ICT Tools for Effective Formative Assessment in Fostering Learning How to Learn Skills

2018 Fiscal Year Research-status Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K00790
• Research Institution: Bunkyo University
• Principal Investigator: 福田 スティーブ利久 文教大学, 教育学部, 准教授 (90536129)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): ポープ クリストファー・ジョン 徳島文理大学, 大学共同利用機関等の部局等, 講師 (10792301) ; LANDER BRUCE 松山大学, 人文学部, 准教授 (30792840)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: Formative Assessment / ICT Tools / Language Learning

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

Our proposalconsisted of 3 components. The first was a preliminary investigation of advanced and successful formative assessment practices using ICT tools. Second, we planned international conference attendance of educational technology and assessments. Finally, we proposed investigations of best practices through university visitations. Our investigations did lead us to a step closer in answering our research questions. This inevitably will lead to our overall objective or creating a user-friendly website that assists language instructors in effective formative assessment practices. These different tools that can be used in EFL classrooms will assist instructors in more effective formative assessment practices to foster LHL skills.

Current Status of Research Progress

2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.

Reason

We were only able to conduct university visitations in European universities. This being that we were not able to find universities in Asia and the USA in which Formative Assessment was effectively practiced using ICT tools. This of course warrants further investigation which we plan to conduct this year. Nevertheless, our European visit did provide us with information, human connections, and ideas to use in pursuing our current study.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

We did lack the gathering of information for best practices in Asia which we plan to work more on during the second stage as well. However, in our literature review we were not able to include advanced practices of using ICT tools for formative assessment in learning contexts in Asia, Europe, and the USA. This is largely in part due to the unavailability of literature review or which we feel is the lack of practices using ICT technology for authentic formative assessment. This could be a good thing in that it gives more meaningfulness for our study.

Causes of Carryover

While developing the aggregator of ICT tools for Formative Assessment in EFL, pilot studies will be conducted using tools to test feasibility in EFL classrooms at different levels while simultaneously building a global network through international conference attendance and presentations. Data from pilot studies will consist of how long, how often, and for what purposes the tools were used. This information along with easy instructor manuals will be made available on the website using software.