented through a question cycle in the classroom. Eight weeks duration intervention study was carried out in two urban high schools, one from each stratum (i.e., boys and girls) using a non-equivalent comparison group quasi-experimental design on a sample of 183 participants. The study participants included 42 girls and 47 boys in the experimental group, whereas 54 girls and 40 boys in the control group from the 8th-grade mathematics class. Students' mathematics motivation survey using IMI (i.e., intrinsic motivation inventory) was used to measure students' mathematics learning motivation levels. Two-way ANOVA was conducted to assess the motivation level of the students. Analysis of the results showed that the experimental group motivation level was significantly higher than the control group.

The contributions of mixed insights to advancing technology-enhanced formative assessments within higher education learning environments: an illustrative example

Technology-enhanced formative assessment (TEFA) represents strategies for improving student learning and motivation, yet researchers point to methodological issues underpinning claims of effectiveness. This mixed methods paper, using an empirical example, illustrates the novel contributions of mixed insights in informing the implementation of two TEFA classroom strategies. An embedded mixed methods case study design bounded by an 8-week undergraduate course across three terms was used to answer the following research question: How can a mixed methods approach examining the influences to and effects of involvement in TEFA offset the weaknesses inherent to either qualitative or quantitative data and guide collection, analysis, and integration? A qualitative dominant crossover mixed analysis strategy generated four novel mixed insights from the integration of 175 classroom-based observations, 26 instructional team meeting summaries, and 274 end-of-course student questionnaires. These are represented in a case summary and joint displays: influences on involvement, effects on learning, accessibility of feedback, and impacts on instruction. The mixed insights have important implications for theory, research, and practice related to TEFA strategies and highlight the contribution that mixed methods approaches can have in advancing educational technology in higher education.

Using teacher inquiry to support technology-enhanced formative assessment: a review of the literature to inform a new method

ABSTRACTIn this paper we review the literature on teacher inquiry (TI) to explore the possibility that this process can equip teachers to investigate students’ learning as a step towards the process of formative assessment. We draw a distinction between formative assessment and summative forms of assessment [CRELL. (2009). The transition to computer-based assessment: New approaches to skills assessment and implications for large-scale testing. In F. Scheuermann & J. Björnsson (Eds.), JRC Scientific and technical reports. Ispra: Author; Webb, M. (2010). Beginning teacher education and collaborative formative e-assessment. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35, 597–618; EACEA. (2009). National testing of pupils in Europe: Objectives, organisation and use of results. Brussels: Eurydice; OECD. (2010b). Assessing the effects of ICT in education (F. Scheuermann & E. Pedró, Eds.). Paris: JRC, OECD]. Our review of TI is combined with a review of the research concerning the way that practices with technology can support the assessment process. We conclude with a comparison of TI and teacher design research from which we extract the characteristics for a method of TI that can be used to develop technology-enhanced formative assessment: teacher inquiry into student learning. In this review, our primary focus is upon enabling teachers to use technology effectively to inquire about their students’ learning progress.

Technology-Enhanced Formative Assessment of Plant Identification

Developing plant identification skills is an important part of the curriculum of any botany course in higher education. Frequent practice with dried and fresh plants is necessary to recognize the diversity of forms, states, and details that a species can present. We have developed a web-based assessment system for mobile devices that is able to pose appropriate questions according to the location of the student. A student’s location can be obtained using the device position or by scanning a QR code attached to a dried plant sheet in a herbarium or to a fresh plant in an arboretum. The assessment questions are complemented with elaborated feedback that, according to the students’ responses, provides indications of possible mistakes and correct answers. Three experiments were designed to measure the effectiveness of the formative assessment using dried and fresh plants. Three questionnaires were used to evaluate the system performance from the students’ perspective. The results clearly indicate that formative assessment is objectively effective compared to traditional methods and that the students’ attitudes towards the system were very positive.

A case of technology-enhanced formative assessment and achievement in primary grammar: How is quality assurance of formative assessment assured?

This article investigates how using an online resource with learner response devices in primary school classrooms meets quality assurance criteria for formative assessment. It reports a randomised evaluation of the effects of technology-enhanced formative assessment on the grammar learning of pupils in primary schools in England. Instantaneous feedback is provided to teachers and pupils about each pupil's understanding of grammatical concepts just taught.Quality assurance in formative assessment is multi-faceted; it includes promoting attainment and progression, enabling and motivating pupils to show what they can do, and combining information of different kinds to inform decisions about pupils’ learning and achievements.

