magazinelogo

The Educational Review, USA

ISSN Online: 2575-7946 Downloads: 526140 Total View: 5328987
Frequency: monthly ISSN Print: 2575-7938 CODEN: TERUBB
Email: edu@hillpublisher.com
Article Open Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2021.09.005

Formative Assessment in China and Its Effects on EFL Learners’ Learning Achievement: A Meta-Analysis from Policy Transfer Perspective

Qiuxian Chen*, Huihui Li

School of Foreign Languages, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.

*Corresponding author: Qiuxian Chen

Published: September 27,2021

Abstract

Black and Wiliam’s seminal review elicited an impressive effect size (d= 0.4-0.7) for the efficacy of formative assessment, which in turn became the very foundation for the prevalence of formative assessment in theory, policy and practice around the globe. This effect size, however, has been questioned by meta-analyses from America, French and Spanish sources. With an eye on the policy transfer across borders and cultures, this paper explored, via a meta-analysis, how, if yes, the efficacy of formative assessment has been transferred in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) education area in the Chinese context. Analysis of 33 effect sizes from eligible 27 studies revealed a medium-sized positive effect of formative assessment on Chinese students’ EFL learning (0.46). Subsequent moderator analysis showed that formative assessment seemed to work better on students’ vocabulary learning (0.84) and spoken language achievement (0.65) than reading, writing and listening, and on small-sized groups (0.69) than larger ones (-0.12). Implications for pedagogy and future policy-making were derived therefrom.

References

Allal, L. and Lopez, L. (2005). Formative assessment of learning: A review of publications in French Formative Assessment (Eds.). Improving Learning in Secondary Classrooms (pp. 241-264). Paris: OECD Publication.

Bennett, R. E. (2011). Formative assessment: a critical review. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 18(1), 5-25.

Berry, R. and Adamson, B. (2011). Assessment Reform in Education. Springer Netherlands.

Black, P. and Wiliam, D. (1998a). Assessment and Classroom Learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 5(1), 7-74. 

Black, P. and Wiliam, D. (1998b). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Phi Delta Kappan, 80(2), 139-144.

Black, P. and Wiliam, D. (2018). Classroom assessment and pedagogy. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 25(6), 551-575. 

Borenstein, M., Hedges, L. V., Higgins, J. P. T., and Rothstein, H. R. (2009). Introduction to Meta-Analysis. U.K.: Wiley.

Brown, G., Gebril, A., and Michaelides, M. (2019). Teachers’ Conceptions of Assessment: A Global Phenomenon or a Global Localism. Front. Educ., 4, 16.

Carless, D. and Lam, R. (2014). Developing assessment for productive learning in Confucian-influenced settings: Potentials and challenges. In C. Wyatt-Smith, V. Klenowski, & P. Colbert (Eds.), Designing Assessment for Quality Learning (pp. 167-182). Dordrecht: Springer.

CMoE. (2001). Guidelines from the Ministry of Education for promoting primary school English [jiaoyubu guanyu xiaoxue tuixing yingyu jiaoxuekecheng de zhuyao yijian]. Basic education No. [2001] 2. Retrieved August 13, 2008 from http://www.moe.edu.cn/20010907/3000637.html (in Chinese).

CMoE. (2003). English curriculum standards for general high school students. Beijing, China: People’s Education Publishing House (in Chinese).

CMoE. (2007). College English Curriculum Requirements. Retrieved September 27, 2007, fromhttp://www.moe.edu.cn/ edoas/website18/info34295.htm (in Chinese).

Chen, Q., May, L., Klenowski, V., and Kettle, M. (2014). The enactment of formative assessment in English language classrooms in two Chinese universities: Teacher and student responses. Assessment in Education, 21(3), 271-285.

Chen, Q. (2016). Cultural appropriateness and appropriation of formative assessment in the Chinese context. Journal of Shanxi University (In Chinese), 39(3), 80-90.

Cheng, L. and A. Curtis. (2009). English language assessment and the Chinese learner. New York, NY: Routledge.

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

CPC Central Committee and State Council. (2020). The overall plan for deepening thereform of education evaluation in the new era. http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/2020-10 /13/ content_5551032.htm.

Darwish, Al, S. and Sadeqi, A. A. (2016). Reasons for College Students to Plagiarize in EFL Writing: Students’ Motivation to Pass. International Education Studies, 9(9), 99-110.

Dunn, K. E. and Mulvenon, S. W. (2009). A Critical Review of Research on Formative Assessments: The Limited Scientific Evidence of the Impact of Formative Assessments in Education. Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation, 14(7), 1-11. 

