tesis hong kong

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TitleThe role of feedback from teachers and peers followingschool based assessment (SBA) tasks in improvingstudents' presentationperformance

Author(s) Mak, Wing-shan.;

Citation

Issue Date 2008

URL http://hdl.handle.net/10722/51587

RightsThe author retains all proprietary rights, (such as patentrights) and the right to use in future works.


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Abstract of thesis entitled

The role of feedback from teachers and peers following

School Based Assessment (SBA) tasks in improving students presentation

performance: A case study

submitted by

Mak Wing Shan

For the Degree of Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

at The University of Hong Kong

August, 2008

The introduction of a school based assessment has accelerated the major

paradigm shift from a culture of testing to a learning and assessment culture in Hong

Kong (Hamp-Lyons, 1999). It aims to encourage the use of formative assessment to

improve students learning. Approaches to formative assessment have traditionally

attributed a primary role to feedback, whether generated by a peer or a teacher.

However, studies have shown that the conditions under which feedback is effective

are tremendously complex. Therefore, it is essential to find out the factors facilitating

and constraining the effectiveness of teacher and peer feedback on students learning

since all these can pave the way for the successful implementation of the SBA


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triangular research methodologies, using questionnaires, video recordings of feedback

sessions, peer and teacher assessment forms, interviews and journal entries.

The results of the study suggest that students understanding of feedback may be

more important than the amount of feedback they receive in their learning process.

However, the study provides implications for the essential role of suggestions in

feedback to learning. It is also suggested that students response to feedback is closely

related to students perceptions regarding the feasibility of the feedback given. The

influence of individual, social, cultural, and contextual factors are shown to be

relevant in this regard. These findings have useful implications for pedagogical

practice when feedback is involved.


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The role of feedback from teachers and peers following School Based

Assessment (SBA) tasks in improving students presentation

performance: A case study

by

Mak Wing Shan

B.A. HKU

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the Degree of Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics

at The University of Hong Kong


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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this dissertation represents my own work and that it has not been

previously submitted to this University or any other institution in application for

admission to a degree, diploma or other qualifications.

_______________________________

August 2008


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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have helped in

accomplishing this thesis in various ways.

My deepest thanks go to my supervisor, Ms. Elizabeth Samson, for her

professional advice, guidance and encouragement throughout my studies.

I would also like to give special thanks to the students who have participated in

this study, for their conscientious effort.

In addition, I am also grateful to my friend, Miss Carol Cheung, who provided

me with valuable insights and comments on the thesis. Special thanks to my panel

head, Miss Almas Choi, for her constant support and inspiring advice on the study.

Finally, I offer my deepest love and appreciation to my parents, sister and spouse for

their unwavering love and support. They are the best source of solace in my own

writing process.


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

PageDECLARATION . i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .. ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iii

L IST OF TABLES ... vii

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 Background of the research .. 1

1.2 Overall objective of the study and research questions . 4

1.3 Organization of the study . 5

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW . 7

2.1 Review of the development of assessment ... 7

2.1.1 Early assessment paradigms . 7

2.1.2 Changes in the assessment paradigm ... 9

2.1.3 How the development of assessment influences the present study... 10

2.2 Feedback in assessment 11

2.2.1 Feedback in practice . 12

2.2.2 Application of effective feedback 13

2.2.2.1 Quality of feedback ... 14

2.2.2.2 Quantity and timing of feedback ... 15

2.2.2.3 Students response to feedback .. 16

2.2.2.4 Form of feedback .. 17

2.2.2.5 Opportunities of feedback . 18

2.3 Involvement of students in assessment 21

2.3.1 The development of student involvement in assessment . 21

2 32 Benefitsof involvingstudentsinassessment 22


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2.5 Research gaps ... 31

2.5.1 The influence of students perceptions of feedback on its

effectiveness .

31

2.5.2 The influences of teacher and peer feedback on students of

different language proficiency

31

2.6 Chapter summary . 33

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY ... 343.1 Overall research design of the study and research questions 34

3.1.1 Research design of the present study ... 34

3.1.2 Research questions ... 34

3.2 Subjects in the study . 35

3.2.1 Selection of subjects for the study 35

3.2.2 Description of subjects . 36

3.3 Procedures of the study and data collection . 37

3.3.1 Procedures of the study 37

3.3.2 Data collection .. 39

CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS. 434.1 Overview .. 43

4.2 Students perceptions towards teacher and peer feedback ... 44

4.2.1 Students experience in teacher and peer assessments . 44

4.2.2 Students perceptions regarding teacher feedback ... 46

4.2.2.1 Results before the assessment period 46

4.2.2.2 Feedback & results during/ after the assessment period ... 48

4.2.3 Students perceptions regarding peer feedback 51

4.2.3.1 Results before the assessment period 51

4.2.3.2 Feedback & results during/ after the assessment period 53


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4.4.2 Amount of feedback received in the four domains .. 63

4.4.3 Students interpretation and response to feedback in the four

domains

65

4.4.3.1 Attribution to teachers feedback? 65

4.4.3.2 Attribution to peer feedback? 67

4.5 Chapter summary . 69

CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION 705.1 Overview .. 70

5.2 Students understanding of feedback 71

5.2.1 Nature of feedback ... 71

5.2.1.1 Quality and quantity of feedback .. 71

5.2.1.2 Form of feedback .. 74

5.2.2 Students language proficiency 75

5.3 Students perceptions regarding teacher and peer feedback . 76

5.3.1 Students understanding of feedback 76

5.3.2 Students experience in teacher and peer assessment ... 77

5.3.3 Students expectations of the social relationships in peer response

groups ..

79

5.3.4 Individual learner differences .. 81

5.3.5 Traditional cultural influences .. 83

5.4 Pedagogical implications .. 84

5.4.1 Implications of involving feedback in assessments . 85

5.4.1.1 Enhancing the quality of feedback 855.4.1.2 Choosing a common language .. 86

5.4.1.3 Reserving time for feedback conferences . 87

5.4.1.4 Changing students perceptions regarding teacher and

peer feedback

87


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APPENDICES 104

Appendix A. Descriptors of the SBA Assessment Criteria .. 104

Appendix B. Parent/ Guardian Consent Form . 110

Appendix C. The Results of Background Questionnaire: Personal Background 112

Appendix D. Assessment criteria Individual Presentation ... 113

Appendix E. Peer Assessment Form 114

Appendix F. Detailed Assessment Criteria for Individual Presentation 115

Appendix G. Assessment Topics 117Appendix H. Background Questionnaire 118

Appendix I. Teacher Assessment Form . 122

Appendix J. Reflective Journal on Teacher & Peer Feedback to SBA Tasks . 124

Appendix K. Interview Questions 125

Appendix L. Excerpts from Journal Entries 126

Appendix M. Excerpts from Follow-up Interviews (Transcription) 135Appendix N. Summary of Teacher and Peer Feedback in the Three Assessments .. 144

Appendix O. Frequency of Positive, Negative Feedback and Suggestions Received

by Students in the Three Assessments

153

Appendix P. Average amount of positive, negative feedback & suggestions

received by students from each assessor in each assessment

156

Appendix Q. Frequency of Positive, Negative Feedback & Suggestions Received by

Students in the Four Domains

157

Appendix R. Average Amount of Positive, Negative Feedback & Suggestions

Received by Students in the Four Domains ...

