31 research outputs found
To feed back or to feed forward? : Students' experiences of and responses to feedback in a Finnish EFL classroom
No full textGood feedback is a powerful element in learning. Ultimately, however, the impact feedback has on learning depends on how the learner responds to that feedback. So far, foreign or second language studies on feedback have mainly concentrated on different methods of error correction, not on students’ responses to feedback in general. This study aims to find out what students thought of the feedback they had received in their EFL studies. Furthermore, the study seeks to discover students’ different responses to that feedback. The data was gathered using a web-based questionnaire filled out by 140 students. The students, aged 17–19, were all from a single Finnish upper secondary school. The data was analysed mainly quantitatively. The results show that although students were primarily content with their feedback, they wanted more guiding feedback, i.e. more feed forward. They also wanted more personalised feedback as well as feedback that takes place during the learning process, and not only after it. In addition, the varimax-rotated principal component analysis brought out four different responses to feedback. The results indicate that feedback should be more differentiated to support and empower students in their EFL learning better.peerReviewe
The power of assessment : What (dis)empowers students in their EFL assessment in a Finnish upper secondary school?
No full textAssessment wields a great deal of power over students. Yet, there is little research on how students, either in general or as individuals, experience assessment. Therefore, this study aimed to explore what disempowers or empowers students in EFL assessment. A total of 146 students from one Finnish upper secondary school answered a questionnaire on assessment and feedback in their EFL studies. The study utilises mixed methods: primarily, the questionnaire data was analysed quantitatively (principal component analysis, step-wise regression analysis), secondarily, qualitative data and analysis were also used. The analyses showed that students reacted to assessment in highly individual ways. While many students appreciated assessment, a significant minority found assessment disempowering. Assessment caused them considerable anxiety and they did not consider assessment methods good and versatile enough. Furthermore, feedback played a role in assessment disempowerment. Therefore, EFL assessment and feedback methods should be more versatile in order to also cater for those students who currently may feel disempowered by assessment.peerReviewe
Kansapuheen rajat poliittisen mielikuvituksen meressä
No full textKuriton kansa : poliittinen mielikuvitus vuoden 1905 suurlakon ajan Suomessa / Anu-Hanna Anttila, Ralf Kauranen, Olli Löytty, Mikko Pollari, Pekka Rantanen & Petri Ruuska. Tampere : Vastapaino, 2009
Can a cheat sheet in an EFL test engage and empower students?
No full textAlthough occasionally used in language classrooms, cheat-sheet tests have not been explored in foreign or second language education research. This study experimented with cheat-sheet tests in the teaching of EFL in a Finnish upper secondary school. The participants, 101 students, could make a cheat sheet for the grammar part of their English test. A total of 92 students prepared the cheat sheet, nine did not. Students’ cheat sheets, test results and comments constituted the data for this study, analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively. The existence of the cheat sheet and its quality (thorough, good or limited) correlated with the grammar test results: students with a thorough cheat sheet scored slightly higher points on average than other groups. Even though the cheat sheet did not markedly improve their test results, the majority of students felt that it had improved their learning and studying. Some students also reported reduced test anxiety.
Guiding and assessing development of L2 writing process : the role of peer collaboration
No full textThis study, informed by Vygotskian notion of mediation and reporting on a partnership between a researcher (the first author) and a teacher (the second author), aims at exploring how peers’ comments can inform teacher assessment and guidance of learners’ L2 (second/foreign language) writing. The participants were 19 L2 English learners in an upper secondary school in Finland. We largely focus on the notes that one pair of learners made on each other’s essays and how they responded to peer assistance. Triangulating these data with classroom observation and a questionnaire, we traced how learners co-constructed their understanding of how their texts can be developed. The foci and how the identified issues were addressed were similar within the groups but varied across them. The innovativeness of the activity lies in (1) the dialectical teacher-researcher partnership in which it was designed and which informed the analysis, simultaneously serving as teachers’ assessment of learners’ writing; (2) the learner notes serving as a source of information for the teacher and as a persistent mediational means for the learners. We discuss the findings with reference mediation and the dialectics of teaching, learning, and assessment, focusing on how teachers can use the information obtained from such notes.peerReviewe
Disempowering assessment?
No full textAssessment has a great deal of power over students. However, there is little
research on how students experience assessment and its power in the school
context. The purpose of this mixed-methods study is therefore to examine how
students in one Finnish upper secondary school experienced assessment and
(dis)empowerment in their EFL studies. The present study, which situates itself
within the realm of teacher research, also aims to experiment with alternative
assessment methods in order to investigate whether they could foster
empowerment in upper secondary EFL studies. The study comprises five articles
and a monograph, and is divided into two parts, each with its own research aims.
