Washback in Language Testing

Washback in Language Testing
Author: Liying Cheng
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2004-02-04
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1135643032

Washback refers to the influence of language testing on teaching and learning. This volume, at the important intersection of language testing and teaching practices, presents theoretical, methodological, and practical guidance for current and future washback studies. In the field of language testing, researchers' major interest has traditionally been focused on issues and solving problems inherent in tests in order to increase their reliability and validity. However, the washback effect goes well beyond the test itself to include factors, such as curriculum, teacher and learner behaviors inside and outside the classroom, their perceptions of the test, and how test scores are used. Only recently have researchers started to empirically investigate the phenomenon of washback. This volume of such research serves two essential purposes by: *providing an overview of the complexity of washback and the various contextual factors entangled within testing, teaching, and learning; and *presenting empirical studies from around the world that offer insights into the effects of washback in specific educational contexts and models of research on which future studies can be based. The extensive use of test scores for various educational and social purposes in society nowadays makes the washback effect a high-interest phenomenon in the day-to-day educational activities of teachers, researchers, program coordinators/directors, policymakers, and others in the field of education. Washback in Language Testing: Research Contexts and Methods is a valuable resource for those who are interested in the application of findings to actual teaching and learning situations or conduct washback research in their own contexts, including educational and psychological testing experts, as well as alternative assessment people in all fields, and for policy- and decision-makers in educational and testing organizations.

Assessment Reform in Education

Assessment Reform in Education
Author: Rita Berry
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2011-04-07
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9400707290

This book discusses the recent assessment movements in the eastern and western worlds with particular focuses on the policies, implementation, and impacts of assessment reform on education. A new perspective of assessment sees assessment as a means to enhance learning. This book examines the tensions, challenges and outcomes (intended and unintended) of assessment reform arising at the interface of policy and implementation, and implementation and student learning. The book reviews the experiences insights gained from research, and identifies the facilitators and hindrances to effective change. It reflects current thinking of assessment and provides the readers with ample background information of assessment development in many countries including USA, England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

English Language Assessment and the Chinese Learner

English Language Assessment and the Chinese Learner
Author: Liying Cheng
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 301
Release: 2010-03-17
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1135213879

Building on current theoretical and practical frameworks for English language assessment and testing, this book presents a comprehensive, up-to-date, relevant picture of English language assessment for students in China (Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan) and for Chinese learners of English around the world.

A Practical Guide to a Task-based Curriculum

A Practical Guide to a Task-based Curriculum
Author: Icy LEE
Publisher: City University of HK Press
Total Pages: 199
Release: 2008-05-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9629371359

This book aims to support and empower frontline ELT teachers in implementing a task-based approach systematically without losing sight of the importance of grammar teaching within the framework of tasks. Useful examples are provided to illustrate how grammar teaching can be conducted through meaningful tasks in authentic contexts. The importance of viewing assessment as an integral part of the learning, teaching and assessment cycle is also discussed with practical suggestions on developing assessment tasks and assessment assessment criteria provided. Published by City University of Hong Kong Press. 香港城市大學出版社出版。

Student Perspectives on Assessment

Student Perspectives on Assessment
Author: Dennis M. McInerney
Publisher: IAP
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2009-12-01
Genre: Education
ISBN: 160752354X

Assessment for learning is meant to engage, motivate, and enable students to do better in their learning. However, how students themselves perceive assessments (both high-stakes qualifications and low-stakes monitoring) is not well understood. This volume collects research studies from Europe, North and South America, Asia, and New Zealand that have deliberately focused on how students in primary, secondary, and tertiary education conceive of, experience, understand, and evaluate assessments. Assessment for learning has assumed that formative assessments and classroom practices would be an unqualified success in terms of student learning outcomes. Making use of a variety of qualitatively interpreted focus groups, observations, and interviews and factor-analytic survey methods, the studies collected in this volume raise doubts as to the validity of this formulation. We commend this volume to readers hoping to stimulate their own thinking and research in the area of student assessment. We believe the chapters will challenge researchers, policy makers, teacher educators, and instructors as to how assessment for learning can be implemented.

