An Empirical Research On Cultivating Learners' Autonomy Through Formative Assessment In English Teaching In Secondary Vocational Schools

Learners'autonomy is also called self-directed learning or independent learning, which means that learners carry out their own learning on their own by setting the learning goals, making out learning plans, planning the learning contents, monitoring and evaluating the process of their learning by themselves. Many previous studies have identified that the higher efficiency of language learning can be achieved by the students with the ability of learners'autonomy than the students'lack of learners'autonomy. So, learners'autonomy is being paid more attention to in classroom instruction in the field of education all over the world. The students in secondary vocational schools are a special group compared with senior high school students, for most of them are failures of elementary education. They are so poor in some basic courses learning that they have no interest in them, especially in English. Furthermore, the point of vocational education is skill training rather than basic education. Just because of these reasons, they totally have no consciousness, motivation and methods of learners'autonomy on English study. Teachers should try to find out appropriate ways to help the students to alter the status quo in this aspect.Summative assessment is a frequently used assessment in secondary vocational schools in English teaching. Traditional summative assessment gives out the results of students'study in some period just by using a piece of test paper. But most students in secondary vocational schools are sick of study and examinations. They always show poor attitude to English examinations so that the summative assessment can not offer a practical feedback of students'study. So it's time to change the way of assessment to inspire students interests in English study. Formative assessment emerged under humanism and constructivist theory of learning, which is being accepted and has drawn our more attention in China. The two symbols of formative assessment are feedback and process, which are different from traditional summative assessment. In this paper, an experiment on a small scale has been done to identify the hypothesis that using formative assessment tools and techniques can enhance learners'autonomy in the process of English teaching and learning.This paper is mainly composed of five chapters:Chapter one introduces the background of this research, including the status quo of English teaching, assessment and learners'atonomy in secondary vocational schools.Chapter two reviews the relevant theories related to formative assessment and learners'autonomy.Chapter three is mainly about the relationship between the formative assessment tools and learners'atonomy.Chapter four is about the research process.Chapter five states the results and analyzes the problems that come out during the test process.The study that integrated formative assessment and learners'autonomy has achieved the satisfying results, and pioneered a new way in which learners'autonomy can be fostered through formative assessment in English study in secondary vocational schools.