Part 1 and its three articles focus on students’ experiences of assessment and
(dis)empowerment and explore what factors might predict disempowerment in
assessment. In addition, Part 1 focuses on feedback as well as stress and test
anxiety in connection with high-stakes testing as possible predictors of
disempowerment. The data for these articles was gathered in March 2014 by
means of a web-based questionnaire. The aim of Part 2 is to explore whether less
traditional assessment methods could promote students’ empowerment in
assessment. The first article in Part 2 focuses on cheat-sheet tests as a way of
engaging and empowering students. The second article explores individual choice
in corrective feedback. These teaching experiments took place in six upper
secondary groups in 2013-2016. The third study in Part 2 is a monograph
describing an earlier portfolio programme in EFL teaching.
The present study shows that although most students were quite satisfied
with the assessment in their EFL studies, a significant minority of students found
the assessment disempowering. Several factors, such as inadequate or unhelpful
feedback or stress and anxiety caused by assessment, predicted assessment
disempowerment. However, students seemed to react to assessment as well as to
these factors in a highly individual way. Furthermore, although the alternative
assessment methods investigated in the teaching experiments proved useful and
also empowering additions to the EFL assessment repertoire, students experienced
them in different ways. There should therefore be a range of assessment methods
to cater for different assessment purposes as well as for students’ different learning
strategies, needs and personalities.unknown accessibilityei tietoa saavutettavuudest
”Mitä pitäisi kehittää ja miten?” : lukiolaisten kokemuksia arvioinnista ja sen menetelmistä englannin opinnoissa
No full textOpiskelija-arvioinnilla on merkittävä asema kaikkialla koulumaailmassa, niin myös suomalaisessa lukiossa. Vaikutusvaltaisesta roolistaan huolimatta arviointia ja sen käytännön toteutusta lukiossa tai lukion kieltenopetuksessa on tutkittu niukasti. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tutkia kyselylomakkeen avulla, kuinka lukiolaiset (146 lukiolaista yhdestä koulusta) itse kokivat arvioinnin osana englannin opintojaan, millaisia arviointimenetelmiä he olivat kohdanneet ja mitä niistä he pitivät hyödyllisinä. Tämän tutkimuksen perusteella opiskelijat arvostivat arviointia, jonka he kokivat osuvan varsin oikeaan ja olleen melko monipuolista. Arviointi ei kuitenkaan ohjannut heitä eteenpäin kovinkaan paljon. Lisäksi opiskelijoiden henkilökohtaiset kokemukset arvioinnista vaihtelivat huomattavasti. Jotta arviointi palvelisi vielä useampia opiskelijoita, sen tulisi olla entistä monipuolisempaa ja ohjaavampaa.Student assessment has a powerful role in all educational contexts, also in the Finnish upper secondary school. Yet, in spite of its powerful role, there is rather little research on assessment and its practical implementation in foreign language teaching in upper secondary school. The aim of this study was to examine, with a questionnaire, how students (n = 146) in one upper secondary school experienced assessment as part of their English studies, what assessment methodology they had encountered and what they thought of the usefulness of these assessment methods. The article shows that most students appreciated assessment and found it accurate as well as quite varied in its methodology. However, assessment did not seem to feed forward very much. Furthermore, students’ individual experiences of assessment varied a great deal. In order for assessment to serve more students, it should be more multifaceted and guiding.peerReviewe
"This is my portfolio" : portfolios in upper secondary school English studies
No full textThis qualitative case study describes a portfolio programme in the teaching of
English as a foreign language in two Finnish upper secondary schools. Approximately 100 students participated in the portfolio programme, whose topic area was culture.
Firstly, the purpose of this action research was to try out and develop portfolios in foreign language teaching as a pedagogical innovation. Secondly, the
aim was to foster students' empowerment, i.e. their active and responsible
role in learning. Thus, the primary research interests were twofold: How did
the portfolio programme proceed and progress? Did the portfolio programme
foster the students' empowerment?
The present report is divided into three parts. Part I presents the theoretical framework, Part II describes and evaluates the process of the portfolio
programme and Part III introduces and analyses different portfolio profiles
and portraits emerging from the data.
The results were promising. A great majority of the students both liked the
portfolio approach and took charge of their learning. Thus, the portfolio seemed
to offer a vehicle for students' empowerment. However, there were also some
students who disliked the portfolio course. They found the topic area uninspiring and the student-centred and self-directed approach inefficient, difficult or unsuitable for themselves.unknown accessibilityei tietoa saavutettavuudest
Daunting, reliable, important or “trivial nitpicking?” Upper secondary students’ expectations and experiences of the English test in the Matriculation Examination
No full textThe Matriculation Examination, the school-leaving exam taken towards the end of upper secondary education, is the only high-stakes examination in the Finnish school system. As the exam may have a strong impact on the students’ further education opportunities, it evokes various feelings and thoughts in students. Yet, there is little research on these reactions. This article, based on a mixed-methods approach, sheds light on students’ expectation and experiences of the English test in the Matriculation Examination. A total of 142 second- and third-year students from one upper secondary school shared their views on the possible washback effect and test anxiety caused by the exam. Also, the students expressed their ideas and experiences of the validity, reliability and fairness of the test. Although the test did not seem to cause excessive washback, it caused significant stress and anxiety. Furthermore, students seemed rather critical of its validity and reliability