Viewing teacher transformation through the lens of cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT)

Technology-Enhanced Formative Assessment (TEFA) is an innovative pedagogy for science and mathematics instruction. The ‘Teacher Learning of TEFA’ research project studies teacher change as in-service secondary science and mathematics teachers learn TEFA in the context of a multi-year professional development programme. Applying cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) to the linked activity systems of professional development and teachers’ classroom practice leads to a model of teacher learning and pedagogical change in which TEFA is first introduced into classrooms as an object of activity, and then made useful as a tool for instruction, and then—in rare cases—incorporated into all elements of a deeply transformed practice. Different levels of contradiction within and between activity systems drive the transitions between stages. A CHAT analysis suggests that the primary contradiction within secondary education is a dual view of students as objects of instruction and of students as willful individuals; the difficulties arising from this can either inhibit or motivate TEFA adoption.

Technology-enhanced English Language Writing Assessment in the Classroom

Technology-enhanced formative assessment integration in classrooms transforms traditional teaching, learning and assessment. This paper introduces a pilot study as part of a three-year research project funded by China’s Ministry of Education on the use of technology-enhanced formative assessment in the classroom. Initial pilot-study results from nine elementary schools and three junior high schools showed positive writing gains with the experimental group and revealed that students became more motivated and autonomous and tended to write and revise more, and teachers switched their roles from spoon-feeding to that of a supporter and facilitator.

Factors that Affect Science and Mathematics Teachers’ Initial Implementation of Technology-Enhanced Formative Assessment Using a Classroom Response System

The purpose of this study is to uncover and understand the factors that affect secondary science and mathematics teachers’ initial implementation of Technology-Enhanced Formative Assessment (TEFA), a pedagogy developed for teaching with classroom response system (CRS) technology. We sought to identify the most common and strongest factors, and to understand the general process of how teachers adopt TEFA. We identified ten main hindering factors reported by teachers, and found that time limitations and question development difficulties are reported as the most problematic. In this paper we provide five vignettes of teachers’ initial implementation experiences, illustrating different courses that TEFA adoption can follow. We classify our ten factors into four groups: contextual factors that directly hinder teachers’ attempts to implement TEFA (extrinsic type I); circumstances that affect teachers’ teaching in general (extrinsic type 0); gaps that teachers have in the knowledge and skills they need to adopt TEFA (intrinsic type I); and ways of being a teacher that describe teachers’ deeper perspectives and beliefs, which may be consonant or dissonant with TEFA (intrinsic type II). Finally, we identify four general categories that describe the teachers’ initial TEFA implementation.

Technology-Enhanced Formative Assessment: A Research-Based Pedagogy for Teaching Science with Classroom Response Technology

Classroom response systems (CRSs) are a promising instructional technology, but most literature on CRS use fails to distinguish between technology and pedagogy, to define and justify a pedagogical perspective, or to discriminate between pedagogies. Technology-enhanced formative assessment (TEFA) is our pedagogy for CRS-based science instruction, informed by experience and by several traditions of educational research. In TEFA, four principles enjoin the practice of question-driven instruction, dialogical discourse, formative assessment, and meta-level communication. These are enacted via the question cycle, an iterative pattern of CRS-based questioning that can serve multiple instructional needs. TEFA should improve CRS use and help teachers “bridge the gap” between educational research findings and practical, flexible classroom strategies for science instruction.

Teacher Learning of Technology Enhanced Formative Assessment

This study examined the integration of technology enhanced formative assessment (FA) into teachers’ practice. Participants were high school physics teachers interested in improving their use of a classroom response system (CRS) to promote FA. Data were collected using interviews, direct classroom observations, and collaborative discussions. The physics teachers engaged in collaborative action research (AR) to learn how to use FA and CRS to promote student and teacher learning. Data were analyzed using open coding, cross-case analysis, and content analysis. Results from data analysis allowed researchers to construct a model for knowledge skills necessary for the integration of technology enhanced FA into teachers’ practice. The model is as a set of four technologies: hardware and software; methods for constructing FA items; pedagogical methods; and curriculum integration. The model is grounded in the idea that teachers must develop these respective technologies as they interact with the CRS (i.e., hardware and software, item construction) and their existing practice (i.e., pedagogical methods, curriculum). Implications are that for teachers to make FA an integral part of their practice using CRS, they must: 1) engage in the four technologies; 2) understand the nature of FA; and 3) collaborate with other interested teachers through AR.