Learning-Oriented Language Assessment

254 Pages·2021·5.255 MB·

by  Atta Gebril (editor)

Learning-Oriented Language
Assessment
This collection brings together research on learning-oriented language
assessment from scholars working across geographic and educational
contexts, highlighting the opportunities of assessment practices which
seek to better align assessment and learning tasks and support effective
learning.
The volume begins by introducing learning-oriented assessment (LOA)
and the context around its growing popularity, especially in account-
ability-oriented settings which favor summative large-scale tests. The
first part of the book charts the development of LOA’s theoretical and
conceptual underpinnings, outlining the ways in which they have been
informed by theories of learning and key elements. The second part dem-
onstrates LOA in practice, drawing on examples from different countries
and instructional settings to explore such topics as the role of technology
in LOA and developing feedback materials based around LOA principles
and developed for core literacy skills.
Offering a holistic view of learning-oriented assessment and the real-
world affordances and challenges of its implementation, this book is key
reading for graduate students, researchers, and practitioners in language
testing and assessment, TESOL, and language education.
Atta Gebril is an associate professor and MATESOL program director
in the Department of Applied Linguistics, American University in Cairo
(AUC). He is also the chair of the Institutional Review Board at AUC. He
obtained his PhD from the University of Iowa in foreign language and
ESL education. He teaches courses in second-language assessment and
research methods in applied linguistics. His research interests include
writing assessment, reading–writing connections, and learning-oriented
assessment. He currently serves on the editorial boards of Assessing
Writing and the TESOL Journal and as an associate editor for Language
Assessment Quarterly.
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Edited by Jon Clenton and Paul Booth
Online Education for Teachers of English as a Global Language
Hyun-Sook Kang, Dong-shin Shin, and Tony Cimasko
Language Teaching with Video-Based Technologies
Creativity and CALL Teacher Education
Michael Thomas and Christel Schneider
Autoethnographies in ELT
Transnational Identities, Pedagogies, and Practices
Edited by Bedrettin Yazan, Suresh Canagarajah, and Rashi Jain
Researching Interpretive Talk Around Literary Narrative Texts
Shared Novel Reading
John Gordon
Analyzing Discourses in Teacher Observation Feedback Conferences
Fiona Copland and Helen Donaghue
Learning-Oriented Language Assessment
Putting Theory into Practice
Edited by Atta Gebril
Language, Mobility and Study Abroad in the Contemporary European
Context
Edited by Rosamond Mitchell and Henry Tyne
Intonation in L2 Discourse
Research Insights
María Dolores Ramirez-Verdugo
For more information about this series, please visit: https://www.rout-
ledge.com/Routledge-Studies-in-Applied-Linguistics/book-series/RSAL
Learning-Oriented Language
Assessment
Putting Theory into Practice
Edited by Atta Gebril
First published 2021
by Routledge
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and by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an
informa business
© 2021 Taylor & Francis
The right of Atta Gebril to be identified as the author of the
editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters,
has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted
or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic,
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including photocopying and recording, or in any information
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the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be
trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for
identification and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Gebril, Atta, editor.
Title: Learning-oriented language assessment : putting theory into
practice / edited by Atta Gebril.
Description: New York, NY : Routledge, 2021. | Series: Routledge studies
in applied linguistics | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020050514 | ISBN 9780367437138 (hardback) |
ISBN 9781003014102 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Language and languages--Ability testing--Case studies. |
Student-centered learning. | Educational evaluation--Methodology.
Classification: LCC P53.4 .L456 2021 | DDC 418.0076--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020050514
ISBN: 978-0-367-43713-8 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-76114-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-01410-2 (ebk)
Typeset in Sabon
by SPi Global, India
To my late mother
I wish I could say it gets easier … unfortunately it does not.
I still miss you every day, but I know you are in a better place.
May you rest in peace.

Contents
List of Contributors ix
Acknowledgments xiv
1 Learning-Oriented Assessment: Main Issues and an Overview 1
ATTA GEBRIL
PART I
Theoretical and Conceptual Foundations of
Learning-Oriented Assessment 11
2 Learning-Oriented Assessment: Basic Concepts and
Frameworks in Using Assessment to Support Language
Learning 13
NICK SAVILLE
3 Language Assessment Literacy in a Learning-Oriented
Assessment Framework 34
GLENN FULCHER
4 Approaches to Researching Learning-Oriented
Assessment in Second and Foreign Language Classrooms 49
HEIDI LIU BANERJEE
5 Success in Language Learning: What Role Can Language
Assessment Play? 69
NEUS FIGUERAS
6 Feedback as a Learning-Oriented Assessment Practice:
Principles, Opportunities, and Challenges 85
DANIEL M. K. LAM
viii Contents
PART II
Learning-Oriented Assessment in Instructional Settings 107
7 Nationwide Assessment Reform in Egypt: Challenges
and Potentials of Learning-Oriented Assessment in an
Examinations-Based Instructional Setting 109
ATTA GEBRIL
8 Implementing Learning-Oriented Assessment in Egyptian
Schools: A Case Study 123
WAEL AMER
9 Implementing Learning-Oriented Assessment in
Malaysia: Insights from Key Stakeholders 140
ALLA KHAN AND NORHASLINDA HASSAN
10 “I Was Not Thoughtful Enough Before”: Exploiting the
Learning-Oriented-Assessment Potential of a Test-Taker-
Oriented Rubric for Summative Assessment 162
BEVERLY BAKER, SÉBASTIEN POLIKAR, AND MARYAM
HOMAYOUNZADEH
11 Learning-Oriented Assessment from a Teacher’s
Perspective: Insights from Teachers’ Action Research 182
ANGELIKI SALAMOURA AND SIÂN MORGAN
12 The Role of Technology in Learning-Oriented Assessment 207
ERIK VOSS
Author Index 225
Subject Index 231
Contributors
Wael Amer is a certified TESOL/language assessment professional, edu-
cational researcher and consultant, certified instructional designer
and teacher trainer, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) specialist
with 15+ years of experience. He has a master’s degree in linguistics/
stylistics and educational and social research, and is currently com-
pleting his PhD in language assessment and measurement. Wael has
worked for prominent higher education institutions in Egypt and the
UK, and collaborated on a part-time and consultancy basis with major
international development organizations, including UNESCO IIEP,
OECD, USAID, UNICEF, RTI International, the American Institutes
of Research, QED Group, AmidEast, and Cambridge International
Examination (CIE). He has led, managed, and participated in differ-
ent teams and projects focusing on designing and developing stan-
dardized Arabic and English proficiency tests, developing and teaching
courses in early literacy assessment, language testing and assessment,
and monitoring and evaluation of development projects. He also par-
ticipated in teams developing national education sector strategic plans,
education policy reform research, and capacity development of educa-
tion professionals and systems.
Beverly Baker is Associate Professor and Director, Language Assessment,
at the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute at the University
of Ottawa, Canada. She was a founding member of the Canadian
Association of Language Assessment. Her work in language assess-
ment development and validation has been published in journals such
as Language Testing, Language Assessment Quarterly, and Assessing
Writing. In addition to testing research, she does a great deal of
research on the ground with teachers, taking a critical approach to
examining classroom language teaching and assessment practice.
Heidi Liu Banerjee is an assistant teaching professor in the NU Global
program at Northeastern University. She is also the research project
manager for the Scenario-Based Language Assessment Research Lab
at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research and teaching