The SAGE Handbook of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment

The SAGE Handbook of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment
Author: Dominic Wyse
Publisher: SAGE
Total Pages: 1095
Release: 2015-12-03
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1473952735

The research and debates surrounding curriculum, pedagogy and assessment are ever-growing and are of constant importance around the globe. With two volumes - containing chapters from highly respected researchers, whose work has been critical to understanding and building expertise in the field – The SAGE Handbook of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment focuses on examining how curriculum is treated and developed, and its impact on pedagogy and assessment worldwide. The Handbook is organised into five thematic sections, considering: · The epistemology and methodology of curriculum · Curriculum and pedagogy · Curriculum subjects · Areas of the curriculum · Assessment and the curriculum · The curriculum and educational policy The SAGE Handbook of Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessment’s breadth and rigour will make it essential reading for researchers and postgraduate students around the world.

Making Sense of Education in Post-Handover Hong Kong

Making Sense of Education in Post-Handover Hong Kong
Author: Thomas Kwan-Choi Tse
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2016-11-10
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1317439384

Since 1997 when Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, a string of education reforms have been introduced to improve the quality of education and maintain Hong Kong’s economic competitiveness in the age of globalization. This book provides a comprehensive and critical analysis of major issues and challenges faced by the education system, ranging from pre-school to higher education. It analyses the prospects for educational development in Hong Kong. It further addresses how the Hong Kong government has responded to the perceived challenges of the external environment and internal forces and explains the rationales for the actions taken. Not only does it review how the reform initiative challenges have been dealt with, it also reviews how effective these initiatives are and its implications on future directions.

Assessing Chinese Learners of English

Assessing Chinese Learners of English
Author: Guoxing Yu
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2016-02-17
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1137449780

This volume gathers researchers from around the world endeavouring to better understand a number of perennial issues in assessing Chinese learners of English, covering topics such as students' test performances, interactional competence and lexical knowledge, students' motivation, teachers' attitudes and assessment policy changes.

International Encyclopedia of Education

International Encyclopedia of Education
Author:
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 6964
Release: 2009-04-17
Genre: Education
ISBN: 0080448941

The field of education has experienced extraordinary technological, societal, and institutional change in recent years, making it one of the most fascinating yet complex fields of study in social science. Unequalled in its combination of authoritative scholarship and comprehensive coverage, International Encyclopedia of Education, Third Edition succeeds two highly successful previous editions (1985, 1994) in aiming to encapsulate research in this vibrant field for the twenty-first century reader. Under development for five years, this work encompasses over 1,000 articles across 24 individual areas of coverage, and is expected to become the dominant resource in the field. Education is a multidisciplinary and international field drawing on a wide range of social sciences and humanities disciplines, and this new edition comprehensively matches this diversity. The diverse background and multidisciplinary subject coverage of the Editorial Board ensure a balanced and objective academic framework, with 1,500 contributors representing over 100 countries, capturing a complete portrait of this evolving field. A totally new work, revamped with a wholly new editorial board, structure and brand-new list of meta-sections and articles Developed by an international panel of editors and authors drawn from senior academia Web-enhanced with supplementary multimedia audio and video files, hotlinked to relevant references and sources for further study Incorporates ca. 1,350 articles, with timely coverage of such topics as technology and learning, demography and social change, globalization, and adult learning, to name a few Offers two content delivery options - print and online - the latter of which provides anytime, anywhere access for multiple users and superior search functionality via ScienceDirect, as well as multimedia content, including audio and video files

Useful Assessment and Evaluation in Language Education

Useful Assessment and Evaluation in Language Education
Author: John McE. Davis
Publisher: Georgetown University Press
Total Pages: 275
Release: 2018
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 1626165408

This volume, derived from papers presented at the 2016 GURT conference, seeks to explore research and examples of practice of assessment and evaluation in language education. The specific--and varied--ways in which assessment and evaluation are able to impact learning and teaching have become an important language education research concern, particularly as educators are increasingly called upon to implement these processes for improvement, accountability, or curricular development purposes. This volume is divided into three parts, each exploring a different element of the conversation around assessment: "Connecting assessment, learners, and learning"; "Innovating, framing, and exploring assessment in language education"; and "Validity evaluation."