scholarly journals The Effect of Peer Assessment and Collaborative Assessment on Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners' Writing Ability

Author(s):  
Ghasem Aghajanzadeh Kiasi ◽  
Sona Rezaie

As an attempt to shed more light on the effectiveness of alternative assessment in second language learning, the current study sought to explore the effects of peer assessment (PA) and collaborative assessment (CA) on the Iranian intermediate EFL learners' writing ability. To fulfil the purpose of this study, 36 Iranian EFL learners studying English at Kadous English Language Institute in Rasht, Iran, were homogenized as intermediate learners based on their performance on Oxford Solutions Placement Test (OSPT). The final pool of qualified candidates was assigned to one control and two experimental groups comprising 12 learners. All the participants sat for a pretest of L2 writing so that their initial level of writing could be appraised and their homogeneity in writing could be determined. The experimental groups received treatment on English writing through utilizing PA and CA strategies. On the other hand, the control group was taught through the conventional method (i.e. teacher assessment, TA). At the end of a twelve-session experiment, a post-test measuring the effectiveness of the treatments and the participants' writing ability was administered. The results of descriptive and inferential analyses revealed a statistically significant difference among CA, PA, and TA strategies. The results also demonstrated that the CA and PA groups outperformed the control group. However, the CA group performed significantly better than the PA group. Based on the findings of this study, language teachers, materials developers, and education authorities can concentrate on employing CA as the main strategy to foster the writing ability of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. However, PA may also be utilized to teach writing where possible.

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustapha Hajebi ◽  
SeddiQ Taheri ◽  
Farhad Fahandezh ◽  
Hosain Salari

This research is done to prove the effect of web-based language learning on the vocabulary improvement of the subjects of the study and to seek the attitudes of the learners on the use of web-based approach in the language class. In order to ensure the homogeneity of the students, a modified Michigan test (version1997) was presented and students were divided into one experimental group (n1=33) who learned their course vocabularies making use of free vocabulary learning sites of IELTS English language learning site every day for 8 weeks and one control group (n2=33) who received ordinary classroom instructions each session. The result appeared to manifest that learners’ perception improve by incorporating web based instruction in language learning classroom. It also indicated a significant difference between experimental and control group with regard to their vocabulary knowledge. WBL instruction enhanced EFL learners' vocabulary knowledge. The findings of this study may offer some implications for language teaching and learning. To begin with, these findings can be beneficial for language learning curriculum designers to present tasks that enrich both the language of the students and their motivation to apply on-line web sites for autonomous learning of language.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 716 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid Reza Iraji ◽  
Mostafa Janebi Enayat ◽  
Mahyar Momeni

Alternative assessments have increasingly gained attention in L2 writing. One of the areas of research which has received much attention in the literature of ELT is the use of self- and peer-assessments and their effects on developing the writing ability of ESL/EFL learners. The purpose of this study was to find the effect of self- and peer-assessments on the argumentative writing performance of intermediate Iranian EFL learners. For this purpose, 36 intermediate EFL students were selected and homogenized based on the results of Oxford Quick Placement Test and an argumentative writing which served as the pre-test of this study. They were then randomly assigned into control and experimental groups to receive different treatments. The compositions of participants in the control group were assessed using traditional teacher-assessment while for the experimental group, self- and peer-assessments were used writing assessment. The results of post-test indicated that the use of self- and peer-assessments significantly affected the writing ability of the learners. Based on the obtained results, it was concluded that using alternative assessments for Iranian EFL students could be helpful in overcoming some of their argumentative writing difficulties. The results of this study have clear implications for both learners and teachers and other stakeholders of ELT. They can use these alternative assessments as a learning opportunity to lower the anxiety and improve the argumentative writing skill of the students. s, but they were permanently different in illocutionary acts. Finally, in terms of perlocutionary acts, the candidates were mostly intended to get the hearers know by their assertion, explanation, clarification, argumentation, etc.


