EMPIRICAL RESEARCH ON THE EVALUATION MODE OF THE FOREIGN LANGUAGE STUDENTS’ PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL

[Фонд] Проект Реформы Преподавания в ВУЗах Провинции Гуандун “Исследование и Практика Многомерной Оценки Эффективности Идеологическое Воспитание ВУЗов” № 2021-432;

Национальный Студенческий Проект по Инновациям и Предпринимательству № xj202211078319

ABSTRACT

Based on the research questionnaire, this study analyzes the satisfaction degree of foreign language majors with the existing course assessment and evaluation mode. The study proposes to establish an assessment and evaluation system with diverse evaluation subjects and evaluation contents. The study also aims to strengthen the process evaluation of lecturer-student cooperation, and to provide a reference for the reform of the assessment and evaluation mode of foreign language majors' performance.

АННОТАЦИЯ

На основе опросов данное исследование анализирует удовлетворенность студентов специальности «иностранные языки», существующей моделью оценки успеваемости уи предлагает создание системы оценки, диверсифицирующей субъетов и предметы оценки, увеличающей пропорцию процессной оценки при участии преподавателей и студентов, и предостваляет рекомендации для реформы оценки успеваемости и методов оценивания студентов специальности «иностранные языки».

Keywords: foreign language majors, process evaluation, teaching reform.

Ключевые слова: специальность «иностранные языки», процессная оценка, реформа преподавания.

Preface

The assessment and evaluation mode of courses has a direct impact on students' performance. Under the current national situation that the academic performance of Chinese college students is directly related to students' evaluation of awards, merits, and employment, students will adjust their learning mode against the assessment and evaluation mode to get the ideal grade. Therefore, the construction of a fair, reasonable and whole-process course assessment and evaluation system plays an important role in mobilizing students' motivation and improving the effectiveness of human education.

In recent years, multiple assessments have become one of the hot spots of scholars' research at home and abroad. Scholars have conducted a comparative analysis of cooperative teaching and group activities. Most aims of their research focus on exploring what kind of foreign language learning assessment evaluation methods can best motivate students' learning motivation and independent learning ability, as well as exploring how to continuously improve the construction of a diverse teaching evaluation model [1; 2; 3].

1. Research object and research purpose

This study is based on a research questionnaire from a university to analyze the evaluation assessment methods of foreign language courses for college students. Given the use of the course evaluation methods, from the students' perspective, we gain an in-depth understanding of the students' satisfaction with the assessment methods. Thus, the study proposes the importance of the cooperation between lecturers and students in building a diverse and multi-dimensional assessment and evaluation system for foreign language courses, to improve the quality of college students' learning and enhance the effect of foreign language courses on human education. This study plays an important role in reforming the conventional lecturer-based assessment method, giving full play to the motivating effect of the process assessment method, and increasing students' enthusiasm to participate in various activities and improve their overall literacy.

2. Data sources

The research team conducted an empirical study based on questionnaires and interviews. Among them, 203 valid questionnaires were obtained after releasing questionnaires and conducting interviews. The valid questionnaires collected a total of 86 compulsory and elective courses with the nature of foreign language majors, involving English major, French major, and Japanese major courses.

3. Data analysis

3.1 Analysis of satisfaction towards assessment and evaluation mode

The mean value of satisfaction of the interviewed students with the mentioned course's assessment mode was 67%, while the mean value of satisfaction with the final rating of the course obtained under this course's assessment mode was 55%.

3.2 Analysis of assessment and evaluation subjects

In the evaluation and assessment methods of the interviewed courses, the evaluation subject is mainly the lecturer. As many as 41.38% of the interviewed students said that the lecturer account for 100% of the evaluation subject in the interviewed courses, which indicated that the traditional evaluation subject still accounts for a larger proportion in the evaluation system of foreign language courses nowadays. The courses with students' self-evaluation and mutual evaluation are less, and the average proportion of the evaluation subject is only 12%.

In the survey of students' expected evaluation subjects, only 11% of students want lecturers to take up 100% of the evaluation subjects, and most students want lecturers' evaluation, students' self-evaluation and students' mutual evaluation to take up a certain proportion respectively.

3.3 Analysis of assessment and evaluation process

The survey results show that the evaluation of foreign language courses is still focused on summative evaluation. The interviewed students expressed the hope that process evaluation plus summative evaluation would be the main focus, and diagnostic evaluation and other evaluations would account for a smaller percentage. Students focus more on process evaluation and hope that the proportion of summative evaluation will decrease.

3.4 Analysis of assessment and evaluation items

The survey results show that the course assessment items with the process evaluation method are pre-study, attendance, quiz, group discussion, classroom performance, individual and group work. Among the desired course assessment methods, some students hope that science and technology competition and social work performance can also be accounted for.

The majority of the course assessment methods with summative evaluation are paper exams or final papers, while some of the interviewed students hope that classroom presentations will also be accounted for.

3.5 Analysis of the impact of assessment and evaluation

According to the feedback from the interviewed students, the impact of the courses with the process evaluation method on the learning effect mainly improves students' knowledge, ability, literacy, and thinking style, while the impact of the courses with summative evaluation as the evaluation method on students' learning effect mainly improves students' knowledge and ability. And the students think that the summative evaluation lacks the examination, exercise, and improvement for students' literacy and thinking style.

3.6 Analysis of assessment and evaluation suggestions

The student, on the other hand, made various suggestions on the assessment and evaluation methods. They hope that the lecturer would test the mastery of knowledge through evaluation factors such as paper exams, course reports and classroom presentations. Besides, they also expect lecturers to test their mastery of ability through evaluation factors such as paper exams, reports, classroom presentations, science and technology competitions, and social work performance.

4. Conclusions and suggestions

Through surveys, interviews, and corresponding empirical analysis, we can conclude that students' satisfaction with the assessment and evaluation methods of foreign language courses has yet to be improved. Students hope that the proportion of process evaluation can be increased. They also expect that "achievements" such as social work performance and scientific and creative competitions can be added to the assessment of relevant courses, to enhance students' learning motivation[4]. It can also improve their motivation to transform knowledge into ability, further improve the quality of the courses. Furthermore, it can greatly achieve the assessment goals of the courses and the goals of education, forming a learning community between lecturers and students. Lecturers and students will form a learning community to make the foreign language courses a platform for cultivating foreign language talents with international vision and global literacy[5].

References:

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2. Xie Anbang, Hou Dingkai, Wang Jingli, Gu Lingling. Toward to Multiple and Comprehensive Trend: Review on the Current Research of Chinese lecturer Evaluation // College Study & Evaluation, 2007. №2. P. 33-38. [in Chinese]
3. Luo Lianggong. Value Education through Courses for Foreign Language Majors: Its Goal, Nature and Extent of Application // Foreign Languages in China, 2021. №2. P. 60-64. [in Chinese]
4. Wang Weijie, Cui Yan. Adult learning motivation from Ausubel's achievement motivation theory // Transportation Vocational Education, 2000. №5. P. 23-24. [in Chinese]
5. Hong Gang. Global Literacy Cultivation of Foreign Language College Talents Based on the Concept of Human Destiny Community // Foreign Language Education, 2019. №4. P. 50-55. [in Chinese]