Innovation in Language Learning

Although no specific assessment method satisfies the needs of every English language teaching and learning setting, there is consensus on the notion that assessment should be a means to enhance learning rather than an end to measure it. Various studies have demonstrated the connections between assessment and learning in the field of teaching English as a foreign language; however, there is still a gap regarding the mechanisms by means of which assessment conduces to learning. This poster provides an explanation of assessment-enhanced learning based on the correlation of three variables defined by the presenters: student knowledge of the assessment methods (SKAM), frequency of assessment activities (FAA), and peer participation in the assessment process (PPA). Using the results of a study conducted at Shantou University in 2017, the poster provides graphic analyses of data that reveal the correlation among SKAM, FAA, PPA and the learning of English as a foreign language. The first block of graphics argues that there is no direct connection between SKAM and better learning achievements whereas the second and third blocks suggest a direct correlation among high levels of FAA, PPA and better learning achievements. The first three blocks of graphics are based on data collected by means of surveys, observations and critical analyses of documents related to the learning of listening, speaking and reading of English as a foreign language; the fourth block presents results obtained from an experiment conducted to measure the impact of assessment on the learning of writing as a language skill. The poster will provide sufficient evidence to draw a conclusion that assessment has a high impact on the learning of English as a foreign language.

Keywords: assessment, English as a foreign language;