uam research seminar 21 march
DESCRIPTION
UAM Research Seminar 21 MarchTRANSCRIPT
Assessment for Learning and Motivation in Bilingual Primary
Classrooms
Presenter: Rachel Lofft Basse
Thesis Director: Dra. Rachel Whittaker
UAM Research Seminar on CLIL
March 21, 2012
Research Aims
1. To observe and analyze assessment techniques present in classes that implement Assessment for Learning (AfL) and traditional summative assessment.
2. To determine whether presence of AfL techniques leads to an increase in L2 motivational features and whether this leads to increased student motivation.
Summative vs. Formative Assessment
Assessment of Learning Summative Assessment
Assessment for Learning Formative Assessment
Occurs at end of academic unit or year
Summative review on everything that students have learned.
Usually written: test, quiz, exam
Feedback in form of a mark, error correction.
Occurs on an ongoing basis throughout the academic year.
Students set short term goals and are facilitated by teacher in order to achieve these goals.
Can be based on a variety of sources (teachers questions, portfolios, written work)
No grades or scores given. Plenty of oral feedback, peer correction, self-correction
Shohamy, 2005 Black and Wiliam, 1998
Features of Assessment for Learning (AfL)
AfL Establishing
Clear Learning
Objectives
Effective Questioning Techniques
Feedback
Self-Correction
Peer-Correction
AfL in Action
Traffic Lights
Two Stars And a Wish
WALT and WILF
RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
1. Do teachers who implement Assessment for Learning use more second language learning motivational techniques than non-AfL teachers?
2. Do students in Assessment for Learning classes feel more motivated than students who encounter traditional summative assessment practices?
Participants and Data Participants:
Two bilingual teachers, one who was an AfL expert and the other who employed summative assessment.
Two Year 5 classes (students aged 10-11) with approximately 22 students in each class
Data Collected Description Corpus of Classroom Recordings Four 45 minute Citizenship classes
taught in English, Two Afl and Two non-AfL classes Totaling 18,641 words
Student motivational surveys Administered to all AfL and non-AfL students at the end of the unit
Student Motivational Interviews Three selected lower achieving students, end of unit
Teacher Interviews Biographical information, assessment techniques used, assessment beliefs
Why Motivation?
“Learning a second language is a longitudinal process and there is nothing more important than motivation in sustaining this long-term goal” (Dörnyei and Guilloteaux, 2008)
Formative assessment introduces a new pedagogy in which the learners are actively involved in the assessment process, seeking to improve their motivation and self-esteem (Black and Wiliam, 1998)
Measuring Motivation
Instruments Motivational Orientation of Language Teaching (MOLT)
Observation Scheme (Guilloteaux and Dornyei, 2001)
Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) (Pintrich and DeGroot, 1989)
Coding Instrument: UAM Corpus Tool (O’Donnell, 2011)
MOLT Observation Scheme: Features
Teacher Discourse Signposting
Referential Questions Promoting Cooperation Promoting Autonomy
Scaffolding Establishing Relevance
Social Chat Arousing Curiosity
Stating the Communicative Purpose
Encouraging Self-Evaluation
Effective Praise Neutral Feedback
Peer and Self-Correction Classroom Applause
Activity Design Tangible Reward
Intellectual Challenge Tangible Task Product
Personalization Creative or Fantasy Element
Group and Pair Work Group Work Pair Work
(Guilloteaux and Dornyei, 2008)
AfL Teacher Non-AfL Teacher
T-Test Chi Square
Teacher Discourse
183 (51.0%) 196 (74.0%) 5.97+++ 33.78+++
Encouraging Self-Evaluation
85 (23.7%) 52 (19.6%) 1.21 1.46
Feedback 48 (56.5%) 52 (100.0%) 6.28 +++ 31.01 +++
Peer and Self-Correction
15 (17.6%) 0 (0.0%) 0.00 10.30 +++
Class Applause 22 (25.9%) 0 (0.0%) 0.00 16.03 +++
Activity Design 88 (24.5%) 13 (4.9%) 6.80 +++ 43.20 +++
Tangible Reward
0 (0.0%) 1 (7.7%) 0.0 6.84 +++
Personalization 78 (88.6%) 9 (69.2%) 1.91 + 3.57 +
Group and Pair Work
3 (0.8%) 4 (1.5%) 0.79 0.62
Totals 359 Techniques 265 Techniques
Classroom Data Results
Conclusions 1. Do teachers who implement Assessment for Learning use more
second language learning motivational techniques than non-AfL teachers?
Yes. The AfL teacher used +94 more motivational techniques during the two lessons than the non-AfL teacher. Also, these techniques were more varied throughout all four categories.
2. Do students in Assessment for Learning classes feel more motivated than students who encounter traditional summative assessment practices?
In the first part of the survey, non-AfL students demonstrated more motivation in categories of self-efficacy, cognitive strategies and intrinsic value. However, in the second part of the survey, AfL students demonstrated more internal motivation than non- AfL students.
Current Research Extending corpus to include four schools, more subjects
and many more units.
Investigating characteristics of motivation (from the MOLT scheme) that correspond directly to formative assessment.
Integrating Autonomy and finding/ developing a framework for measurement in the classroom.
Appraisal theory- Judgment (resources for assessing behavior according to various normative principles).
Tips for Taking the First Steps 1. Develop research questions. First write some general queries
that you may have and gradually adapt them into strong questions that will have measurable results.
2. Read everything that you can about your area of interest. This will help you see what has already been done and how you can contribute research to the field.
3. Think about the corpus that you will be using to measure your research questions. You can use a corpus that is already available or start planning on how to collect your own.
4. Start writing a little bit every day, even if it’s only 15 minutes. It’s a great way to break the ice that’s not too overwhelming. Writing is a great way to develop your ideas, and you will see in time that the small pieces you have written will snowball into something bigger.
Thank You For Your Attention!!
Bibliography
Black, Paul, Dylan, Wiliam (1998). ¨Inside the Black Box: Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment¨. Phi Delta Kappan
Dörnyei, Z. & Guilloteaux, Marie J. (2008). “Motivating Language Learners: A Classroom Oriented Investigation of the Effects of Motivational Strategies on Student Motivation.” TESOL Quarterly. Vol. 42. No. 1. 55-77.
O’Donnell, Mick. (2011). UAM Corpus Tool.
Pintrich, Paul & DeGroot, Elizabeth. (1989) Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire. University of Michigan.
Shohamy, Elana. (2001) The Power of Tests: A Critical Perspective on the Uses of Language Tests. London: Longman. 1-30.
http://www.britishcouncil.org/spain-education-bilingual-project.htm