Author(s):  
Wagdi Rashad Ali Bin-Hady ◽  
Abdu Al-kadi ◽  
Ali Abbas Falah Alzubi ◽  
Hassan Saleh Mahdi

This chapter reports on the Yemeni and Saudi EFL learners' use of language learning strategies (LLSs) in technology-mediated language learning contexts. The study examines whether nationality and gender play a significant role in using LLSs on electronic platforms. The study adopted a correlative design in which 100 Yemeni and Saudi university students were recruited to respond to an online close-ended questionnaire. Drawing on Oxford's classification of learning strategies, the findings of this study showed that metacognitive and cognitive strategies were used more frequently compared to the other LLSs. Moreover, the findings of t-test showed a significant difference in the use of LLSs attributed to nationality in favor of the Saudi learners and no significant difference in the choice of LLSs attributed to gender. The study provided some suggestions for EFL learners to benefit from technology in their English language learning.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Mehdi Solhi Andarab

The recent improvements in technology and their integration in language learning have played a facilitating role invocabulary acquisition. Quizlet, an online teacher-/student-friendly tool, is one of the leading applications invocabulary acquisition. Along with the effectiveness of visualization in acquiring vocabulary, humor has been alsoextensively indicated to carry a significant role in language learning. With all its facilitating features, the integrationof technology, humor, and vocabulary can be achieved via Quizlet. In this study, the visual integration of humoraccompanying vocabulary on Quizlet was taken into scrutiny to see to what extent humor-integrated pictures onQuizlet account for the retention of vocabulary acquisition. With this purpose, this study examined the effect ofhumor-integrated pictures on vocabulary acquisition of 45 intermediate English as a foreign language (EFL) learnerson Quizlet. In so doing, the experimental group received a series of unknown vocabulary items for which theintegrated pictures were humorous, while the vocabulary items assigned for the control group were identical, but innon-humorous contexts. At the end, an independent samples t-test applied on the scores achieved from a posttestindicated a significant difference in scores of the control group and that of the experimental group. In fact, thelearners in the experimental group significantly outperformed their counterparts in the control group. The resultsindicated that linking vocabulary items with humorous pictures is more effective than using non-humorous context inlearning vocabulary. Apparently, as the results indicate, the significant effectiveness of technology in vocabularylearning can be boosted with the help of humorous context. The findings shed light on the importance of technologyin language learning and its linking with humor in vocabulary learning.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1128
Author(s):  
Maryam Alsadat Mortazavi ◽  
Hamed Barjesteh

This study was to investigate the impact of language experience and academic level on the perceived needs of Iranian undergraduate EFL learners. Two groups of Iranian TEFL female students (freshmen and senior) were compared regarding their preferences, perceived needs and perceptions of different activity types about language learning. To collect data, Sihong's (2007) needs analysis questionnaire for English language needs was utilized. Thirty two freshman and twenty nine senior MA students with the age range of 25-35 were considered as the subject of this study. They were asked to fill out the questionnaire through email and they were given the confidence that the collected data would remain anonymous. Results revealed that there was a significant difference between freshman and senior EFL learners in their preferences, needs and opinions about various types of activities, and various aspects of language education. The findings also revealed that freshmen students required more practice in grammar and pronunciation than vocabulary for them. The most difficult components of language were pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar respectively; however, the senior students reported that vocabulary and grammar were the most difficult component of language skill and pronunciation was the least one.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 2325-2329
Author(s):  
Lulzime Kamberi ◽  
Majlinda Nuhiu

Autonomous second language learning (SLL) is a topic of focus in every educational setting and almost universally supported by institutions and scholars in the whole world. One aspect of autonomous learning is peer evaluation (Harmer, 2001; Benson, 2001; Cottrall, 1999; Everhard&Murphy) Seeking to make students more autonomous leaners and take more responsibility for their learning, as well as assess the effect of peer assessment, on language acquisition, peer assessment has been introduced to student of the final semester of their studies. This paper reports initial results from a study into the effectiveness of peer assessment in an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classroom instruction, in a methodology course, conducted in the second semester of the academic year 2017/2018, at the Department of English Language and Literature, at the University of Tetovo, Macedonia. Applying frequency statistics, Fraenkel&Wallen, (2003), the study has analyzed peer assessment; in contrast to teacher assessment of student presentations. Content analysis (Leedy & Ormord, 2005) to identify themes biases and meaning, the study investigated the validity and reliability of peer assessment. Convenience sampling among students enrolled in the seventh semester identified a non-random sample of 20 students representing 41% of the possible cohort. The findings of the study revealed that students were not prepared to assess each other and rather acted on their personal feelings towards their peers. In conclusion, it is argued that research designs involving an extended period of time and with a larger sample will be needed to confirm these results.


