Using Formative Assessment in a Blended EFL Listening Course: Student Perceptions of Effectiveness and Challenges

Using Formative Assessment in a Blended EFL Listening Course: Student Perceptions of Effectiveness and Challenges

Thi Thanh Thao Tran, Qing Ma
Copyright: © 2021 |Pages: 22
DOI: 10.4018/IJCALLT.2021070102
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Abstract

This paper explores how a formative assessment-based blended English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) listening course affects students' perceptions of their listening performance and what difficulties they may encounter during the course. The study was carried out at the Hue University of Foreign Languages in Vietnam. Sixty students majoring in English took part in this study. A 5-point Likert-scale questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to collect the data. The results show that the students positively perceived the use of online formative assessment in blended language classrooms. The findings suggest that the online learning platform supported learners in experiencing rich online learning resources, actively engaging a flexible, personalised learning environment and effectively practicing their listening skills. Regarding difficulties, the lack of technical skills, and anxiety related to social communication strategies were perceived as common challenges that limit learner engagement in the peer-feedback activity and in the collaborative learning community.
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Introduction

In recent years, online and blended learning have been increasingly popular in higher education, expediting the development of online learning and distance programmes (Garrison & Vaughan, 2008). Online formative assessment in this study is defined as a wide range of non-graded assessment methods that are used by teachers to focus on the details of student performance, learning efforts and academic achievement during a lesson, unit or course,such as qualitative feedback, portfolios and non-graded quizzes or tests (Huyta, 2010). Much recent research has investigated the transformation from in-class to online formative assessment in a number of subject fields, including science (Baleni, 2015), Media Arts (McCarthy, 2017), and various technology-related subjects (Nguyen, 2017), but little attention has been paid to the field of language. In addition, technology advance has popularised blended learning, a mixed mode of online and face-to-face learning, in language courses. This study aims to explore the way EFL learners perceive the impact of online formative assessment in a blended listening course. Given the difficulty and complex skills involved in developing students’ listening, this study may shed light on how learner listening skills could be effectively improved with the assistance of formative assessment, as well as provide practical guidance to help teachers plan and deliver their blended listening course more efficiently. This exploratory study is guided by the following two research questions:

  • 1.

    What are the learners’ perceptions of the impact of online formative assessment on their listening practice in an EFL blended course?

  • 2.

    What are the difficulties that students may encounter during the implementation of a formative assessment–based blended listening course?

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