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Assessing Young Learners of English: Global and Local Perspectives pp 291–315Cite as

Self-Assessment of and for Young Learners’ Foreign Language Learning

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Part of the book series: Educational Linguistics ((EDUL,volume 25))

Abstract

Despite the recent focus on self-assessment (SA) as a tool for enhancing learning, some researchers and practitioners have expressed concerns about its subjectivity and lack of accuracy. Such concerns, however, originated from the traditional, measurement-based notion of assessment (assessment of learning) rather than the learning-based notion of assessment (assessment for learning). In addition, existing research on SA in second/foreign language education has been concentrated on adult learners, leaving us with limited information on SA among young learners. In this chapter, I address both sets of issues: the confusion between the two orientations for assessment and age-related concerns regarding SA. First, I clarify the two orientations of assessment—assessment of learning and assessment for learning—and demonstrate that most of the concerns about subjectivity and accuracy apply primarily to the former orientation. Second, I detail the current findings on SA among young learners and identify the most urgent topics for future research in this area. Finally, to help teachers and researchers examine and develop SA items that are most appropriate for their purposes, I propose five dimensions that characterize existing major SAs for young learners: (a) domain setting; (b) scale setting; (c) goal setting; (d) focus of assessment; and (e) method of assessment.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This item did not include descriptions for each level of the scale, and was not meant for children. All other examples in this chapter were designed for young learners.

  2. 2.

    Some of the items in the European Portfolio are more or less specific. The items listed here are relatively specific.

  3. 3.

    The underline was original. There are 12 items for each category.

  4. 4.

    The original was in Japanese, and the select part was translated by the author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Yuko Goto Butler

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  1. Yuko Goto Butler
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  1. Dept. of English Applied Linguistics, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary

    Marianne Nikolov

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Butler, Y.G. (2016). Self-Assessment of and for Young Learners’ Foreign Language Learning. In: Nikolov, M. (eds) Assessing Young Learners of English: Global and Local Perspectives. Educational Linguistics, vol 25. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22422-0_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-22422-0_12

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