Assessment for/as Learning in Hong Kong English Language Classrooms: A Review

Multiple conceptualizations of the interrelation between assessment andlearning yield three notions of assessment: assessment of learning,assessment for learning, and assessment as learning. This paper aims atuncovering roles and obstacles of assessment for learning and assessment aslearning in English language classrooms in Hong Kong. Grounded upon thetheory of constructivism and the notion of learner autonomy, assessment forlearning and assessment as learning play vital roles in supporting students’learning and nurturing autonomous learners in English language classroomsin Hong Kong, respectively. In particular, assessment for learning providesstudents with achievement targets prior to assessments, communicatesassessment results with students by means of descriptive feedback, andguides teachers’ future lesson planning whilst assessment as learning equipsstudents with abilities to set personal learning goals, monitor their ownlearning process, and conduct self-assessment in the course of learning. Forall their desirability and perceived pedagogical efficacy, seldom are thesetwo assessment practices operationalized in the implemented curriculum inEnglish language classrooms, where assessment of learning prevails; suchactualities can largely be attributable to local teachers’ lack of motivation tomodify their existing assessment practices out of their conservativeconceptualization of assessments, low metacognitive awareness as well aslevel of English proficiency of local students, and large class sizes in localclassrooms, which are construed as local contextual factors hinderingimplementation of the two assessment practices. The aforementionedobstacles ought to be overcome so that the two assessment practices can bepromoted and implemented in local English classrooms in distinct year levelsfor the sake of students’ language learning.

کلیدواژه ها:

language assessment ، assessment for learning ، assessment as learning