Achievements in Language Learning through Students’ Self-assessment

Abstract

Assessment becomes a diagnostic vehicle for providing the effectiveness of the teaching methods. Furthermore, it helps students to demonstrate that they are making progress in foreign language development, which can encourage their motivation to identify their own strengths and weaknesses, and promote autonomy and independent learning skills. However, a teacher’s role is not less significant in teaching process. The article deals with an alternative personal-response assessment, which in conformity with the learner- centered principles of new methodological approaches treats assessment as an integral part of teaching in formative evaluation. Alternative assessment also promotes the climate of trust so that students that are affected by evaluation become involved in its process. They are prompted to communicate freely and are more able to engage in self-criticism and rethinking. Students’ involvement in assessment assists them in achieving maturity and responsibility in making progress in language learning. A new alternative method called self-assessment has been applied at the Centre of Foreign Languages, Kaunas University of Technology (KTU). Teachers strived to introduce a new method of assessment to students. The analysis is stressed on the obtained results that achievements in improving language skills must come from a student herself / himself.