Innovation in Language Learning

This experimental study aimed to investigate the effect of formative assessment and remedial teaching on the EFL learners’ listening comprehension. The participants of the study were 34 intermediate students-12 males and 22 females- who were selected from early total of 60 students after taking the Oxford Placement Test as an English language proficiency test. Having taken the test, they were randomly divided into two groups of control and experimental. Students in both experimental and control groups took part in a listening pre-test (PET) and then during eighteen sessions listened to audiotapes of Expanding Tactics for Listening. The students in the experimental group were given a quiz every four sessions followed by remedial teaching. Following the treatment, both groups took part in a listening post-test. An ANCOVA was run not only to compare the performance of both experimental and control groups after the treatment period but also to show whether post-test differences were due to treatment- formative assessment and remedial teaching- effect or their differences in pre-test. The results of ANCOVA revealed that formative assessment and remedial teaching has a significant effect on the listening comprehension of intermediate EFL learners. The results of the present study could help course book designers, educational planners, material developers, foreign language schools, and teachers to make required adaptations to facilitate learning and improving different language skills and as a result benefit students with varying capabilities.

Key words: Formative assessment, Remedial teaching, Listening skill