TEACHERS' CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT FEEDBACK AND STUDENT MOTIVATION: A LITERATURE REVIEW

The paper is a literature review,aiming to examine the relationship between teachers' classroom assessment feedback and student motivation. Previous studies have been mainly focused on how each of the two has influenced students' performances and achievement. However, according to the theoretical framework proposed by Brookhart (1997), it has been suggested that teachers' feedback may influence student motivation first, which, in turn, may have an impact on students' performances and achievement. Therefore, this paper first examines the nature and different types of feedback, and then gives a summary and critique of research studies on the relationship between teachers' feedback and student motivation. Areas that deserve further study are also indicated.

Using Classroom Assessment to Promote Self-Regulated Learning and the Factors Influencing Its(In)Effectiveness

The present study adopts a mixed method design to investigate the effect of seven classroom assessment(CA)features on student self-regulated learning(SRL)and further explored factors that influenced the effect.Twelve teachers and their students(valid data points tallying 630)from three Chinese high schools participated in the study.Structural equational modelling results showed that the CA features had varied impacts.Specifically,self-assessment most effectively enhanced SRL,followed by teacher instruction and structured guidance,then teacher feedback;assessment task and student choice had mixed impacts.Peer-assessment and CA environment reduced SRL.Five influencing factors were revealed through both teacher and student interviews,namely,student engagement with the assessment task,student dependence on authority,prospective gains in the gaokao,intractable motivation and learning approach,and student-teacher relationship.The research has practical implications for SRL promotion.

A Comparative Study of Pre-Service Teachers’ Views on Ethical Issues in Classroom Assessment in China and the United States

The purpose of this study was to compare pre-service teachers’views of ethical issues in assessment practices in the US and China.Focus group interviews were conducted among 16 pre-service teachers from the US and 15 pre-service teachers from China.Results indicated that the inclusion of effort in grading is a key issue for the pre-service teachers in both the US and China.American pre-service teachers have more consistent views with experts regarding using multiple assessment methods and communications about grading.Pre-service teachers in both countries appeared to have consistent views with experts regarding the confidentiality and standardized test preparation.The findings of this study can help build guidelines regarding ethical issues in classroom assessment.

A Qualitative Examination of Classroom Assessment in Chinese High Schools from the Perspective of Self-Regulated Learning

The present study is set in the context of ongoing educational reform that advocates fostering self-regulated learners and using assessment to improve learning.Drawing on existent research on classroom assessment(CA)and self-regulated learning(SRL),the authors have formulated a conceptual framework outlining the CA features that promote SRL among students.Guided by this framework,the 12 high school teachers’CA practice was scrutinized to find out to what extent their CA was pro-SRL.Based on interview data and classroom observation,gaps were found in Chinese high school teachers’CA.First,CA tasks are primarily low-level closed-end problems,with rare exceptions.Second,students are not allowed much autonomy in CA.Third,self-assessment practice is mostly self-grading.Fourth,peer-assessment is uncommon and mainly involves simply marking peers’work.Fifth,teacher feedback is focused on task and process levels;regulation-level feedback is less common.Sixth,despite teachers’encouragement,most students feel threatened by CA.

Scoring and Consequential Validity Evidence of Computer-and Paper-Based Writing Tests in Times of Change

Little is known about how the assessment modality,i.e.,computer-based(CB)and paper-based(PB)tests,affects language teachers’scorings,perceptions,and preferences and,therefore,the validity and fairness of classroom writing assessments.The present mixed-methods study used Shaw and Weir’s(2007)sociocognitive writing test validation framework to examine the scoring and consequential validity evidence of CB and PB writing tests in EFL classroom assessment in higher education.Original handwritten and word-processed texts of 38 EFL university students were transcribed to their opposite format and assessed by three language lecturers(N=456 texts,152 per teacher)to examine the scoring validity of CB and PB tests.The teachers’perceptions of text quality and preferences for assessment modality accounted for the consequential validity evidence of both tests.Findings revealed that the assessment modality impacted teachers’scorings,perceptions,and preferences.The teachers awarded higher scores to original and transcribed handwritten texts,particularly text organization and language use.The teachers’perceptions of text quality differed from their ratings,and physical,psychological,and experiential characteristics influenced their preferences for assessment modality.The results have implications for the validity and fairness of CB and PB writing tests and teachers’assessment practices.