A Study On The Application Of Formaiive Assessment Based On Process-oriented Approach To College English Writing Teaching

As a burgeoning education assessment, formative assessment is drawing moreand more concerns. It promotes the students· dynamic and sustainable developmentthrough assessing their learning process by multi-assessors and providing variousprompt and efficient feedbacks. In our country·s English education, the traditionalsummative assessment has been dominant for a long time. It is exam-oriented andneglects the individuality and creativity of students, impeding their overalldevelopment.In2007, the Ministry of Education issued College English CurriculumRequirements wherein formative assessment and summative assessment were the twoassessments clearly required in the college English education, indicating the dire needfor formative assessment. Therefore, this study first explored the theories of formativeassessment. Then taking the practical situation of teaching and learning into account,this study integrated the assessment trinityμ (self-assessment, peer assessment andteacher assessment) to the three-step (prewriting, drafting and revising) writing processproposed by process-oriented approach with portfolio as a carrier, and designed awriting teaching model of formative assessment based on process approach.This study aimed to address the three research questions as follows:(1)Compared with the traditional assessment, is the formative assessment based onprocess approach more effective in improving college students· writing?(2) Can theformative assessment based on process approach help college students form a positiveattitude toward English writing and develop their learning strategies?(3) How cancollege English teachers design an effective teaching model of formative assessmentbased on process approach?This empirical study selected107non-major students (Grade2012) from twoparallel teaching classes in Inner Mongolia University of Technology as subjects. Oneclass was experimental class wherein the designed teaching model was applied whilethe other class was control class wherein the traditional summative assessment was conducted as usual. Quantitative instruments of pretest, posttest and questionnaire andqualitative instruments of observation, interviews and portfolios were applied in the19-week study. After detailed analysis, conclusions could be made:(1) The formativeassessment based on process approach can help college students form a positiveattitude toward English writing and develop their writing strategies;(2) The formativeassessment based on process approach is more effective in improving college students·English writing than the traditional assessment;(3) The teacher should refer to therequirements of the related theories and the experts· common ideas, and also takepractical factors into account, such as teaching objectives, arrangement of curriculum,class hours, size of class and the students· level. In this way, an effective writingteaching model of formative assessment based on process approach can be designed.