160


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LIST OF TABLES

Page

TABLE 2.1 Framework of effective feedback 20

TABLE 3.1 Subjects Groupings ... 36

TABLE 3.2.1 Subject Stream 112

TABLE 3.2.2 Language(s) spoken at home 112

TABLE 3.2.3 Number of Years Studying English 112

TABLE 3.2.4 Gender Distribution 112TABLE 4.1 Types of teacher feedback received in assessments in learning English 44

TABLE 4.2 Number of years involved in peer assessment ... 45

TABLE 4.3 Experience in peer assessment in other subjects 45

TABLE 4.4 Types of peer assessment involved ... 45

TABLE 4.5 Perceptions towards teacher feedback... 47

TABLE 4.6 Perceptions towards peer feedback ... 52TABLE 4.7 Teacher Assessment: Scores of Students in the Three Assessments.. 57

TABLE 4.8 Total Amount of Feedback Received by Students in the Three

Assessments

59


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CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1Background of the researchAssessment is regarded as an essential component in learning and teaching.

However, it may work for or against learning depending on its underlying principles

and the ways of achieving them. The role of assessment varies in different contexts.

An examination-oriented culture is firmly embedded both in Hong Kong (Pong &

Chow, 2002) and in other Confucian-heritage cultures (e.g. Morrison & Tang, 2002).

Summative tests and examinations have played a dominating role in both internal and

external assessments. Since the last decade, there have been ongoing attempts to

reform teaching, learning and assessment through a Learning to Learn reform in

Hong Kong (Curriculum Development Council, 2001: i) which can be seen as a

paradigm shift from a culture of testing to a learning and assessment culture. In order

to improve students learning skills and to promote their life-long learning abilities,

the education reform policy has highlighted the use of formative assessment in

schools and to reduce excessive tests, examinations and dictations and help to

provide information for both students and teachers to improve learning and adjust

teaching (Curriculum Development Council, 2001: iv & viii).

One of the significant examples in the secondary school context is the

incorporation of a school-based assessment component (SBA) into public


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was even incorporated into the compulsory English language subject and Chinese

language subject in the HKCE Examination. At present, 14 of the 39 HKCE and 11 of

the 24 HKAL subjects have a SBA component, which mainly focuses on internal

assessment of students development of certain skills. The introduction of SBA has

accelerated the paradigm shift from a culture of testing with great emphasis on

assessment of learning to an assessment for learning culture in Hong Kong

(Hamp-Lyons, 1999). Under the assessment for learning principle, assessments are

not mainly used for summative purposes indicating students achievement. At the

same time, they are used for the beneficial washback on teaching and learning.

In the booklet Introduction to the School-based Assessment Component (2005)

which introduces the underlying principles of SBA and provides guidelines to

integrate SBA in teaching and learning, the key component of formative assessment

feedback is highly recommended.

Quality feedback from the teacher is also a very important part of SBA.

Teachers can use the assessment activities not only to make judgments

about student standards (a summative snapshot of students achievement to

date), but also to give feedback to students about specific aspects of their

oral language skills so that they can improve for the next assessment.Feedback should be constructive and specific, i.e. related to the assessment

criteria. It is better to describe the strengths and weaknesses of the

performances first, and the ways to improve, before giving the marks.


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Through peer assessment, students can have a better understanding of the

assessment criteria and their learning goals, and this is a chance for them to learn from

others. However, studies have shown that the conditions that need to apply if feedback

is to function effectively to support student learning are very complex

(Bangert-Drowns, Kulik, Kulik, & Morgan, 1991; Butler & Winne, 1995; Kulhavy &

Stock, 1989). The quality, quantity, form and timing of feedback are essential. The

role of students in feedback is also significant in determining its effectiveness. They

have to take an active role in targeting, generating and interpreting feedback, and in

communicating and engaging with it. All these responses lie in the perceptions of

students regarding feedback.

Attempts at reforming teaching, learning and assessment in Hong Kong have

revealed that assessment has usually been the feature most resistant to reform (Morris

et al., 2000). This has particularly been the case when attempts to introduce

school-based assessments (Yung, 2001) have challenged a traditional emphasis on

fairness and objectivity as the main features of the assessment process (Biggs, 1998).

While studies on the perceptions of teachers and students on the introduction of the

SBA component in the Hong Kong secondary school context abound, there is a lack

of such research studies on feedback and student involvement in assessment which are

the key components in this new assessment culture.


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1.2Overall objective of the study and research questionsThe ultimate purpose of this case study is to provide teachers and researchers an

understanding of the role of teacher and peer feedback in the speaking learning

process of students of different speaking proficiency. It is hoped that through this

investigation, teachers can be more aware of the conditions that facilitate learning

with feedback and the variables changing students perspectives and beliefs of

feedback. Hence, the study will start with one broad question about the students

perception and attitude about teacher and peer feedback, and then move on to study

the influence of teacher and peer feedback given after SBA tasks on students

speaking performance. The following questions will therefore be addressed:

1. Students views regarding teacher and peer feedback What are the students perceptions and attitude about feedback from the

teacher and peers?

Are there any differences in the perceptions and attitude of the students ofdifferent speaking proficiency to teacher and peer feedback respectively?

2. The influence of teacher and peer feedback on students speaking learningprocesses

If there is improvement in the students speaking performance, do they


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Are there any differences in the influence of teacher and peer feedback on thelearning progress of the students of different speaking competencies in the

four domains?

1.3Organization of the studyThis section will provide an overview of how information is organized in this

research.

Chapter One has provided an overview of the present study including the

background of the research and the overall objective of the study and research

questions.

Chapter Two will present a historical overview describing the development of

assessment research and its relationships to learning. It will then move on to describe

the role of feedback in assessment and learning and the development of student

involvement in assessment. A description of formative assessment and its key

component feedback that have been recently implemented in Hong Kong secondary

schools will end the chapter.

Chapter Three will focus on the study by examining the basis for the

th d l i d t i th h i i It ill t t ith th t t f


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peer feedback, and its relationship with their learning progress.

Chapter Five will provide an analytical interpretation of the findings from two

aspects: students understanding of feedback and their response to feedback. It will

analyze the ways students interpret and respond to feedback by considering the nature

of feedback, students language proficiency and other socio-contextual factors. Finally,

it will suggest some implications of the study for teachers in the application of

feedback in both teacher and peer assessment.

Chapter Six will summarize the findings by discussing the major issues arising

out of the study. Finally, it will review the limitations of the study and provide some

possibilities for further research.


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CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW

The review of the literature that follows will begin with a brief outline of the

development of assessment research and its relationship to learning is highlighted.

Then the roles of feedback in assessment, and the application of effective feedback

will be discussed. After that, the development of student involvement in assessment,

and the possibilities and problems of peer assessment and feedback will be examined.

It will end with a brief description of assessment practices in Hong Kong, and finally

the suggestion of research gaps the present study will investigate.

2.1 Review of the development of assessment

2.1.1 Early assessment paradigms

Traditionally, teachers are inevitably involved in assessing learners. Assessment

is regarded as an essential component in learning and teaching. However, assessment

may work against, rather than for learning as the underlying principles of assessment

and the ways of achieving them may be conflicting to learning. The complex

relationships between assessment and learning can be found in the development of the

assessment paradigms.

A di t S fi i (2000) A t M t i d d th


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classes, and to report their level of attainment to both parents and the school

administration. These are the characteristics associated with AssessmentofLearning

which is summative in nature as defined by Earl (2003).

Apart from this, researchers of assessment have also identified a number of

important features associated with the traditional Assessment as Measurement:

authoritative (Radnor & Shaw, 1995); an examination of decontextualized knowledge,

which is unrelated to student experience (Dochy, 2001); instruction and testing seen

as separate activities/ methods which do not always reflect aims (Dochy, 2001 &

Edwards and Knight, 1995); learners can avoid taking responsibility for own learning

(Edwards and Knight, 1995); and delayed feedback is provided (Radnor and Shaw,

1995).

The first paradigm was then followed by Assessment as Procedure in which the

primary focus is on assessment procedures rather than the underlying purposes of

assessment. Serafini (2000) argued that this paradigm shared characteristics with its

predecessor, Assessment as Measurement in all aspects except that the procedures

involved qualitative data collection methods.

