Self-assessment for Learning

• Mats Oscarson University of Gothenburg, Sweden The development of students’ ability to reflect on and self-assess their learning must be considered a key educational goal. Some major rationales for this position are, briefly: •Recent learning theories suggest that self-assessment is an important metacognitive skill which plays a definite role in learning. •Research indicates that the goal is relevant in that students have often proved capable of judging their learning progress and achievement levels fairly reliably. •Modern democratic, collaborative and socioculturally oriented teaching and learning methodologies call for active participation by the students themselves in the monitoring and evaluation of their own learning. •There is a growing need in many societies for the development of life-long learning skills among citizens. As a result, experience with self managed forms of learning and assessment is becoming increasingly important, both in and out of school. In my presentation I will comment on these arguments for the use of learner self-assessment (SA) in language education. I will pay special attention to research evidence and to the issue of how the approach may be realised both in regular schooling and beyond (i.e. “the real world”). Examples are given which illustrate the nature and possible functions of various forms of self-regulated assessment, primarily in the field of foreign and second language learning. I identify possible stages of development and also describe a way in which self-assessment has been used as an organic element in large-scale testing and diagnosis of language ability. Problems often associated with the implementation of SA in the classroom are brought up and discussed. Finally I will try to make an overall estimate of the possible role and significance of SA philosophy in the sphere of language learning, taking into account the large and inevitable variability of factors that govern the achievement of goals across different educational systems.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Språk och litteratur -- Studier av enskilda språk (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Languages and Literature -- Specific Languages (hsv//eng)

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Didaktik (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Didactics (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

language education

language assessment

language testing

student self-assessment

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)