Authors

Assistant Professor, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz Branch

Abstract

EFL learners’ difficulty in effectively learning and using phrasal verbs and lexical collocations might be attributed to the purely product-oriented teaching and assessment techniques used in public schools. This study aimed to investigate the impact of oral questions and written quizzes as two formative assessment (FA) techniques on Iranian learners’ learning and retention of phrasal verbs and lexical collocations. The research sample comprised 75 male intermediate EFL high school students, in Marand, East Azarbaijan, Iran, who were selected out of 90 grade four students based on their performance on a Nelson Proficiency test. The three intact classes, each with 25 participants, were randomly assigned as experimental group 1 (EG1) for whom we employed oral questions, experimental group 2 (EG2) who received written quizzes, and the control group (CG) with no process-oriented assessment. After the eight-week treatment, the one-way ANOVA analysis of the three sets of scores obtained from the pre-test, the immediate post-test, and the delayed post-test revealed that EG1 and EG2 outperformed the CG supporting the facilitative role of process-oriented assessment. The findings offer pedagogical implications with regard to FA that will be discussed.

Keywords

Ager, S. (2007). Learning vocabulary. Retrieved from http://www.omniglot.com/language/ vocab.htm
Airasin, P. W., & Russel, M. K. (2008). Classroom assessment. NewYork: McGrawn-Hill.
Andrade, H. L., & Cizek, G. J. (2010). Handbook of formative assessment. New York: Routledge.
Babaie, Z., & Nordad, N. (2014). The effect of quiz and oral questioning on vocabulary learning and retention of EFL learners. International Journal of Language, Literature and Humanities, 2(5), 253-268.
Baniabdelrahman, A. A. (2010). The effect of the use of self-assessment on EFL students’ performance in reading comprehension in English. The Electronic Journal for English as a Second Language (TESL-EJ), 14(2), 1-22.
Benjamin, A. (2008). Formative assessment for English language arts: A guide for middle and high school teachers. New York: Routledge.
Black, P., & William, D., (1998a). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in     Education, 5(1), 7-74.
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998b). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. London: London School of Education.
Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (2009).  Developing the theory of formative assessment. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 21(1), 5–31.
Brookhart, S. M. (2010). Formative assessment strategies for every classroom: An ASCD action tool. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Celce-Murcia, M. (2001). Language teaching approaches: An overview. Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language, 2, 3-10. ‏
Chang, A. C. S. (2007). The impact of vocabulary preparation on L2 listening comprehension, confidence and strategy use. System: An International Journal of Educational Technology and Applied Linguistics, 35(4), 534-550.
Doff, A. (1990). Teach English: A training course for teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Frey, N., & Fisher, D. (2007). Checking for understanding: Formative assessment techniques for your classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Frey, N., & Fisher, D. (2011). The formative assessment action plan: Practical steps to more successful teaching and learning. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Gibbs, G., & Simpson, C. (2004). Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning.  Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 1(1), 3-31.
Gholami, V., & Moghaddam, M. (2013). The effect of weekly quizzes on students’ final achievement score. International Journal of Modern Education and Computer Science, 1, 36-41.
Greenstein, L. (2010). What teachers really need to know about formative assessment. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Hashemzadeh, M. (2012). The effect of exercise types on EFL learners’ vocabulary retention. Theory and Practice in Language Studies Academy Publisher, 2(8), 1716-1727.
Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81–112.
Heritage, M., Kim, J., Vendlinski, T., & Herman, J. (2009). From evidence to action: A seamless process in formative assessment? Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 28(3), 24-31.
Irons, A. (2008). Enhancing learning through formative assessment and feedback. New York: Routledge.