In the Assessment as Measurement and Assessment as Procedure paradigms,

Serafini (2000) argued that objectivity, standardization and reliability take priority

th f t h d t d t i l t ( 2) Th t diti l


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2.1.2 Changes in the assessment paradigm

In the early nineties, a paradigm shift regarding methods for evaluation of

student achievement and performance took place (Klenowski, 1995). The growing

emphasis over the integration of assessment with teaching, assessment of process

rather than product and the evaluation of individual progress relative to each

individuals starting point gave way to a new culture of assessment Assessment as

Enquiry. Radnor and Shaw (1995) suggested some triggers for the changes. They

argued that, pressure was developing for increased integration of assessment with

instruction during the 1980s in the UK. The launch of the Technical and Vocational

Education Initiative (TVEI) by the UK government in 1983 and its focus on skills,

increased emphasis on reliability and validity, and growing concern with

accountability and the use of testing and examinations as performance indicators were

seen as the key events in the assessment development.

Birenbaum and Dochy (1996: xiii) described this shift as being from the culture

of testing to a culture of assessment. Birenbaum (1996: 7) suggested a number of

characteristics of the new culture of assessment:

a meta-cognitive component is included; serves formative function; a psychometric-quantitative approach is challenged by a


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students, the purpose of this approach is to highlight students strengths and

weaknesses and provide them with feedback for improvement. This is Assessment

for Learning (Earl, 2003). In formative assessment, results of assessment are used for

feedback to teachers and students. William and Black (1996) identified feedback as a

key component to formative assessment.

In the new assessment paradigm, students become involved in the process

through a wide variety of alternative assessment devices and methods (Serafini, 2000).

With the increasing emphasis of autonomy among learners, the role of students in the

assessment process has been changed from simply contributors to the assessment and

learning process to critical assessors themselves. This contributes to the development

of Assessment as Learning (Earl, 2003). Self-assessment is at the heart of this

approach. Students have to reflect on their learning progress and evaluate their

learning strategies so that they can make adjustments to their learning agenda.

Throughout this process, students have to be highly self-motivated. To develop skills

for self-assessment, peer assessment is a powerful means. It has been argued that it is

a necessary step towards this end. Peer involvement in assessment has the potential to

encourage learning and develop assessment skills. The value of peers in learning and

development is stressed by many educators and psychologists.


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Assessment as Procedures have firmly embedded in the traditional assessment

culture in Hong Kong where examination results have been seen as the most

important criteria in the placement of students in different classes and emphasis has

been placed on fairness and objectivity in the assessment process (Biggs, 1998). In

view of the close relationship between learning and assessment, there have been

ongoing attempts to reform the assessment culture in contemporary Hong Kong with a

greater focus on assessment for learning. This reform principle has fostered the

introduction of formative assessments and school-based teacher assessments in the

Hong Kong secondary school context in recent years. Feedback and students

involvement in assessment are regarded as the key components in this new assessment

culture assessmentfor learning, which makes them relevant to the present study.

2.2 Feedback in assessment

In the new assessment paradigm, backwash the effect that assessments have on

learning and teaching has become a growing concern among teachers and researchers.

To achieve beneficial backwash, formative assessment has been highlighted.

Feedback plays a crucial role in the new formative assessment component as it helps

encouraging and consolidating learning Feedback is conceptualized as information


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According to Hounsell (2007), well-crafted feedback can enhance learning in three

significant ways:

by accelerating learning, i.e., speeding up what can be learned by thestudents concerned within a given period of time, and so enabling learning to

take place more rapidly, or in greater depth or scope, than would otherwise

be the case;

by optimizing the quality of what is learned, i.e., helping to ensure that thelearning outcomes achieved and evinced by the students meet the standards

hoped for or required;

by raising individual and collective attainment, through enabling the studentsto attain standards or levels of achievement higher than those which they

might other have reached, i.e., without recourse to the scaffolding afforded

by feedback.

(Hounsell, 2007: 101)

2.2.1 Feedback in practice

Feedback is central to the learning process and when handled effectively it can


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after a module is completed (Higgins, Hartley & Skelton, 2001, 2002; Careless, 2006;

Liu, 2005). Much feedback in higher education comes too late for students to be able

to make significant use of it. Surveys in Hong Kong by Carless (2006) have shown

not only significant disparities in student and teacher perceptions of feedback but

student discontent with the level of detail in the feedback provided and with its

contribution to helping them improve their performance. In the survey conducted by

Hounsell et al. (2005) in Britain, results indicated that students concerns about

guidance and feedback ranged widely, including not only the consistency and

helpfulness of teachers comments but the timing and frequency of feedback and the

adequacy of guidance about assessment expectations and criteria.

At the same time, the perceptions of students towards the value of feedback

begin to wane. It is found that teachers who are already hard pressed to mark and

comment systematically on assignments and assessments find growing indications of

students not taking feedback seriously, alongside diminishing evidence that their

feedback has made a difference to the quality of work students produce (Hounsell,

2003).

2.2.2 Application of effective feedback


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2.2.2.1 Quality of feedback

In terms of the quality of feedback, Hounsell (2007) suggests distinguishing

between high-value and low-value feedback (p.103). The focus of the distinction is

the relative potential impact of the feedback being offered in relation to the learning

of the students concerned: that is, to what extent it seems likely to have a significant

effect on the quality of their learning. For instance, feedback in the form of comments

can be regarded as high-value since it is found that it can enhance learning

performance while that in the forms of grades and praise is questioned (Black &

Wiliam, 1998).

In the assessment process, it is expected that students should receive high-value

constructive feedback and have chances to ask questions about specific aspects of

their progress. According to Black and Wiliam (1998), feedback about performance

must contain three elements: identification of the goal, evidence about the current

position and understanding of the way to close the gap between the two. For

constructive feedback, first, it means the feedback should be linked to the assessment

criteria of the task (Freeman & Lewis, 1998). Second, it means the feedback takes the

form of descriptive. According to Gipps, McCallum and Hargreaves (2000),

descriptive feedback tells students what they have achieved and have not achieved,

and provides them with visible and manageable strategies so that they can make


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incorporate what Sadler (1989) has called exemplars of performance. Authentic

illustrations of completed work by students that represents high-quality achievement

in the subject at that level and on that kind of assigned task are crucial in helping

students to come to hold what Sadler would regard as a prerequisite for high

achievement: namely, a concept of quality roughly similar to that held by the teacher

(Sadler, 1989: 121). With the introduction of assessment criteria and then the ways of

providing quality feedback in the teaching and learning process, students will have a

better understanding of the ways of achieving the requirements of the assessment

tasks. This reveals the benefits of formative assessment to teaching and learning.

The integration of assessment into the teaching and learning process has been

increasingly highlighted in the Hong Kong context. However, there is a need to

emphasis the importance of assessment criteria and feedback in the process. Both

teachers and students have to view assessment as a teaching and learning process

instead of a measurement of students achievement in learning.

2.2.2.2 Quantity and timing of feedback

To support learning, sufficient feedback in enough detail is essential. The term

sufficient means that feedback indicating both what students have achieved and have


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act on it. That means the usefulness of feedback given towards the end of a learning

task decreases. It is suggested that a linked chain of assessments which provide

scaffolding steps towards the final learning goal should be arranged within a module

or course unit if that particular assignment or assessment is likely to be repeated so as

to enhance the longevity of feedback.

Theoretically, feedback provided after each assessment is beneficial to students

learning. Nevertheless, the provision of feedback is constrained by the large class size

in Hong Kong. With a class of over 35 or even 40 students, teachers may find it

difficult to provide each student detailed feedback right after each assessment. Instead,

the feedback is usually in the form of grades or marks. To enhance the effectiveness of

feedback to learning, the reduction of class sizes will be needed.

