Abstract
Nowadays, we can see reading accounts for a large proportion in some large-scale English tests in China and abroad, such as CET-4, CET-6, TEM-4, GRE, IELTS, and TOEFL. Many studies show that a considerable number of Chinese students can get high marks but they have never developed true reading skills and one of the major reasons is that they lack adequate effective reading. How to combine reading and writing effectively in teaching has become an important research field in EFL teaching in China. This study adopts a comparative way, in which two freshman English major classes with similar motivation, proficiency, sex distribution and taught by the same teacher will be engaged. Class A, where formative evaluation is practiced, is the experimental group and Class B with the conventional assessment is the control group. The data elicited from interviews, observation and students’ portfolios are used for qualitative analysis and the data from questionnaire and reading tests are used for quantitative analysis by using the software SPSS 16.0. The results thus obtained show that the application of formative evaluation to reading-writing model is of great significance in anchoring learners’ identity and improving students’ self-management of learning in that it is the students who can tell the teacher what they have learned and what they are learning.
This project is financially supported by the Humanities and SocialScience Department, Ministry of Education, P. R. China during 2009–2012 (project code: 09YJA740054) and by the Education Department of Zhejiang Province during 2009–2012 (project code: yb09064).
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Appendices
Appendix A
Appendix B. Questionnaire on Reading Strategy
6.2.1 Part A Background Information
Appendix C. Semi-Constructed Interview Questions
6.3.1 At the Beginning of the Project
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Q1.
How did your teacher deal with EFL reading in your first semester?
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Q2.
How did you deal with your EFL reading and writing in the first semester?
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Q3.
Were your reading and writing improved effectively in the first semester?
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Q4.
How much do you know about formative evaluation?
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Q5.
Are you willing to take part in the new reading-writing model activities?
6.3.2 At the Middle of the Project
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Q1.
Did your teacher always give you instructions to your reading and writing?
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Q2.
Are you clear about the process of the new reading-writing model? If yes, what are the steps?
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Q3.
Did your teacher often ask you to conduct self-assessment and peer-assessment?
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Q4.
What kinds of feedback could you get from teacher assessment, peer-assessment and self-assessment?
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Q5.
What do you think of the new reading-writing model activities so far?
6.3.3 At the End of the Project
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Q1.
Do you think the new model can help you improve your reading and writing?
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Q2.
In what ways do you think formative evaluation can help you improve your learning?
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Q3.
What kinds of feedback could you get from teacher assessment, peer-assessment and self-assessment?
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Q4.
How do you think of your portfolio? What are the advantages and disadvantages of portfolio?
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Q5.
Did you gain some confidence in your EFL learning?
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Q6.
Is there something else you would like to say about the new reading-writing model?
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Yang, H., Zhou, H., Zhao, Y. (2013). Investigating the Consequences of the Application of Formative Evaluation to Reading-Writing Model. In: Zhang, Q., Yang, H. (eds) Pacific Rim Objective Measurement Symposium (PROMS) 2012 Conference Proceeding. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-37592-7_6
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