Long, M. (1983). Does second language instruction make a difference? A review of the research. TESOL Quarterly, 17, 359-382. 
Long, M. (1996). The role of linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In W. Ritchie, & T. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 413-468). San Diego: Academic Press.
Marshall, B. (2011). Testing English: Formative and summative approaches to English assessment. London: Continuum International Publishing.
Marzano, R. J. (2009). Formative versus summative assessments as measures of student learning. In T. J. Kowalski, & T. J. Lasley (Eds.), Handbook of data-based decision making in education (pp. 259-271). New York: Routledge.
Morris, S., & Stanton, A. (1998). The Nelson proficiency workbook. New York: Longman.
Moss, C. M., & Brookhart, S. M. (2009). Advancing formative assessment in everyday classroom: A guide for the instructional leaders. Alexandria, VA: ASCD Publications.
National Education Association of the United States. (2003). Balanced assessment: The key to accountability and improved student learning. Washington, DC: Amazon. 
Nicol, D. J., & Macfarlane-dick, D. (2005). Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 199-218. Doi.org/10.1080/03075070600572090.
Ng, S. M. (2008). Formative assessment and effective teaching and learning: Consolidating gains from Singapore, Brunei and Hong Kong. Assessment and Learning, 2, 101-137.  Retrieved from http://wlts.edb.hkedcity.net/filemanager/file/AandL2chapter/A&L2_(10) %20%20NgSeokMoi.pdf.
Pourverdi, V. F. (2013). Effect of self-assessment on Iranian EFL learners’ reading skill and vocabulary Knowledge. International Research Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences, 4(3), 676-680.
Qu, W., & Zhang, C. (2013). The analysis of summative assessment and formative assessment and their roles in college English assessment system. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 4(2), 335-339.
Ravitz, J. (2002). Using technology to support ongoing formative assessment in the classroom. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 11(3), 293-296.
Regier, N. (2012). Focus on student learning-instructional strategies series: 60 formative assessment strategies. Retrieved from http://www.stma.k12.mn.us/documents/DW/Q_Comp/FormativeAssessStrategies.pdf.
Schmidt, R. (1994). Deconstructing consciousness in search of useful definitions for applied linguistics. In J. H. Hulstijn, & R. Schmidt (Eds.), Consciousness in second language learning (pp. 11-26). AILA Review.
Schmidt, R. (2001). Attention. in P. Robinson (Ed.), Cognition and second language instruction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Shepard, L. A. (2005). Linking formative assessment to scaffolding. Educational Leadership, 63(3), 66-70.
Shepard, L. A. (2009). Commentary: Evaluating the validity of formative and interim assessment. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 28(3), 32-37.
Tavakoli, M., & Gerami, E. (2013). The effect of keyword and pictorial methods on EFL learners’ vocabulary learning and retention. Porta Linguarum, 19, 299-316.
Torosyan, S. (2011). The impact of formative assessment on EFL learners’ vocabulary enhancement (Unpublished master's thesis). American University of Armenia, Armenia.
Nicol, D. J., & Macfarlane-dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self-regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 199-218.
Wei, L. (2011). Formative assessment in classrooms: Operational procedures. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 2(1), 99-103.
Wiliam, D., Lee, C., Harrison, C., & Black, P. (2004). Teacher developing assessment for learning: Impact on student achievement. Assessment in Education, 11(1), 49-65.
Wiliam, D. (2011). What is assessment for learning? Studies in Educational Evaluation, 37(1), 3–14.
Wiliam, D., & Thompson, M. (2007). Integrating assessment with instruction: What will it take to make it work? In C. A. Dwyer (Ed.) The future of assessment: Shaping teaching and learning (pp. 53-82). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Wren, D. G. (2008). Using formative assessment to increase learning. Department of Research, Evaluation, and Assessment, 1, 1-8. Retrieved from http://vbschools.com/accountability/ research_briefs/Research BriefFormAssmtFinal.pdf.
Yaghoobi, M., & Mashhadi, J. (2013). Probing the impact of formative testing in Iranian English language learners upon their enhancement. Journal of Basic and Applied Scientific Research, 3(2), 252-256.