THE conceptual framework of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) has undergone significant modification during the last twenty years. The curriculum and instructional practices have evolved profoundly. This shift in pedagogical theory has resulted in the increasing use of student-centered communicative approaches in the classroom, which are distinguished from prior practices by their focus on language function and meaning and the processes of learning. Hence a new kind of revision system — ‘portfolio assessment’ has come into existence because the traditional assessment is often incongruent with current EFL classroom practice. “As learning theory and practice have undergone changes through research, assessment needs to change to adequately reflect the instruction that is taking place in today’s classroom”.
However, it is a great pity that such an effective form of assessment has not been put into use in EFL classroom teaching in China yet. Traditional assessment techniques continue to occupy an important place in the student assessment, which has apparently restricted pedagogical reform in EFL teaching in China. In this essay, the author will (a) define portfolio assessment and describe the characteristics of portfolio assessment in EFL teaching; (b) provide a rationale for using portfolio assessment for monitoring the language development of EFL students ; (c) assume the application of portfolio assessment to a Chinese context.
Definition
Among many definitions of portfolio assessment, I think the Lustig Model of Portfolio Assessment represents the overall objectives, the desired outcomes, and the process of instituting portfolio assessment.
The model vividly shows that students will be able to assess their own progress and to see their success through having access to prior learning.
This kind of assessment reflects the concept of the communicative language teaching approach. That is to say, emphasis is placed both on the learning process and the outcome.
Characteristics
In contrast to traditional assessment tasks, the following key aspects typify the characteristics of portfolio assessment.
1.Authentic. Portfolio assessment is a procedure which provides student information based on assessment tasks, and these tasks reflect authentic activities used during classroom instruction. As we know, in EFL authentic language is usually assessed across several contexts: formal classroom activities, natural settings (eg. the playground), and informal classroom settings (eg. cooperative learning group). An effective portfolio assessment includes assessment of authentic classroom-based language tasks, i.e. tasks that students encounter naturally as part of instruction. Focusing on authentic language proficiency across sociolinguistic contexts and naturally occurring language tasks acknowledges the holistic and integrative nature of language development. Development of communicative and functional language abilities rather than attainment of discrete, fragmental skills is of utmost importance.
2.Comprehensive. Portfolio assessment reveals the depth and breadth of a student’s capability through comprehensive data collection and analysis, for it uses both formal and informal assessment techniques; focuses on both the processes and products of learning; seeks to understand student language development in the linguistic, cognitive, metacognitive, and affective domains; contains teacher, student, and objective input; and stresses both academic and informal language development.
3.Informative. The information in the portfolio for assessment is meaningful to teachers, students, staff, and parents. It is also usable for instruction and curriculum adaptation to student needs. In EFL settings, a portfolio for assessment is particularly useful to communicate specific examples of student work to students, to parents, and to other teachers.
4.Reliable. Portfolio assessment which is based on evidence collected several times during the school year reveals the whole learning process of a student. Instead of a single-score indicator of achievement, portfolio assessment allows us to look for patterns in learning, and forces us to look more closely at actual student performance. It places “ a new priority on multiple measures, development, and growth, and on a definition of assessment as a process, a system, rather than as a test”.
Rationale for using portfolio assessment in EFL
The rationale for using portfolio assessment in EFL is mainly due to the following reasons:
1. Professionals in EFL education often use a combination of formal and informal assessment techniques for monitoring student language development, but no system for combining these multiple measures and interpreting them as an integrated unit has been presented. Portfolio assessment responds to this need.
2. Language proficiency must be viewed as a composite of many levels of knowledge, skills and capabilities. A varied approach to measurement, including both test and nontest methods, is, therefore, needed to ascertain student strengths and weaknesses in all critical areas. Portfolio assessment encourages the use of multiple measures.
3. Systematic documentation of student language growth can be used as supporting evidence in exit and reclassification decisions, differential diagnosis and prereferral decisions, consultation with papers, and program impact evaluations. Portfolio assessment has the adaptability to meet classroom assessment needs.
Applying portfolio assessment to EFL teaching
In the past two decades, there have been some positive changes in EFL teaching in China. Most educators have realized that the ultimate goal of EFL teaching is to communicate in the language and to do things with the language. Nowadays, the communicative language teaching approach is highly advocated in both primary and high schools. However, traditional assessment forms such as the national college entrance tests, the high school entrance tests, criterion-referenced tests, textbook tests, and many other tests narrow the curriculum to the language knowledge itself, rather than the language proficiency. From such tests, students learn that, for every question, there is a single correct answer and, for every problem, a single correct solution. In classrooms where teachers are applying current research and practices, there is a mismatch between what is measured on these tests and what is taught. Because of the incompatibility of process learning and product assessment and the discrepancy between the information needed and the information deprived through various tests, a new, scientific form of student assessment, which can reflect the student’s learning process as well as learning product has to be adopted. In view of the above-mentioned definition and the typical features of portfolio assessment, I think it is very necessary for us to apply portfolio assessment to EFL teaching in China because the application of portfolio assessment can assist us to improve the existing inadequacies in EFL teaching in China.
1. It can promote a thorough understanding of the communicative language teaching approach.
One of the distinguishing characteristics of communicative language teaching is that more emphasis is placed on the learning process. However, EFL teaching in China is still focusing on the outcome. What the English language teachers look forward to is the good result of various tests. They neglect other important factors such as motivation, attitude, learning styles, learning strategies, learners’ needs and so on, which have vital influence on the student learning.
2. It can assist us to build up an overall and scientific assessment system in EFL.
Many educators acknowledge that any single score, whether it is a course grade or a percentile score from a norm referenced test, almost always fails to accurately report student overall progress. That is to say, a single measure is incapable of estimating the diversity of skills, knowledge, processes, and strategies that combine to determine student progress because of the multifaceted nature of language proficiency. Whereas portfolio assessment can showcase the students’ accomplishments through multiple means, serve as a guide in making choices and in demonstrating how they reason, create, strategize, and reflect and ultimately allow them to assume responsibility for their own learning and provide evidence of their progress toward meeting their goals as learners.
Although portfolio assessment may not do everything to correct the limitations and negative aspects of traditional assessment in EFL in China, it is at least a valuable and achievable supplement to existing procedures. I think teachers should move toward more informative and authentic assessment. As measures of the learning process as well as the outcome are called for, I am sure that portfolio assessment will soon come into usage in the EFL classroom in China. I have a very strong belief in the use of portfolio assessment as a positive teaching tool.