Duval, S. and Tweedie, R. (2000). A Nonparametric “Trim and Fill” Method of Accounting for Publication Bias in Meta-Analysis. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 95(449), 89-98.

Flórez, T. and Sammons, P. (2013). A literature review of assessment for learning: Effects and impact. Oxford: University of Oxford, Department of Education and CfBT.

Graham, S., Hebert, M., and Harris, K. R. (2015). Formative assessment and writing: A meta-analysis. The Elementary School Journal, 115(4), 523-547.

Han, M. and Yang, X. (2001). Educational assessment in China: Lessons from history and future prospects. Assessment in Education, 8(1), 5-10.

Hattie, J. and H. Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Education Research, 77(1), 81-112.

Huang, J. and Luo, S. (2014). Formative Assessment in L2 Classroom in China: The Current Situation, Predication and Future. Indonesian Journal of Applied Linguistics, 3(2), 113-127.

Huang, J., Luo, S., and Lin, D. (2019). A Review of Formative Assessment of Foreign Language Education in China: Review and Suggestions. Foreign Language Testing and Teaching, (03), 1-9+43.

Jin, Y. and Sun, H. (2020). Forty Years of the Theory and Practice of Language Testing in China: Retrospect and Prospect. Foreign Languages in China, 17(04), 4-11. 

Kachru, B. B. (1996). Special Issue: Distinguished Humanities Lectures II || World Englishes: Agony and Ecstasy. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 30(2), 135-155.

Kennedy, K. J. (2016). Exploring the influence of culture on assessment: The case of teachers’ conceptions of assessment in Confucian-heritage cultures. In G. T. L. Brown & L. R. Harris (Eds.), Handbook of human and social conditions in assessment (pp. 404-419). New York: Routledge.

Kingston, N. and Nash, B. (2011). Formative assessment: A meta-analysis and a call for research. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 30(4), 28-37.

Klute, M., Apthorp, H., Harlacher, J., and Reale, M. (2017). Formative assessment and elementary school student academic achievement: A review of the evidence (REL 2017-259). Washington, DC: Regional Educational Laboratory Central.

Lee, H. C., Huy Q., Zhang, Y., Abedi, J., and Warschauer, M. (2020). The Effectiveness and Features of Formative Assessment in US K-12 Education: A Systematic Review. Applied Measurement in Education, 33, 124-140.

Li, S. and Wang, H. (2018). Traditional literature review and research synthesis. In A. Phakiti, P. De Costa, L. Plonsky, & S. Starfield (Eds.), The Palgrave Handbook of Applied Linguistics Research Methodologies (pp. 123-144). London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Liu, J. and Xu, Y. (2017). Assessment for Learning in English Language Classrooms in China: Contexts, Problems, and Solutions. In H. Reinders, D. Nunan & B. Zou (Eds.), Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching: The Case of China (pp. 17-37). London: Palgrave Macmillan UK.

Min, S., He, L., and Zhang, J. (2020). Review of recent empirical research (2011-2018) on language assessment in China. Language Teaching, 53(3), 1-25.

Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., and Altman, D. G. (2009). Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. Annals of Internal Medicine, 151(4), 264-269. 

Poole, A. (2016). ‘Complex teaching realities’ and ‘deep rooted cultural traditions’: Barriers to the implementation and internalisation of formative assessment in China. Cogent Education, 3(1):1-14.

Qi, L. (2007). Is testing an efficient agent for pedagogical change? Examining the intended washback of the writing task in a high-stakes English test in China. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 14(1), 51-74.

Rea-Dickins, P. (2004). Understanding teachers as agents of assessment. Language Testing, 21(3), 249-258.

Shute, V. (2007). Focus on formative feedback (ETS Research Report RR-07-11). Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.

U.S. Department of Education. (2001). No Child Left Behind fact sheet. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. 

Xu, Y. and Harfitt, G. (2018). Is assessment for learning feasible in large classes? Challenges and coping strategies from three case studies. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 47, 1-15. 

Yin, Y. (2005). The influence of formative assessments on student motivation, achievement, and conceptual change. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.

Yuan, S. and Shu, D. (2017). Formative assessment studies in foreign language teaching in China: Review and reflection (2002-2016). Foreign Language Learning Theory and Practice, (4), 51-56.

How to cite this paper

Formative Assessment in China and Its Effects on EFL Learners' Learning Achievement: A Meta-Analysis from Policy Transfer Perspective

How to cite this paper: Qiuxian Chen, Huihui Li. (2021). Formative Assessment in China and Its Effects on EFL Learners' Learning Achievement: A Meta-Analysis from Policy Transfer Perspective. The Educational Review, USA5(9), 355-366.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2021.09.005