Reconciliation between assessment for learning and assessment of learning in Chinese award-winning teachers' EFL classrooms

Abstract

As an indispensable component of campus and even social life, assessment should not be discussed in a culture vacuum. The values of assessment for learning have been investigated and supported in the international literature, but even in the western context where it has been promoted for decades, there are indications that achieving congruence between assessment for learning (AfL) and assessment of learning (AoL) is by no means an easy thing. In a more test-dominated setting like Hong Kong, paradigm conflict emerged when school-based assessment was introduced into a more formal and summative assessment system. To date, relatively little research has been conducted to unravel AfL in university EFL classrooms in mainland China; this study will address the gap by probing perceptions and practices of university award-winning EFL teachers in relation to classroom-based assessment .....