Students’ Perceptions of Involvement in the Assessment of Oral Competence in English as a Second Language

Abstract

This mixed-method study examined students’ perceptions of involvement in the assessment practice of oral competence in English in Norwegian upper secondary schools. Student involvement in assessment can be seen as a key factor when it comes to enhancing students’ learning outcome and motivation. Previous research has, however, shown that student involvement and the assessment of oral competence in English as a second language classes have been challenging. Surveys (N = 116) and two focus group interviews (N = 8) were used. The findings revealed that the students wanted to be more involved in the assessment practice. Moreover, the students saw this increased involvement as a way to enhance their oral competence in English. The students expressed uncertainty as to what they were assessed by. The implications of this study suggest that increased involvement in developing goals and criteria and more dialogue-based feedback are beneficial measures for strengthening students’ learning outcomes.

Oral skills and learner agency in the foreign language classroom

“…Indeed, as has also been pointed out in the literature, the implementation of SA needs time and effort to be effective (e.g., Sandvik & Sommervold 2021).…”

“…Several studies have reported that SA strategies may be helpful for developing learner autonomy and, therefore, beneficial for learning (e.g., Andrade, 2010;Andrade & Brookhart, 2020). However, although several studies indicate positive effects of the use of SA to promote learners' oral language skills (e.g., Andrade, 2010), there are some concerns regarding the use of SA, and teachers and students are not always convinced of their usefulness (e.g., Oscarson & Apelgren, 2011;Sandvik & Sommervold, 2021). Since teacher beliefs are important when implementing tools in the classroom, this can affect the efficacy of the method.…”

“…In fact, there are fewer studies on the assessment of oral skills in a Nordic school context (e.g., Bøhn, 2016;Borger, 2018) and very few regarding formative practices in relation to oral skills. Although FA strategies and learner autonomy are viewed as important by policy documents, methods of SA are rarely used in language classrooms (Oscarson & Apelgren, 2011;Sandvik & Sommervold, 2021). As earlier mentioned, teachers are hesitant to use SA methods as they question their efficacy and usually find them time-consuming (Oscarson & Apelgren, 2011).…”

“…The conclusion was that students were given a more active role and experienced more agency and self-regulation when having to revise their work and interact with the computer program. Similarly, Sandvik and Sommervold (2021) examined how students perceived their own involvement in FA practices of oral competencies in upper secondary schools in Norway by taking the students' perspectives. The findings revealed that understanding learning goals is central for students' learning, but also that they need assistance from the teacher in order to set learning goals for their oral competencies.…”

Assessment Value: A Systematic Literature Review on Assessment As, For and of Learning in School

“…In fact, the assessment practices carried out by teachers also do not support the implementation of AaL in the classroom (Yildirim & Biliċan-Demiṙ, 2022). However, students actually want to be directly involved in the assessment process to improve their skills (Sandvik & Sommervold, 2021). This shows the teacher's perception of AaL as less important in assessment practice even though there is a desire to apply it during the learning process among students.…”