Relationships between Peer- and Self-Assessment and Teacher Assessment of Young EFL Learners’ Oral Presentations

Abstract

As the traditional grammar translation approach is being gradually replaced by communicative or task-based approaches, paper-and-pencil tests, commonly used in English classes in Taiwan, do not meet the course goals. Alternative assessment, known for increasing learners' cognitive and meta-cognitive development as well as empowering students to take ownership of their learning, has been practiced extensively in L1 higher education, but neglected in L2 elementary schools. Thus, the purpose of this study is to investigate how peer and self-assessment can be implemented to evaluate young EFL learners' oral presentation and how the students perceive this experience. The study was conducted in two sixth grade classes at a public elementary school in southern Taiwan. After attending a professional development workshop held by the government, a local English teacher practiced peer and self-assessment in her class so as to engage every student in class activities and also to provide an opportunity for them to reflect upon their performance. In the process, the students formed groups of six to discuss and give grades after each individual student's oral report. Three types of data sources were analyzed. The first was the evaluation rubrics from peer groups, each presenting students, and the teacher. Then, a survey, containing 16 closed-format questions and one open-ended question, was administered to elicit the students' perceptions of the assessment process. Also, an interview was done with the teacher. The results show that peer and teacher assessment had strong positive correlation, whereas self-and teacher assessment were moderately correlated. The strength of correlation also varied for each evaluation criterion. Though learners responded positively to the assessing experiences in the questionnaires, they expressed concern that some grades assigned by peers were not fair and a few group members dominated the grading process. The findings shed light on benefits of combining peer and self-assessment and suggest training should emphasize self-assessment, evaluation criteria related to content of the presentation, and students' social skills to work harmoniously in groups. Most of all, students' traditional way of learning should not be neglected.

Elementary EFL Students' Practice of Peer Assessment of Oral Classroom Activities

“…In congruence with previous studies in both L1 contexts (Topping, , ) and L2 contexts (Hung et al, ; Peng, ), the group of students in this study perceived the PA activity positively, and many, especially the fifth graders, could rate their peers as their instructor did. These results, while modest, suggest that PA provides a possible approach to evaluating English learners' speaking performance.…”

“…Hung, Samuelson, and Chen () examined 69 sixth graders' practice of PA in elementary school in Taiwan. The results showed that group ratings of the students' individual oral report were strongly correlated with the instructor's ratings, except for the criterion content of the presentation .…”

“…Because scant previous studies of PA of oral English performance in second language (L2) contexts, particularly at the elementary school level, were found, this review also covers related studies on PA of oral presentation in secondary and tertiary education. Hung, Samuelson, and Chen (2016) examined 69 sixth graders' practice of PA in elementary school in Taiwan. The results showed that group ratings of the students' individual oral report were strongly correlated with the instructor's ratings, except for the criterion content of the presentation.…”

An investigation of the validity of a speaking assessment for adolescent English language learners

“…Results from the study showed that YLLs are equally sensitive to the onscreen test features/context of the speaking test as they are to the task demands, and called for researchers' and test developers' attention to the onscreen task features that may contribute to YLLs' performances on the speaking tests. Hung et al (2016) investigated the comparability between peer, self-, and teacher assessment of young Taiwanese EFL learners' oral presentation skills as well as student and teacher perceptions of the assessment experience. Sixty-nine sixthgrade students, who were learning English in Taiwan, participated in the study.…”

The Role of Context in Young Learners’ Processes for Responding to Self‐Assessment Items

“…While such generic SAs have been readily available for teachers and are often used for young learners, more contextualized SA implementation (e.g., conducting SA immediately after a corresponding task) has gained increasing attention among teachers of young learners (Y. Butler, ; Hung, Samuelson, & Chen, ). Does the degree of context‐embeddedness of SA implementation influence young learners’ processes of responding to SA items?…”