Fostering Learner Autonomy Via Elp-Based Assessment In The Chinese Context

This thesis is an empirical investigation into the effectiveness of ELP-based assessment infostering learner autonomy in the Chinese context.In the past decade, learner autonomy, as a remedy for the conventional problem ofteacher-centeredness, has already found its way to the Chinese national English curriculums atthe primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Also, in a counterattack against the test-orientedteaching and learning, formative assessment, has been recommended as an alternative meansto summative assessment. However, neither of the problems has been resolved until now. Toaddress the concerns, this study endeavors to integrate the ELP (English learning portfolio), ameans of formative assessment, into the assessment system for EG (experimental group)learners both in a secondary school and a university in the hope of killing two birds with onestone: to promote LA (learner autonomy) and to track the learning process rather than thelearning result.So far in China, language strategy training and self-access are the main approaches forEnglish language learners to develop LA, but each has its own weakness. Another approach,developing LA through a language portfolio, has gained increasing popularity in Europe, USA,HK, etc., and qualitative methodology is usually employed. In China, however, limitedresearch is available into the ELP-based approach to develop LA.The present study thus aims to investigate three research questions: whether ELP iseffective in fostering LA; whether ELP-based LA development is influenced by someindividual factors like goal-oriented motivation, learner belief and age; what external factorstend to impact ELP-based LA development.In response to these questions, the research is conducted in two Chinese settings, asecondary school and a tertiary institution respectively. In Study1, ELP-based assessment ispart of a language curriculum innovation in a junior high school with220EG learners and4EG teachers involved in the longitudinal study since Sept.2009in a local city of JiangsuProvince. The researcher is reponsible for the research design, coordination and evaluationand the EG teachers practice ELP. In Study2, the follow-up action research is conductedamong36EG learners in comparison with the other73CG learners among the university freshmen for a semester since Sept.2011. The researcher is also the teacher, responsible forthe design and treatment with the help of her colleagues in the process of evaluation.With regard to methodology, the research is carried out both quantitatively andqualitatively, combining questionnaire surveys and case studies. In the analysis ofquestionnaire data, ELP is taken as an independent variable, LA as a dependent variable, andlearner motivation and learner belief as dependent variables to testify the effectiveness of ELPin fostering LA and to tell the influence of individual factors. In case studies, the stratifiedcase sampling method is used to select six sample learners of diverse language proficiency inStudy1and four EG learners in Study2. The learning journals and interview notes are themain sources to perceive learner development. The data in the two studies are gathered andanalyzed in a similar way, and one slight difference lies in the language learners used in theirELP. In Study1, EG learners are allowed to make plans and keep learning journals in Chinese,but in Study2, EG learners keep ELP in English. However, in both studies, questionnaires aredesigned and administered in Chinese to avoid misunderstandings and misinterpretations ofthe specific items.As LA is elusive in its definition and measurement, it is necessary to operationalize theconcept. Theoretically, the present study is set in the socio-cognitive framework, integratingthe cognitive-psychological individual factors and socio-cultural factors in the learningenvironment. The validity and reliability of the LA scale are ensured via the factor analysisand Cronbach alpha coefficient, further justifying the three dimensions of LA: individuallearning willingness, individual metacognition, and communicating. Correspondingly, ELPdevelopment takes into account individual learners‘characteristics and needs as well asinteractions between learners and their peers, teachers, parents and the school.The findings in the study reveal that ELP is conducive to LA development for learners indifferent age brackets and in different Chinese learning settings. In both studies, the results ofthe LA scale show the significant difference between EG and CG in LA. In the LA subscale ofmetacognition, the JHS EG learners greatly outperform CG learners in self-management andthe university EG learners stand out in planning and reflecting. Also, LA is positivelycorrelated with learner belief in out-of-class learning and the JHS EG learners show perceivedchanges in learner belief in Study1. For the EG learners in Study2, LA and motivation areclosely correlated. Case study results further prove the positive relationship between ELP and LA development. The ELP template, guidelines and guidance from the teacher and peers canfacilitate learner development in ZPD, learning to take control of his or her learning; the goalstatement in ELP can help university learners orient English learning on their own. After all,they have been driven by tests all these years. Besides, the more complicated learners‘motivation is, the faster their LA is fostered, the faster their language proficiency is improved.The framing of learning belief is greatly affected by teachers and the learning environment.The ELP development can strengthen learner belief in out-of-class learning but cannot bringabout fundamental changes in goal-oriented motivations.In addition to the individual factors, ELP-based LA development is also influenced bysuch contextual factors as the society, the institution, teachers and peers. It is discerned thatthe latest National English Curriculum Standards has not exerted expected influences on theEnglish curriculum in local schools. Therefore, researchers and practitioners of ELP need totailor ELP to learners in a certain setting when designing and implementing it. A case in pointis the two independent yet interrelated studies available in this thesis.It is also found that the ELP-based LA development cannot be achieved without sufficientsupport from school leaders as well as full understanding about ELP rationale and workingprincipals from teacher-practitioners. Ideally, an interactive approach is optimal to developLA through ELP. If we combine a top-down approach just as the school principal initiates aproject in Study1and a bottom-up approach just as the teacher initiates an action research inStudy2, the study might yield better results. Apart from it, ELP will be more accessible andinteractive if developed electronically. Thus, further research is expected into fostering LAthrough ELP, bringing individualization and social interaction to full play.