2.2.2.3 Students response to feedback

There has been vigorous advocacy in the formative assessment literature, such as

Boud (1995), Falchikov (2001) and Brew (1999), of the particular benefits of student

involvement in the processes of feedback. The effectiveness of feedback lies in a

transformed role for students in feedback, and in a variety of forms: in targeting,

generating and interpreting feedback, and in communicating and engaging with it.


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fully only if it involves both the evoking of evidence and a response to that evidence

by using it in some way to improve the learning (p.122). Moreover, there are various

ways towards greater student engagement that can help generate rich feedback. Self-

and peer assessment do play a significant role in the learning process.

However, studies of teacher written feedback suggest that feedback is not purely

informational, a means of channeling reactions and advice to facilitate improvements,

but interpersonal considerations do influence the construction and interpretation of

response (e.g. K. Hyland & F. Hyland, 2006). Students vary considerably in what they

want from their teachers in the form of feedback. Some value positive comments,

whereas others discount them as mere dressing. As a result, it is important that

teachers seek to discover the different concerns and agendas of students and, to the

extent possible, address them in their feedback.

Again, this will be rather difficult to be implemented in the Hong Kong context

because of the large class size in general. It will be quite difficult for teachers to cater

for the concerns of individual learners. Usually, teachers may pay more attention to

those higher achievers and lower achievers while the needs of those average achievers

will be neglected.


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more effective than written comments (Boulet, Simard & Demelo, 1990). Written

feedback on assignments and assessments seems to be often brief and ineffective as

students have been found to pay little attention to teachers written comments

(Zellermayer, 1989), or find them difficult to interpret and act upon (Clarke, 2000).

Bauman (1997) points out that students view the written comments with final grades

in writing as grade justification instead of understanding the feedback as suggestions

for improvement. Students may have different attitudes towards grades and written

comments. Even if they view written comments as grade justification, written

comments have their value by providing students the information of their learning

progress and how they can achieve a higher grade a better learning outcome.

According to Freeman & Lewis (1998), good feedback is a two-way process.

Verbal feedback is more likely to involve a two-way process. When giving feedback,

teachers should try to stimulate a response and a continuing dialogue. These can alert

students to the importance of considering and using feedback, and reflect on their

performance and adjust their learning strategies, which is the ultimate goal of

assessment for learning.

2.2.2.5 Opportunities of feedback

The last pathway towards more sustainable feedback lies in creating the


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wider array of contextual influences and the need to take due account of localized

constraints and opportunities, which influence what may be feasible and practicable

in a given institutional setting (as cited in Hounsell, 2007).

Anderson (1997) suggested that well-established small-group tutorials or

seminars can offer rich possibilities for feedback. Another powerful means of creating

feedback-enriched teaching-learning environment is the implementation of

collaborative and on-display assignments in which the end-product or completed

work is not privately and individually handed in to the teacher but openly visible to

some or all of the students (Hounsell, 2003). An example of this is group work in

which students work cooperatively on a shared task, and as a result learn from and

with each other in contributing not only perspectives but also strategies for handling

such task. Another instance is to be found in individual as well as group activities,

where the learning outcomes are shown in an oral or poster presentation.

Teaching-learning environments could become more fertile grounds for feedback if it

were made a much more visible and more central component in teaching and

assessment policies and strategies.


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Effective Feedback

Feedback Givers (Teachers/

Peers)

Feedback Receivers

(Students)

Class Administrative

Structure

Quality of Feedback Provision of

high-value,

constructive and

descriptive

feedback

Quantity & Timing ofFeedback

Detailed & highquality feedback

given at different

learning stages

Form of Feedback Verbal feedback

which involves a

two-way process

Students Response toFeedback

Students taking anactive & substantial

feedback role

Opportunities ofFeedback

Establishment ofsmall-group

tutorials/ seminars

and implementation

of collaborative and

on-display

assignments

Table 2.1 Framework of effective feedback

In conclusion, assessment, teaching and learning are interlinked. Feedback serves

as a bridge linking up these three components. Therefore, the effectiveness of

feedback plays a crucial role in bringing out beneficial backwash on learning. The

present study tries to incorporate the essence of this assessment approach in


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2.3 Involvement of students in assessment

2.3.1 The development of student involvement in assessment

Since the second half of the twentieth century, there has been a new interest in

involving students in assessment. Starting with the 1950s, research on self- and peer

assessment were published. There are various reasons for involving students in

assessment. They change in tune with the changes of the perceptions of researchers

towards assessment over the decades.

In the 1950s, teachers began to involve students in assessment in the form of

grading themselves and/or their peers though their concern was not with either

formative or summative aspects of the process. Instead, statistical issues relating to

reliability or validity of assessing seemed to be the purpose of the limited studies

being published in this decade. The emphasis was firmly on measurement and testing

which is in line with what Serafini (2000) called Assessment as Measurement.

By the 1960s, researchers started to show interest in problems associated with

traditional assessment, and their effects on assessment. Researchers were making

tentative attempts to understand the processes of student involvement (self- and/or

peer assessment in the form of grading) while measurement continued as a rationale

but its proportion decreased. This was due to the progression of perceptions from

Assessment as Measurement to Assessment as Procedure.


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increased demands on teachers time and energy, a proliferation of learning objectives

and widely differing abilities of students, were cited as the rationale for the

introduction of peer assessment.

The benefits of student involvement in assessment were the main themes of a

number of studies in the 1980s though the traditional reasons for student involvement

in assessment remained. It was also recognized that communication skills which are

important in a variety of professions can be developed among students through self-

and peer assessment practice. The particular benefits of involving students in

assessment for formative purposes were being acknowledged, and the usefulness of

student feedback became prominent.

In the 1990s, many more papers about different aspects of student involvement

in assessment were published. The benefits of involving students in assessment were

widely reported throughout this decade. The advocacy of autonomous learners and

lifelong learning was regarded as a reason for involving students in assessment

(Williams, 1992).

With the arrival of the new millennium, there was a development of applying

technology to support student involvement. Assessment studies involving students

working with computers were conducted, first to address concerns with reliability and

lidit th t id tif b fit d bl d tl t i ti t th


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indirect benefits to participants. Though many claims are unsupported, some studies

provide compelling statistical evidence to support their claims. Those studies are

mainly aimed at investigating improved performance in terms of grades or scores on

tests and examinations. Meanwhile, numerous other studies provide information

derived from questionnaires and other forms of student self-reported data.

The benefits claimed to be derived from involving students in assessment are

many and varied. Cognitive and meta-cognitive competencies have been found to

improve, as has the development of a variety of skills: presentation skills (e.g., Price

& Culter, 1995); professional skills (e.g., Topping, 1998); increased involvement in

learning and development of critical and independent thinking skills (e.g., Falchikov,

1986). Some studies point to improvements in performance. For instance, Bangerts

statistical analyses (1995) indicated significantly better performance by peer assessors

than by students who had not participated. Others suggest enhancements to personal

or intellectual development or social competencies; for instance, students were found

to take greater responsibility for their learning (e.g., Dochy, Segers & Sluijsmans,

1999). There are reports on the beneficial effects on affective dispositions

(Birenbaum, 1996: 4), such as confidence (e.g., Lapham & Webster, 1999), and

benefits to the assessment process itself (e.g., Trevitt & Pettigrove, 1995) and to

teachers.


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which we learn with and from one another, may be less easily observed, but it is

rarely absent. However, there have always been those who explicitly value and

understand the role of peers in learning. Lave argued that learning is a function of the

activity, context and culture in which it occurs (Lave, 1999; Lave & Wenger, 1991). It

is also believed that learning is a social activity, requiring social interaction and

collaboration. As a result, peer assessment and feedback plays a contributing role in

the learning process of students.

