2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Effects of Criterion-Referenced Assessment on Motivation in EFL
| Project/Area Number |
15520346
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Foreign language education
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| Research Institution | Akita University |
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Principal Investigator |
WATANABE Watanabe Akita University, Faculty of Education and Human Studies, Associate Professor, 教育文化学部, 助教授 (20167183)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2003 – 2004
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| Keywords | criterion-referenced assessment / absolute interpretation of test scores / criteria vs.standards / motivation / educational evaluation / EFL / interviews / classroom observation |
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| Research Abstract |
The purpose of the present research was to examine whether criterion-referenced assessment (CRA) would help motivate learners learning English as a foreign language (EFTL) at Japanese junior and senior high schools. The CRA system has been implemented since 2002 at junior high schools and 2004 at senior high schools. It is commonsensical to claim that the CRA practice is superior to the NRA (norm-referenced) practice in that the former would help motivate learners, as the former would potentially provide students with a specific set of goals at each stage of learning, whereas the latter, in the absence of such goals, would help learners selfevaluate their own levels of achievement only by referring to the achievement of other learners.
The present research investigated the issue by conducting interviews, questionnaires, and classroom observations. The interviews and questionnaires that were administered to teachers indicated that teachers did understand and expect that the CRA system would motivate learners. Contrary to this expectation, however, teachers were busy establishing criteria for their own schools, which lead to failure to capitalize on the `motivating factor inherent' in the CRA system. The interviews with students also indicated that they expected the CRA system would be more motivating than the NRA in that the former would give them a greater chance to receive a grade that they would deserve according to their degree of effort. However, there was very little evidence that indicated that they were really motivated.
The present research concluded that in order to use the CRA system to motivate learners, a greater level of understanding of the system should be gained on the part of teachers and learners. It was also suggested that a certain degree of comparison among students should not be neglected even in the CRA system, if assessment is employed to motivate learners at all.
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