Application of Formative Assessment in a Chinese EFL Course

Abstract

In this paper, the authors developed a tentative model for assessing learners’ public speaking competence by incorporating formative assessment practices with conventional summative assessment tools in a Chinese EFL public speaking course. An exploratory experiment was carried out over 16 weeks. Fifty-six learners participated in the experiment with randomized assignment into one of two groups: an experimental group (N = 28) with the application of the tentative assessment model and a control group (N = 28) with the conventional assessment model. Results indicated that the learners in the experimental group demonstrated significantly better performance in public speaking, particularly in terms of their delivery skills. The analysis of learning journals and post-experimental survey also showed learners’ positive perception of the tentative assessment model.