2.3.3.1 Benefits of involving peers in assessment and feedback

With the growing advocacy of the benefits of student involvement in assessment,

students are not only involved in grading themselves and their peers, they are also

increasingly involved in providing written/ oral feedback to their peers. Feedback is

typically provided by teachers, but students themselves can also be effective providers

of timely feedback that can be acted upon. Some students provide insightful feedback

while other less so. Though peer feedback might be of poorer quality than that

provided by teachers, it can contribute to facilitation of learning by prompting the

articulation of goals and the explicit judgments of progress towards the

accomplishment of those goals (ODonnell & Topping, 1998). By involving students

i th t t d t t k i t t t i i t i ith


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There are many studies of peer assessment that emphasize and investigate the

relationship between teacher and student marks. However, grading is not the most

important aspect of involving students in assessment. Similar to teacher assessment,

the essence of peer assessment for formative purposes is providing feedback to their

peers. In Sluijsmans et al.s (2001) study, it was found that many students were not

happy with awarding a score, feeling that feedback would have been more useful. As

Carless et al. (2006) suggested, the heart of peer assessment is not marking or grading.

The important thing is that students are actively reviewing their own work, providing

feedback on their peers work, and receiving and responding to feedback from others.

It helps to develop a collaborative approach to learning.

2.3.3.2 Concerns over peer assessment and feedback

However, there are some concerns over peer assessment and feedback. One of

the problems associated with peer assessment and feedback is students lack the

knowledge and experience in assessment. In a number of studies (Fineman, 1981;

Lapham & Webster, 1999; Sluijsmans et al., 2001), students showed their concern

about their lack of competence and knowledge in assessing each other in a fair and

objective way. Ngu et al. (1995) noted that many students were in favour of including

t t t th h t t t d f f


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peer assessment. There is also evidence showing the relationship between attitude and

achievement. Results in the study by Lin et al. (2001) also indicated that students in

general held a positive attitude towards peer assessment and that those with positive

attitudes had significantly higher achievement than those with negative attitudes.

Quality of feedback by those with favourable attitudes was better than that provided

by students with less positive attitudes. It reveals that students achievement may have

been influenced by students attitudes towards feedback and the quality of feedback

they receive.

It is also interesting to note that students react differently to feedback from peers

and from adults (Bush & Dweck, 1976; Cole, 1991; Henry, 1979). Bush and Dweck

used peer and adult evaluators to examine gender differences in the responses of 108

fifth graders to failure feedback. It was found that boys performance improved with

adult feedback but did not change with peer feedback. In contrast, performance in

girls improved with peer feedback but showed little improvement with adult feedback.

However, it was found that boys were most responsive to peer feedback and girls to

adult feedback in Henrys study (1979) in which first graders were praised for

successful performance. It shows that the conditions for effective peer and teacher

feedback is rather complex.

In peer assessment, students play a dominant role in the learning and teaching


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2.4 Review of the assessment development in Hong Kong context

2.4.1 Traditional assessment culture in Hong KongAssessment as Measurement has been regarded as the main function of

assessment in the traditional Chinese society. An examination-oriented culture is

firmly embedded both in Hong Kong (Pong & Chow, 2002) and in other

Confucian-heritage cultures (e.g., Morrison & Tang, 2002). Summative tests and

examinations have played a dominant role in both internal and external assessments.

It is particularly true with the external examination results which are still the

dominant way students and schools are evaluated and held accountable. In language

pedagogy, assessment is essential to measure students language proficiency so as to

assist the placement of students in different classes, and to report their level of

attainment to both parents and the school administration. As in many other countries

in the region (e.g. Cheah, 1998), the traditional role of assessment in the senior

secondary classroom has been exam preparation. For instance, Davison & Tang

(2003), in a study of writing assessment in senior secondary schools, found that it was

difficult for them to make a difference in teaching and learning, to respond to

individual needs, because of the fundamental summative purposes of assessment. The

traditional nature of assessment has deeply influenced the school culture and the

expectations of teachers, parents and students.


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policy has an aim to encourage the use of formative assessment in schools and to

reduce excessive tests, examinations and dictations and help to provide information

for both students and teachers to improve learning and adjust teaching (Curriculum

Development Council, 2001: iv & viii).

Nevertheless, attempts at reforming teaching, learning and assessment in Hong

Kong have revealed that assessment has usually been the feature most resistant to

reform (Morris et al., 2000). This has particularly been the case when attempts to

introduce formative assessments (Morris et al., 1999) and school-based assessments

(Yung, 2001) have challenged a traditional emphasis on fairness and objectivity as the

main features of the assessment process (Biggs, 1998). Studies of the impact of earlier

reforms in the Hong Kong external examination system in English language (e.g.

Andrews, 1994; Cheng, 1998) noted that changes to summative assessment did not

automatically lead to improvement in learning, as teachers and schools mediated the

nature of the change. Studies of SBA in other subjects in Hong Kong, such as the

Teacher Assessment Scheme (TAS) (Yung, 2001), also suggest that there may be wide

variation in teachers interpretations of student performance and of their role in the

assessment process.

2.4.3 Introduction of school-based assessment in secondary school context


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texts drawn from a programme of independent reading/viewing of print/non-print

fiction/non-fiction. Students choose at least four texts to read or view over the course

of two years, keeping a logbook or brief notes, and undertaking a number of activities

in and out of class to develop their independent reading, speaking and thinking skills.

For assessment they participate in several interactions with classmates on a particular

aspect of the text they have read/viewed, leading up to making an individual

presentation on a specific text and responding to questions from their audience.

SBA is integrated into the teaching and learning process, with teachers involved

at all stages of the assessment cycle, from planning the assessment programme, to

identifying and/or developing appropriate assessment tasks right through to making

the final judgements. Starting in Form 4, teachers now assess their own students oral

English language competencies through a range of authentic classroom-embedded

activities over two years (SBA Consultancy Team, 2005).

Students are assessed according to a set of assessment criteria, consisting of a set

of descriptors at each of six levels across four domains (see Appendix A), which were

developed and trialled by teachers and students from a wide range of Hong Kong

schools. The domainsfor assessing oral language in the classroom are:

Domain I: Pronunciation and Delivery

Domain II: Communication Strategies


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SBA with students. Sharing criteria with students can give them more concrete

framework of the assessment so that they have a clearer direction to their goals of

learning. The use of the assessment criteria as part of self and peer assessment for

formative purposes is also encouraged. Given the criteria, students can make

judgments about their performance and assess what they need to do to reach their

learning goals.

Moreover, it is expected that students should receive constructive feedback and

have chances to ask questions about specific aspects of their progress. At the same

time, teachers are expected to stand back and reflect on their teaching and learning

through observing students performance in the SBA. Feedback does not only assess

students achievement, but also indicate what the next steps they should take in the

learning progress. As a result, teachers can have a better understanding of the needs of

their students.

With the aim to investigate and support the transition from norm-referenced

external language assessment to criterion-referenced school-based assessment in

senior secondary English teaching, 14 SBA Projects are being carried out. The impact

of this new formative assessment process on teachers, students and the curriculum has

been systematically researched and evaluated. SBA has also been a topic in many

studies. The aims of these studies mainly focus on examining the perceptions of


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2.5 Research gaps

2.5.1 The influence of students perceptions of feedback on its effectiveness

As mentioned in Sections 2.1 and 2.4, the paradigm shift from assessment of

learning to assessment for learning in the assessment system is regarded as a

cultural change. Therefore, the introduction of SBA is a major assessment reform

which is a significant cultural and attitudinal change, not just for teachers, but for the

whole school community, including students and parents. It is not surprising that

community confidence and assessment readiness are major concerns. While studies

on the perceptions of teachers and students on the introduction of the SBA component

in the Hong Kong secondary school context abound, there is a lack of such research

studies on feedback and student involvement in assessment which are the key

components in this new assessment culture. As discussed in Sections 2.2 and 2.3,

students do play a role in the new assessment process, teacher and peer feedback in

particular. The effectiveness of both teacher and peer feedback lies in a transformed

role for students in feedback. An active feedback role for students is essential to

improve learning with feedback. It is therefore necessary to investigate students

confidence and readiness in making such a change in the new assessmentfor learning

culture. One of the research gaps that the present study aims to tackle is to what extent

do students perceptions of feedback affect their learning.