2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 214
Author(s):  
Mohammad Daneshvari ◽  
Mohammad Davoudi

Despite the importance of writing in ESL/EFL contexts, too many youngsters do not learn to write well enough to meet the demands of school or the workplace. The present study strives to probe into the effect of teaching paragraph writing styles in the first language on the wiring proficiency of Iranian EFL learners. To conduct the study, a quasi-experimental design was used. The participants of this study were 40 male and female language learners learning English as the foreign language at the Oxford language institute in Bojnourd in the Northern Khorasan province of Iran who were divided into experimental and control groups. There was no treatment for the control group, but the experimental group received the treatment in which four types of paragraphs-descriptive, explanatory, contrastive, comparative- were taught in participants' first language (Farsi). After the treatment, a simplified English proficiency test focusing mainly on English writing skill was used to assess the effectiveness of the treatment. Independent t-test results showed a significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental and control groups on the posttest of writing ability. As for the gender differences, the results of the independent sample t-test revealed that there is a statistical significant difference between writing proficiency of Iranian males and females EFL learners in terms of making use of first language text structure knowledge. The implications of the study are discussed.


Author(s):  
Fatemeh Zahra Akbari ◽  
Shiva Seyed Erfani

Alternative assessment has made remarkable changes in SLA instruction. Along with the assessment, Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and technological developments have penetrated into instruction as well. This study was an attempt to compare the effect of wiki and e-portfolio on writing skill of Iranian intermediate EFL learners. To do so, 81 out of 107 participants of 9 intact classes were homogenized by the Preliminary Test of English. They attended a 14 session term in two experimental and one control groups. Following the pretest, the writing points were taught in each group. Meanwhile, the students in both experimental groups were instructed to use technology (wiki and e-portfolio) to write their assignments on specific topics, and also they were requested to assess, to give feedback and comments on their classmates’ assignments online and working collaboratively on their feedback in the classes accompanied with the feedback provided by the teacher. Besides, the students in control group were required to do their assignments paper-based and bring them back to the class in order to correct problems. At the end, the posttest of writing was administrated. The results of statistical analysis revealed that applying CALL in both forms of wiki and e-portfolio were significantly more effective in learners’ writing than the conventional way. However, wiki could encourage higher levels of progress in writing skill in comparison with using e-portfolio.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 746 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nona Masaeli ◽  
Azizeh Chalak

A superior method of language teaching is what all researchers and language teachers look for. In order to facilitate the process of language learning, technological tools can be helpful. The present study aimed to investigate the effect to employing electronic portfolio on Iranian EFL learners’ writing skill in a language institute in Isfahan, Iran in summer 2014. To find the homogeneity of subjects, the Oxford Quick Placement Test was administered and the subjects were divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received the treatment which was employing the electronic portfolio, while the control group had the conventional context of language classes. At the end of the study, the obtained scores on the pretests and post-tests were analyzed. Independent t-tests were run to compare the collected scores in the two groups. The results of the study showed significant difference between the experimental group and the control group. The findings of the study can bear implications for EFL student, teachers, policy makers, university and institute organizations, and syllabus designers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 2325-2329
Author(s):  
Lulzime Kamberi ◽  
Majlinda Nuhiu

Autonomous second language learning (SLL) is a topic of focus in every educational setting and almost universally supported by institutions and scholars in the whole world. One aspect of autonomous learning is peer evaluation (Harmer, 2001; Benson, 2001; Cottrall, 1999; Everhard&Murphy) Seeking to make students more autonomous leaners and take more responsibility for their learning, as well as assess the effect of peer assessment, on language acquisition, peer assessment has been introduced to student of the final semester of their studies. This paper reports initial results from a study into the effectiveness of peer assessment in an EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classroom instruction, in a methodology course, conducted in the second semester of the academic year 2017/2018, at the Department of English Language and Literature, at the University of Tetovo, Macedonia. Applying frequency statistics, Fraenkel&Wallen, (2003), the study has analyzed peer assessment; in contrast to teacher assessment of student presentations. Content analysis (Leedy & Ormord, 2005) to identify themes biases and meaning, the study investigated the validity and reliability of peer assessment. Convenience sampling among students enrolled in the seventh semester identified a non-random sample of 20 students representing 41% of the possible cohort. The findings of the study revealed that students were not prepared to assess each other and rather acted on their personal feelings towards their peers. In conclusion, it is argued that research designs involving an extended period of time and with a larger sample will be needed to confirm these results.


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