Assessment for Learning in the Chinese Context: Prospective EFL Teachers’ Perceptions and Their Relations to Learning Approach

Abstract

Abstract-This study examines how prospective EFL teachers conceive of assessment for learning (AfL) practices and how these perceptions relate to their learning approaches. The study evaluated, in three teacher training universities' in China, 692 prospective EFL teachers' responses to a self-report instrument regarding assessment for learning practices and students' learning approach. Results indicate a significant positive correlation between their perceived AfL experience and their tendency to adopt an achieving or deep approach to learning. Results also reveal that a surface approach to learning was negatively correlated to AfL experience, suggesting that in the Chinese university environment, the more AfL features incorporated into the classroom teaching and assessment processes, the less likely students adopt a surface approach to learning. This study also provides evidence of the potential differences in students' responses to AfL as a result of different institutional environments. Implications of the results for addressing potential barriers to implementation of AfL in the Chinese context are also discussed

Exploring assessment across cultures: Teachers’ approaches to assessment in the U.S., China, and Canada

“…Gu, 2006;Liu et al, 2016;Yin & Buck, 2015). Researchers have raised concerns that students in China may primarily engage in surface learning and rotememorization tactics, with little opportunity to develop critical thinking skills or confident understandings of complex content (Gan et al, 2017;Zhou & Zhang, 2014).…”

“…In recognizing the potential negative impact high-stakes testing can have on student learning, the Ministry of Education has called for a classroom assessment system that, instead of promoting transmission and rote memorization of knowledge for success on large-scale exams, encourages teachers to employ assessment practices that drive authentic learning (Chen & Brown, 2013;Jin & Cortazzi, 2006;OECD, 2011). Although large-scale exams are still primarily selection and gatekeeping mechanisms, a recent initiative sees teacher-developed classroom assessments integrated into the public examination system (Gan et al, 2017). More importantly, curricula reforms emphasize formative assessment, or Assessment for Learning (AfL) over summative assessment (i.e., assessment to summate or certify learning).…”

“…Policymakers in China articulate AfL as classroom assessment practices designed to provide feedback to teachers and students to guide teaching and learning. Further, AfL should enhance students' abilities to regulate their learning autonomously and thus includes student self-and peer assessment (Chen & Brown, 2013;Gan et al, 2017). Policymakers increasingly call for student-centered assessments, wide varieties of assessment tasks to monitor and improve learning, integration of assessment tasks with daily learning expectations, and recognition of the value of teachers' observations (Zheng, 2017).…”

Teacher–student interactions and feedback in English as a foreign language classrooms

“…The implementation of feedback practices informed by assessment for learning has been found challenging in an examination-driven system in Hong Kong (Lee & Coniam, 2013). In a Chinese context, prospective EFL teachers' perceptions of an assessment for learning experience have been connected to their tendency to adopt a deep approach to learning (Gan, Liu, & Yang, 2017). In Norwegian lower-secondary schools, a gap has been identified between EFL teachers' intentions and students' experiences of assessment for learning.…”

A Comparative Study of Problem-Based Learning and Traditional Approaches in College English Classrooms: Analyzing Pedagogical Behaviors Via Classroom Observation

“…The Guidelines recommended the use of collaborative, inquiry-based instructional methods, and approaches to enlighten and inspire students, which emphasize a transition from teacher-centered to student-centered instruction and from passive to active learning [ 3 ]. To facilitate CE learning in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts, where students usually lack exposure to the target language, researchers suggested that problem-based learning (PBL) is a practical approach to providing students with opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in meaningful contexts [ 6 ] and to foster students’ autonomous learning capability [ 7 , 8 ].…”