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1996) has been widely investigated. As mentioned in Sections 2.2.1 and 2.2.2,

research has taken into account the influence of feedback in learning. Many studies

(e.g. Bangert-Drowns, Kulik, Kulik, & Morgan, 1991; Butler & Winne, 1995;

Kulhavy & Stock, 1989) have shown that the conditions under which it is effective

are tremendously complex. Gibbs and Simpson (2004) have provided some guidance

in the application of effective feedback, including the quality, quantity, timing, and

form of feedback, and students response to feedback. The present study will examine

how these individual variables influence students speaking learning progressin the

hope that it can provide some insights of the facilitating and inhabiting factors

impinging on the implementation of feedback in the Hong Kong secondary school

context.

As student involvement in assessment is another major change in the assessment

culture, it is not surprising to find that students respond differently to feedback from

peers and teachers. The gender variable has been a research and pedagogical topic of

investigation since the seventies (Bush & Dweck, 1976; Henry, 1979). As there are

widely differing abilities of students but increasing involvement of students in

assessment, we need to know the relationship of teacher and peer feedback with

students learning. Students of different abilities may have different concerns over

teacher and peer feedback. At the same time, they may have different responses


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2.6 Chapter summary

The importance of teacher and peer feedback has been highlighted since the

introduction of the formative assessment approach the SBA component in the

secondary school assessment system in Hong Kong. It is believed that feedback from

teachers and peers which is central to the assessment and learning processes can lead

to beneficial backwash on learning. While most research focuses on the influence of

the assessment component on the whole, there is a lack of research studies on the

specific role of teacher and peer feedback in students learning.

Feedback from teacher and peers following SBA tasks play an important role in

the effective implementation of the new assessment component. Improvement in

learning only occurs when feedback is received, attended to and acted upon by

students. In order to obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness

of the implementation of the new assessment component, there is a need to examine

the perception of students towards feedback from teacher and peers.

In this formative assessment, students play a significant role in the learning

process. They are also influential to the efficacy of feedback which is the central

element in formative assessment. Different students may have different perceptions

and understanding towards peer and teacher feedback, and so their response to

feedback from different sources may vary. Like the gender difference examined in


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CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY

3.1 Overall research design of the study and research questions

3.1.1 Research design of the present study

In order to examine the impact of introducing teacher and peer feedback on

students learning under the new assessment culture, the present case study was

carried out. According to van Lier (2005), case studies are valuable tools to examine

educational reality. Yin (1989) defines case study as an empirical inquiry that

investigates a contemporary phenomenon with its real-life context; and multiple

sources of evidence are used. (23). Therefore, it is easily incorporated in the teaching

practice of a real classroom context to investigate the role of teacher and peer

feedback following SBA tasks in improving students presentation performance.

The research design for this study is confined to a naturalistic context, and the

real assessment situation of the students has dictated the way data was collected.

Three groups of students with different English speaking proficiency are studied on

how they perceive and respond to the feedback from teacher and peers after their

individual presentation in the SBA tasks. This is mainly a qualitative research and

supported with quantitative data.

312 R h ti


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Are there any differences in the perceptions and attitude of the students ofdifferent speaking proficiency to teacher and peer feedback respectively?

2. The influence of teacher and peer feedback on students speaking learningprocesses

If there is improvement in the students speaking performance, do theyattribute it to the feedback from the teacher or peers? Which group of

students has greater improvement in their speaking performance?

How do the students interpret and respond to the teacher and peer feedbackin the four domains (i.e., Domain I Pronunciation & Delivery; Domain II

Communication Strategies; Domain III Vocabulary & Language; Domain

IV Ideas & Organization) in the School-based Assessment criteria?

Are there any differences in the influence of teacher and peer feedback on thelearning progress of the students of different speaking competencies in the

four domains?

3.2 Subjects in the study

3.2.1 Selection of subjects for the study


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students in the group were ranked as to their results in the first SBA which was group

discussion on print fiction in the first school term (i.e., the marks submitted to the

HKEAA as one of the components of the Hong Kong Certificate of Education English

Language Examination). Nine students, including the top three students, the median

three students and the bottom three students were invited to be the subjects in the

study. A consent letter (see Appendix B) was signed by their parents before the outset

of the study in order to obtain the agreement for their children to participate in the

study. The parental inform consent letter was used to inform the nine subjects and

their parents what was being studied, how the study was to be carried out, and what

benefits(i.e. the application of different strategies in making use of teacher and peer

feedback in learning) were expected. To protect the subjects identities, each of them

is identified as a letter (i.e., Student A Student I) respectively and they are assigned

to three different groups during the study processes (see Table 3.1).

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3

Students of Higher Speaking Abilities Student A Student B Student C

Students of Average Speaking Abilities Student D Student E Student F

Students of Lower Speaking Abilities Student G Student H Student I

Table31Subjects Groupings


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However, the selected subjects are mainly studying in the Science stream (see Table

3.2.1 in Appendix C). The nine students are all Hong Kong Cantonese speakers who

use Cantonese in their daily conversation at home (see Table 3.2.2 in Appendix C).

Among the subjects, there are one student of higher speaking abilities who also speaks

English at home and a student of average speaking abilities who also speaks other

Chinese dialects at home. There are more students from the higher speaking ability

group having longer English learning experience than the other two groups (see Table

3.2.3 in Appendix C). For the gender distribution (see Table 3.2.4 in Appendix C),

there are comparatively more female students in the groups with students of higher

and lower speaking abilities.

3.3 Procedures of the study and data collection

3.3.1 Procedures of the study

The research was conducted over a period of 10 weeks, from the end of February

to early May, 2008, in which the weekly speaking lesson was scheduled for the

introduction of the second SBA (i.e., individual presentation on non-print fiction) and

the speaking skills of giving individual presentation. As planned in the school

teaching schedule, students have to participate in three SBA tasks of different topics

ith b th t h d l ti ith i d t i th ki l


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a set of descriptors at each of six levels across four domains (i.e., Domain I

Pronunciation and Delivery; Domain II Communication Strategies; Domain III

Vocabulary and Language Patterns; Domain IV Ideas and Organization), which

were stated in the teachers handbook 2007 HKCE English examination:

Introduction to the school-based assessment component (SBA Consultancy Team,

2005) delivered by the HKEAA was adopted in both the teacher and peer assessments

in this study. To make sure students understand the assessment criteria for individual

presentation, a briefing session was held at the beginning of the assessment process as

a class activity. In the briefing session, the teacher researcher went through the

assessment criteria in the peer assessment form (see Appendix E) with students. A

handout with more detailed descriptors of the assessment criteria was given to

students so as to raise their awareness of the key elements of giving a good

presentation and to provide them the vocabulary and phrases used when giving

feedback (see Appendix F). Sample video clips of individual presentation with

students of different speaking proficiency were shown and students had to complete

the peer assessment form and give both oral and written feedback to the performance

of students in the samples. After class, students were also required to visit a website

run by the HKEdCity on SBA presentation skills and watch the video clips of students

giving individual presentation, judge their performance and see the comments on their

f i b t h With b th i id d t id l ti iti


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group to conduct the three assessment tasks. They were given the presentation topic

(see Appendix G) three days before every assessment practice so that they would have

sufficient time to prepare for the task. For each assessment task, every student was

given two minutes to give the presentation in front of his/ her group members and the

teacher/researcher. After each assessment, each group of students was given about 5

minutes to complete the peer assessment forms in English. After all the three students

in the group had finished their presentations, they were then given a feedback session

with their group members and the teacher researcher. In the feedback session, each

group member has to give verbal comments (both the strengths and weaknesses) on

the performance of their peers and suggestions for improvement, then followed by the

teacher/researcher commenting on their performance and a question-and-answer

session. The feedback session was conducted in Chinese so as to ensure that they

were able and comfortable to give feedback to others.

