207 / 2018-04-09 22:54:09

Classroom-based language assessment: A comparative review study

EFL classroom;,classroom-based assessment,review study,formative assessment

全体主题 > Standards in developing language assessments

Classroom-based assessment (CBA) can be defined as local assessment carried out by teachers in the classroom to gauge students’ learning. It has been advocated by educational policy in many countries because of its potential of aligning assessment to teaching and learning. Although CBA has drawn more attention recently, its applications in the foreign language classroom remain inadequate. Previous studies in CBA have focused on issues such as validity and reliability, teacher assessment literacy, CBA’s alignment with external assessment and so on. Nevertheless, there is a lack of coherence in terms of the focus and approach amongst existing studies (Hill & McNamara, 2011). To date, no research has been done to examine and analyze the previous and current research findings to accumulate knowledge in the field of CBA.

This article intends to review the CBA scholarship in the context of foreign language classrooms with an emphasis on the comparison of research in China and abroad. By reviewing SSCI and CSSCI journal articles（17 journals and 45 CBA-related articles in total）published during the past ten years, the review emphasizes the theoretical and empirical research evidence that is likely to inform foreign language CBA and learning-oriented assessment. The article first introduces the origin, definitions and characteristics of CBA. Then it elaborates on the comparison of CBA research in China and abroad in terms of definition, research focus, methodology and trends in order to locate the gap and outline the future directions. Based on a comprehensive and in-depth meta-analysis of the recent research efforts in CBA, the article identifies and examines five emerging research themes: the effectiveness of CBA, teachers’ knowledge and practices, criteria and standards, approaches to validation as well as the process of CBA, which all contribute to the reconceptualization and operationalization of the validity of CBA. A discrepancy is found both in research focus and methodology between studies carried out in China and abroad. The result reveals that the lack of consensus on the definition of validity in CBA as well as lack of consistent and appropriate criteria and standards for teachers impedes the development of CBA. Also, the ethnographic research which taps into the process of CBA is underrepresented. The review is then followed by recommendations suggesting how researchers and teachers can better develop CBA theory and advance practices both in China and abroad.