Australian Review of Applied Linguistics - Volume 41, Issue 1, 2018

Abstract

This paper reports on findings from an ongoing research project exploring Chinese EFL teachers’ conceptions of assessment and their classroom assessment practices, as well as to examine the relationship between these two. The sample for the study consisted of 107 EFL teachers from 18 secondary schools who completed a Chinese version of the Teachers’ Conceptions of Assessment inventory (Brown, Hui, Yu, & Kennedy, 2011) and the Classroom Assessment Practices Questionnaire modified from Assessment Practices Inventory (Zhang & Burry-Stock, 2003). This study found that Chinese EFL teachers strongly associated assessment as a means of improving students’ EFL learning’ with assessment as a means of cultivating positive moral and personal character contributing to students’ lifelong learning and good citizenship. Results also showed that although there existed some level of alignment of teaching and assessment in the classroom, traditional assessment practices rather than alternative assessment such as student self-assessment were seen by the EFL teachers as contributing to students’ learning and making individual and school accountable, which is potentially a matter of some concern if innovative assessment reform that avoids using mandated external examinations is to be carried out in the Chinese EFL classroom. Implications of the results for Chinese EFL teacher assessment literacy development are also discussed

Abstract

Foreign language programs in schools have a strong focus on the development of communicative language ability and, increasingly, assessment tasks are designed to capture communicative abilities required for real-world situations. In communicative test tasks, sociolinguistic and discourse components, which are beyond grammatical accuracy, target the abilities required to produce integrated texts that fulfil their communicative purposes. However, the majority of the work on assessment of communicative abilities has been carried out in the context of academic English, and less is known about the abilities of secondary students in foreign language teaching situations.

This study examines the outcomes of an integrated writing task designed as part of formal year 12 assessment in Japanese as a second language. It seeks to elucidate the features which differentiate students at higher and lower levels of competence, and, through a focus on content and how it is presented, it demonstrates how these aspects of competence can be observed in responses to the task. The study contributes to our understanding of the nature of communicative abilities and their assessment in a secondary education context, and it also sheds light on aspects of competence which might benefit from more targeted teaching in such settings.

Abstract

This mixed-methods study explores English and Japanese learning motivations in a group of Japanese summer course participants at a university in Hong Kong. Sixty-one Cantonese-speaking students completed two questionnaire surveys on co-existing motivations for learning L2 English and L3 Japanese. Depending on the questionnaire results, eight participants were selected to take part in the two subsequent interviews. The findings revealed that the participants perceived L2 English learning as a school subject and a practical tool for academics and career. It was instrumentality, rather than integrativeness, that motivated the students to learn English. Contrary results were found for L3 Japanese language learning, as the learners had more cultural interest, positive learning experience, self-confidence, and positive attitudes. This study, therefore, argues that L2 and L3 motivations merit distinct status. There appears to exist a dual-motivation system amongst these multilingual learners. The study also provides insights into how geographical and psychological distances could impact language learning under the phenomena of globalisation.

Abstract

Improving the teaching of invisible culture is a recognised need in the TESOL sector. While there are both scholars calling for a more nuanced focus in classrooms, and teachers willing to take this approach, there has yet been no systematic approach developed for its teaching. This paper attempts to bridge the gap between theory and pedagogical need by proposing that the Natural Semantic Metalanguage (NSM) is a useful tool in ELT through which resources for teachers and learners can be developed. In particular, it will discuss the results of a pilot study into using cultural scripts to teach cultural norms, demonstrate how they can be applied to classroom teaching situations, and discuss how materials can be developed from the theories.

This article reviews Written corrective feedback for L2 development

This article reviews Research methods in interpreting: A practical resource978-1-4411-6851-1