3.3.2 Data collection

During the study period, data were collected from multiple sources in order to

assure data triangulation and verification. Five types of data were used to map out and

explain fully the two dimensions of the research questions from different perspectives


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I. Questionnaire (End of February 1st week of the study)

Students perceptions towards teacher and peer feedback were investigated by

collecting data from the nine subjects using a 6-point Likert scale questionnaire (see

Appendix H). It was used to elicit the students personal particulars, their experience

in peer and teacher assessments. The ratings of different groups obtained from the

questionnaire were compared to capture the subjects perceptions towards peer and

teacher assessments before the assessment procedures started.

II. Video recordings of assessment tasks and follow-up feedback sessions (3

rd

, 7

th

&

9th week of the study)

The presentation performance of the nine subjects in three different SBA tasks

and the feedback sessions after the SBA tasks were video-taped so that the second

examiner could use the video recordings in the rating processes. Feedback gathered

from the feedback sessions was checked against that in the peer and teacher

assessment forms. It was then sorted into three categories (i.e., positive feedback/

praises, negative feedback/ criticisms, and suggestions) and compared among the

three groups of students so as to reveal its influence on students learning progress.


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to assess and rate students performance by viewing the video recordings of the three

assessment tasks so as to provide a more objective judgment of students

performance.

The data from the peer and teacher assessment were analyzed quantitatively and

qualitatively to reveal the learning progress of the subjects in individual presentation.

The average scores to different subjects given by the teacher researcher and the

second examiner in the three assessment tasks were counted so as to provide a more

objective judgment of students learning progress in giving individual presentation.

The changes (i.e., increase/ decrease) of scores in the four domains and the total

scores in the second and third assessments were counted in order to present the

learning progress of students in the four domains and the overall performance during

the assessment period. On one hand, both verbal and written feedback from teacher

and peers was categorized into three types of feedback (K. Hyland & F. Hyland, 2006):

positive feedback/ praises, negative feedback/ criticisms, and suggestions to provide

quantitative data about the influences of different types of feedback on students

learning. On the other hand, the details of both peer and teacher feedback were

analyzed to collect qualitative data from the assessments.

IV J l t i (Th h tth h l t d i d)


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opportunity to write whatever came to their minds when they did the speaking tasks

and had the feedback sessions afterwards: reflections on the presentation performance,

views on the peer and teacher feedback received and their plan for the next

assessment task. This data was chosen to gain additional insights into students

perceptions of the peer and teacher feedback.

V. Follow-up interviews (Early May last week of the study)

Each subject was invited to attend a follow-up interview with subjects of the

same speaking abilities about their perceptions towards peer and teacher feedback

after the whole assessment period. The interview was conducted in Chinese so that

students could express themselves in a more comfortable way. The qualitative data

enabled the teacher researcher to make a comparison for the perceptual difference

between students of different speaking proficiency. All the interview questions were

given to the subjects in advance so that they were able to retrieve the relevant

information from their experience in the three assessment tasks before the interview

(see Appendix K). The content of the interviews were video-taped and was then

translated into English in the transcripts by the teacher researcher.

Thi h t hi hli ht th th d f d t ll ti b d th h


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CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS

4.1 Overview

The central aim of this study is to explore the role of teacher and peer feedback

in students speaking learning processes. On one hand, the nature of feedback from

teacher and peers itself has influential effects on the development of speaking skills

and the way in which it is learnt. On the other hand, the students of different speaking

competencies may bring in different beliefs and practices into the same formative

assessment context in which learning speaking is taking place. The influence of

feedback can be revealed by the changes of students speaking performance after

receiving feedback from teacher and peers. Still, its influence on students

performance cannot be fully comprehended unless we examine the ways in which

students interpret and respond to the feedback. As discussed in Section 2.2.2.3,

feedback to function effectively depends on the actions by students in which their

perceptions and attitudes play a determining role.

This chapter will first provide the characteristic descriptions of the three groups

of students with reference to their perceptions and attitudes towards teacher and peer

feedback both before and during/ after the assessment period. This will provide a

foundation of the relationship between the personal interpretation and perception of

the students of different speaking proficiency and the influence of feedback on them


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4.2 Students perceptions towards teacher and peer feedback

This section will start with a brief description of the students experience in both

teacher and peer assessments in both English learning and other subjects, and then

move on to their perceptions regarding teacher and peer assessments before and

during/ after the assessment period in the subsections.

4.2.1 Students experience in teacher and peer assessments

From the results in the background questionnaire conducted before the

assessment period, feedback from teachers is frequent in their English assessments

among all the students from the three groups (see Table 4.1). However, the types of

feedback they receive in their English assessments are different. For the students of

higher speaking abilities, the most frequent feedback from teachers is marks/ grades

while students of average and lower speaking abilities receive verbal feedback and

written comment most frequently respectively.

Most frequent 2nd Most frequent Least Frequent

Students of Higher

Speaking Abilities

Marks/ Grades Written Comment No feedback

Students of Average

S ki Abiliti

Verbal feedback Pass/ Failure No feedback

t d t f ki biliti i it t T f th h l


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students of average speaking abilities is quite extreme. Two of them have one or less

than one year experience in peer assessment in learning English whereas one of them

has been involved in peer assessment for 8 years or more. Seven out of nine students

even have experience in peer assessment in other subjects (see Table 4.3). The types

of peer assessment students have been involved in are mainly peer assessment in

project work and peer response groups (see Table 4.4).

1 or less 2 - 4 5 - 7 8 or more

Students of Higher

Speaking Abilities

0 3 0 0

Students of Average

Speaking Abilities

2 0 0 1

Students of Lower

Speaking Abilities

0 3 0 0

Overall 2 6 0 1

Table 4.2 Number of years involved in peer assessment

Yes No

Students of Higher Speaking Abilities 3 0

Students of Average Speaking Abilities 2 1

Students of Lower Speaking Abilities 2 1

Overall 7 2

Table 4.3 Experience in peer assessment in other subjects

Peer Peer assessment Peer response

422 St d t ti di t h f db k


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4.2.2 Students perceptions regarding teacher feedback

4.2.2.1 Results before the assessment period

In order to simplify the analysis of the data the degree of students perceptions

regarding teacher and peer feedback, the raw data are rearranged and presented in

Tables 4.5 and 4.6. The numbers of responses from strongly disagree to slightly

disagree and from strongly agree to slightly agree to each item are grouped together

respectively. According to the data gathered from the background questionnaire (see

Table 4.5), students of higher speaking abilities show a very positive view towards

teacher feedback obtained in the first SBA, i.e., group discussion on print fiction,

conducted in the first school term. All of them agreed that they understood and read

the feedback from the teacher researcher. To them, the suggestions given by the

teacher researcher are both clear and attainable, and help them reflect on their

performance. They stated that they tried to follow the suggestions given by the teacher

researcher and their speaking performance had improved with teacher feedback.

Therefore, they welcome teacher feedback in future.

