A Study On Formative Assessment Used In English Reading Class In Higher Vocational College

Reading as an important channel of language input,is a basic skill to be mastered by learners in English learning.It can also reflect learners' comprehensive abilities to use the language.Therefore,to develop students' reading ability has been set as one ultimate goal in English instruction in the higher vocational college(HVC).This is a long process in which formative assessment can play an important role in that it not only monitors the process of teaching and learning,but also takes such important aspects as students' interest,attitude and learning strategies into consideration.This study explored the effects of formative assessment on English reading class of HVC students,addressing three research questions:(1)What effects does FA have on HVC students' English reading performance(as measured by their reading scores)?(2)What effects does FA have on HVC students' interest in English reading?(3)What effects does FA have on HVC students' use of English reading strategies? The participants were 97 sophomores of two parallel English major classes of Yuncheng Advanced Normal College(YANC).The experimental and control classes went through one-semester English reading experiment.Before the experiment,the same reading test and questionnaire survey were conducted in both classes to investigate the students' reading level,reading interest and reading strategies.Then,formative assessment was applied in the experimental class,while the traditional assessment was adopted in the control class.After the experiment,all the participants were asked to finish the post-test and post-questionnaire to find out changes in their English reading level,interest,and strategy.Six students in the experimental class received an interview,which was recorded by researcher carefully.Data was collected from three parts,the first being the results of students' reading test,which reflected changes in students' reading performance;the second being the results of pre-questionnaire and post-questionnaire reflecting students' changes in reading interest and reading strategies;and the results of the interview helped to understand the students' views on formative assessment.All the data were analyzed by SPSS 22.0.The research results showed: 1)Formative assessment had a significant effect on English reading performance of students in YANC.In the EC,students' reading proficiency improved more significantly compared with the CC.2)Formative assessment had positive effect on students' reading interest.The results of the questionnaires and interview supported that formative assessment contributed to improving students' interest in English reading.3)Formative assessment facilitated EC students' better command of reading strategies and provided them a feasible and effective method for cooperative learning and reflective learning.