Assessment Beliefs and Practices of Language Teachers in Primary Education

Dr. Kagan Buyukkarci

Assessment Beliefs and Practices of Language Teachers in Primary Education

Year 2014, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, - , 01.12.2013

Abstract

The use of assessment, the process of collecting information on student achievement and performance, has long been advocated so that learning cycles can properly be planned; instruction can be adjusted during the course of learning, and programs can be developed to enhance student learning. Shifting to a more pedagogical conception, the assessment moves from source of information to an inseparable part of teaching and learning. Theory and research propose that especially formative assessment can play a critical role in adjusting teaching for student learning because assessment for learning (formative assessment) provides information to be used as feedback to adjust the teaching and learning activities in which the students and teachers are engaged. This study aims to show primary school teachers’ beliefs about formative assessment. Besides, the study reveals the information about English language teachers’ real assessment practices in the primary education context. Despite course requirements, teachers’ positive beliefs and attitudes, the results of the study show that language teachers do not apply formative assessment practices as required in the national curriculum. Instead of using assessment formatively, they mostly use assessment for summative purposes

Keywords

Assessment, Formative, Summative, Language Teacher, Teacher Beliefs, Practices

References

Allal, L. & Ducrey, G. P. (2000). Assessment of-or in- the zone of proximal development. Learning and Instruction, 10, 137-152.
Assessment Reform Group (2002). Assessment for Learning: 10 research-based principles to guide classroom practice. Retrieved 7th November, 2009 from http://www.assessment-reform-group.org/CIE3.PDF
Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (1998a). Inside the black box-raising the standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80/2, 139-148.
Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (2003). ‘In praise of educational research’: formative assessment. British Educational research Journal, 29/5, 623-637.
Black, P. & Wiliam, D. (1998b). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in
Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 5/1, 7-74. Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B. & Wiliam, D. (2003). Assessment for learning: putting it into practice. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B., & Wiliam, D. (2004). Working inside the black box: assessment for learning in the classroom. Phi Delta Kappan. 86/1, 8-21.
Brookhart, S. M. (2001). Successful students’ formative and summative uses of assessment information. Assessment in Education, 8/2, 153-169.
Brookhart, S. M. (2008). How to give feedback to your students. United States.
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Retrieved December, 04, 2009 from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108019.aspx
Bryman, A. (2008). Social research methods, Oxford University Press, New York.
Burns, M. (2005). Looking at how students reason. Educational Leadership, 63/3, 26–31.
Cowie, B. & Bell, B. (1999). A model of formative assessment in science education,
Assessment in Education, 6, 101-116. Crooks, T. (2001). The validity of formative assessment. Paper presented to the British
Educational Research Association Annual Conference, University of Leeds, 13-15 September. http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00001862.htm November Retrieved 19th, 2009 from
Derrich, J. & Ecclestone, K. (2006). Formative assessment in adult literacy, language and numeracy programmes: a literature review for the OECD. Draft.
Earl, L. (2003). Assessment as learning: using classroom assessment to maximize student learning. Thousand Oaks, CA, Corwin Press.
Harlen, W. (2007). Formative classroom assessment in science and mathematics. In J.
H. McMillan. (2007). Formative Classroom Assessment: From Theory to Practice. 116
Teachers College Press. New York. Marshal, J. M. (2005). Formative assessment: mapping the road to success. Online Document. http://www.dcsclients.com/~tprk12/Research_Formative%20Assessment_White_Paper.pdf February 24th, 2009 from
Sadler, D.R. (1989). Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems.
Instructional Science, 18/2, 119-144. Shepard, L. A. (2005). Linking formative assessment to scaffolding. Educational Leadership, 63/3, 66-70.
Stiggins, R. (1992). High quality classroom assessment: what does it really mean?
NCME Instructional Topics in Educational Measurement Series, Module 12, Summer 19 (Online) at http://www.ncme.org/pubs/items/19.pdf Stiggins, R. J. (2002). Assessment crisis: the absence of assessment for learning. Online article. http://electronicportfolios.org/afl/Stiggins-AssessmentCrisis.pdf. Journal. Retrieved 4th July, 2008, from
Svihla, V. (2006). Formative assessment: reducing math phobia and related test anxiety in a geology class for non-science majors. Proceedings of the 7th international conference on learning sciences.
Taras, M. (2005). Assessment -summative and formative- some theoretical reflections.
British Journal of Educational Studies, 53/4, 466-478. Threlfall, J. (2005). The formative use of assessment information in planning – the notion of contingent planning. British Journal of Educational Studies, 53/1, 54–65.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press (M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, S. Scribner, & E. Souberman, Eds. And Trans.; original works published 1930–1935).
Wojtczak, A. (2002). Glossary of medical education terms. Retrieved 13th May, 2009, from http://www.iime.org/glossary.htm
Young, E. (2005). Assessment for learning: embedding and extending. Retrieved 5th November, http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/Images/Assessment%20for%20Learning%20version%202 vp_tcm4-385008.pdf 2009 from Turkish Abstract