In general, students of lower speaking abilities also show a rather positive view

towards teacher feedback. However, one out of three students of lower speaking

abilities reported that he/she did not understand the teacher feedback and only one of

them tried to follow the suggestions given by teacher. Also, one of the students

Students Disagree Agree


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g g1. I understand the feedback given by

teacher.Top 0 3

Average 0 3

Weak 1 22. I read the written feedback after theassessment tasks.

Top 0 3Average 1 2Weak 0 3

3. I agree with the feedback given byteacher.


4. Suggestions given by teacher are clear. Top 0 3Average 0 3Weak 0 3

5. Suggestions given by teacher areattainable.


6. Feedback from teacher helps me reflecton my performance.


7. I try to follow the suggestions given byteacher.

Top 0 3

Average 1 2Weak 2 1

8. With teacher feedback, my speakingperformance has improved.


9. I welcome feedback from teacher infuture.


Table 4.5 Perceptions towards Teacher Feedback

Among the three groups of students, students of the average speaking abilities

are rather negative towards teacher feedback. Only two of them replied that they read

and agreed with the feedback from the teacher researcher. One of them said that

he/shedid not attempt to follow the suggestions given by the teacher researcher and

4222Feedback& resultsduring/after theassessmentperiod


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4.2.2.2 Feedback & results during/ after the assessment period

From the results in the follow-up interviews and students journal entries, the

majority of the students are quite positive towards teacher feedback. Most of the

students from the three groups said that they understood and agreed with the teacher

feedback. They claimed that teacher feedback could reflect their performance. For

instance,

Student A: In teacher feedback, I know which kinds of mistakes I have.

When I know the problems, I can follow teachers feedback to improve

myself.

Student I: I understand the feedback given by teacher. Also the feedback

given by teacher has made me improve a lot since teacher told me that I

should pay attention to the last syllable.

(See Appendix L, Excerpts from journal entries)

Accordingly, teacher feedback can serve three functions in the learning processes

among these students. It can tell them what they have achieved and have not achieved,

and provide them some suggestions to make improvement. Nevertheless, three out of

nine students, pointed out that there were not enough suggestions from the teacher

researcher to guide them how to make further improvement in their speaking. These

three students (two higher-achievers and one average-achiever) claimed that they

They thought that there was still room for them to improve in those areas but


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They thought that there was still room for them to improve in those areas but

they did not know the strategies so that they remained at the same level in the next

assessment. In other words, these students are very clear about the three functions of

feedback so that they could point out their improvement in speaking was limited

because one of the functions of feedback was missing.

Moreover, in terms of the form of feedback, students have different perceptions

towards verbal and written feedback from the teacher-researcher. Most of the students

agreed that both verbal and written feedback was important to help them make

improvement, but some students of the lower speaking proficiency tended to have

different understanding of the verbal and written feedback. Two of the students in

these groups showed doubts about their understanding of the written feedback. They

explained:

Student H (a lower achiever): For some of them I am not very sure

about the meanings. Those written in English I dont understand very

clearly. For some of the sentences, I dont even understand what they are

about. I personally dont understand their meanings.

Student F (an average achiever): I understand the oral feedback. For

written feedback, my understanding is not as much as that in oral

feedback.

(See Appendix M, Excerpts from follow-up interviews)

Accordingly, it implies that theverbal feedback fromteacher is clearer andmore


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Accordingly, it implies that the verbal feedback from teacher is clearer and more

useful than the written feedback to students of lower speaking proficiency. In other

words, they rely more on the verbal feedback given during the feedback sessions to

improve their performance in the next assessment.

When students were asked if they reflected on their performance with the teacher

feedback in the follow-up interviews (see Q.3 in Appendix M), all of the students

reported that they reflected on their own performance with the feedback from the

teacher-researcher. Half of them said that they did the reflection both immediately

after the feedback session and when they prepared for the next assessment. In general,

they explained that they were quite eager to know whether they had made any

improvement in the assessment and which areas they needed to work on in order to

obtain higher scores during the feedback session. During the reflection when they

prepared for the next assessment, they would focus on the areas that they needed to

improve and reminded themselves to pay extra attention to those areas.

Furthermore, all of the students claimed that they attempted to follow the

suggestions provided by the teacher-researcher to improve their speaking

performance during the assessment period (see Q.4 in Appendix M). Each of them

could point out at least one example in which they followed the suggestions given by

the teacher-researcher in the feedback sessions or the teacher assessment form.

both the quantity and the form of teacher feedback.


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q y

4.2.3 Students perceptions regarding peer feedback

4.2.3.1 Results before the assessment period

Compared to the other groups of students, students of higher speaking abilities

are quite positive towards giving and receiving peer feedback (see Table 4.6).

Regarding giving peer feedback, all of them felt comfortable with giving feedback to

their peers and agreed that they could learn from their peers performance. Two of

them reported that they were clear about the assessment criteria and knew how to give

feedback to peers. However, they still show doubts about the usefulness of their

feedback to their peers. Only one of them thought his/her feedback could help his/her

peers improve their speaking performance. Concerning receiving peer feedback, all of

them replied that they understood and agreed with the feedback given by their peers.

Also, they tried to follow the suggestions from their peers. But only two of them

agreed that suggestions given by their peers were clear and attainable.

Attitudes towards Giving Peer Feedback Students Disagree Agree1 I amcomfortablewith givingfeedback to Top 0 3


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1. I am comfortable with giving feedback tomy peers.

Top 0 3Average 1 2

Weak 2 12. I am clear about the assessment criteria. Top 1 2Average 1 2Weak 3 0

3. I know how to give feedback to my peers. Top 1 2Average 2 1Weak 2 1

4. I think my feedback can help my peersimprove their speaking performance.


5. I have a better understanding about thelearning goals with the peer assessment.


6. I can learn from my peers performance. Top 0 3Average 2 1Weak 2 1

Attitudes towards Receiving Peer Feedback

7. I understand the feedback given by mypeers.


8. I read the written feedback after theassessment tasks.


9. I agree with the feedback given by mypeers.

Top 0 3Average 1 2

Weak 1 210. Suggestions given by my peers are clear. Top 1 2Average 3 0Weak 1 2

11. Suggestions given by my peers areattainable.


12. Feedback from peers helps me reflect onmy performance.


13. I try to follow the suggestions given bymy peers.


14 Withpeerfeedback myspeaking Top 1 2

The perceptions of students of average and lower speaking abilities towards both


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giving and receiving peer feedback are rather negative. On one hand, they are not very

confident of giving feedback to their peers. Only one student in each of the two

groups reported that he/she knew how to give feedback to peers. None of the students

of lower speaking abilities were clear about the assessment criteria and none of the

students of average speaking abilities thought their feedback could help their peers

improve their speaking performance.

On the other hand, students in these two groups do not perceive peer feedback

very positively even though most of them understood and agreed with the feedback

from their peers. None of the students of average speaking abilities thought that

suggestions given by their peers were clear and only one of them agreed that peer

suggestions were attainable. Therefore, only one of students in the average group and

even none in the weaker group attempted to follow the suggestions given by their

peers. Most of them disagreed that their speaking performance had improved with

peer feedback. One of the students from the average speaking ability group even

stated in the open-ended section in the questionnaire that:

I think some of my peers are not able to give feedback to each other. They

give comments randomly. I have not learnt anything from it.

All of the students from these two groups mentioned that peer feedback was generally


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not comprehensive and not detailed enough to help them make improvement in their

speaking. In terms of the quantity of peer feedback, four of them found that the length

of the peer feedback was usually very short while three of them stated that feedback

from their peers mainly focused on some of the domains, especially Domain I

Pronunciation and Delivery and Domain II Communication Strategies. In terms of

the quality of peer feedback, four of them said that suggestions were always lacking

in the feedback from their peers.

Although many of the students are not satisfied with the feedback they received

from their peers, a majority of the students are positive towards peer assessment. Six

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