This article starts from the assumption that education is a process of "people shaping" designed to help learners extend and perhaps in some ways modify their identity while exploiting and developing their agency. This view is harmonious with the approach to language education that the Council of Europe has developed since the 1970s, and especially with its early commitment to learner autonomy and self-assessment. The approach adopted by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment (CEFR) to the description of language proficiency clearly implicates the user-learner's identity and agency, which are also central to the CEFR's companion piece, the European Language Portfolio (ELP), in which self-assessment plays a key role. The article proposes that taken together, the CEFR and the ELP imply an assessment culture in which learning and assessment are reciprocally integrated. From the perspective thus established, the authors review some current trends in language assessment and their potential impact on learner identity and learner agency, focusing in turn on self-assessment, peer assessment, teacher assessment, and large-scale testing and assessment. The article concludes by arguing that although recent developments in language assessment pay significantly more attention to the learner than was previously the case, a great deal of work remains to be done to further increase the engagement of learner agency in processes of selfassessment and peer assessment and to align them with other forms of assessment.
Den gemensamma europeiska referensramen för språk har sedan den gavs ut av Europarådet år 2001 fått allt större inflytande vad gäller språkutbildning och bedömning, främst i Europa men även i andra delar av världen. I artikeln behandlas referensramen som sådan, liksom den europeiska språkportfolio som kan ses som en didaktisk operationalisering av dokumentet. Efter inledande bakgrundsinformation, som även innehåller ett avsnitt kring diskussioner och dilemman runt referensramen, fokuseras situationen i de nordiska länderna utifrån de tre aspekter som nämns i dokumentets titel, nämligen lärande, undervisning och bedömning. Frågor om mottagande, användning och effekter behandlas från ett såväl deskriptivt som problematiserande perspektiv, baserat på skrivna källor samt upplysningar från informanter i de nordiska länderna. I texten berörs vidare aktuell utveckling och diskussion kring referensramen.Nyckelord: gemensam europeisk referensram för språk; lärande, undervisning och bedömning; europeisk språkportfolio; de nordiska länderna Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment - a nordic perspectiveAbstractSince its publication by the Council of Europe in 2001, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) has gained increasing influence, mainly in Europe but also in other parts of the world. In the current article, the Framework of Reference is focused upon, as is the European Language Portfolio that can be seen as an educational operationalization of the document. After some initial background information, including a section on discussions and dilemmas related to the CEFR, the situation in the Nordic countries is focused upon, based on the three aspects mentioned in the title of the document, namely learning, teaching and assessment. Issues related to reception, use and effects are treated from a descriptive as well as a problematizing perspective, based on written sources and reports from informants in the different countries. Further, current developments and discussion related to the CEFR are touched upon. Keywords: Common European Framework of Reference; learning, teaching and assessment; European Language Portfolio; Nordic countries
This paper presents an overview of second foreign language (SFL) education in Sweden, especially at lower secondary level. It offers a survey of the historical development of the study of other languages than English as well as a reflection over the current state of the subject. Currently, there is a shortage of research on the circumstances and conditions of the learning, teaching and assessment of the Swedish school subject Modern languages, as well as on young people's proficiency in other languages than English in Sweden. In order to contribute to a knowledge base for further research, the current paper reviews work considering the Swedish context concerning: a) frame factors, policy issues and organization of SFL studies b) attitudes towards plurilingualism and SFL motivation, c) teacher education and recruitment policies, and d) levels of attainment at the end of compulsory school. Throughout the paper, the European context is also taken into account. The paper ends with a discussion of the general status of the subject Modern languages in Swedish school and society, the fact that this subject is not mandatory , and the consistently high dropout rate that characterizes the current situation.
Purpose, The present article was built on the assumption that the form of an examination may influence learning, and may also reflect different kinds of knowledge. The aim of the study was to evaluate whether the results of an examination differ when short answer questions (SAQ) or modified essay questions (MEQ) are used. Method, Forty-nine students in the internal medicine course in Gothenburg, Sweden, performed a written examination in 2003, which included both SAQ and MEQ. Result, The correlation between the results of SAQ and MEQ was 0.59 (P < 0.001). The percentage correctly answered questions in the two types did not differ significantly. Some students had poor results in either SAQ or MEQ. Conclusion, The general outcome of the study indicates that results of SAQ and MEQ demonstrate a significant correlation. However, they may also reflect differences in mastery of the knowledge domain, which should be considered in relation to aspects of validity.
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