Descriptive assessment of English as a foreign language in the second grade of primary school

Ema Šmid (2017) Descriptive assessment of English as a foreign language in the second grade of primary school. MSc thesis.

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Abstract

In the recent years, foreign language learning has become a compulsory subject in the first triad of primary school. Lessons are taught in accordance with the learner's development and interests and their knowledge is assessed in a descriptive manner. A descriptive mark is based on how well a pupil meets knowledge standards in accordance with the English language syllabus. In order to assess pupils successfully, the process of teaching should motivate pupils for learning while the process of assessing should give relevant results of pupils' knowledge. Pupils should be motivated to participate in activities which involve assessment, they should also feel well throughout the process and the teachers should test what they teach. The description of the pupil's achievement and the descriptive mark itself are a complex problem for some of the teachers, especially for those who haven't gone through the process of descriptive assessment yet. The results of an evaluation research are described in the practical part of this master's thesis which was carried out among a group of second graders (28 pupils). On the basis of the theoretical knowledge and practical experience, various methods of assessment were introduced into practice, with the aim to provide a realistic picture of the pupils' knowledge. They were organized and carried out in a student-friendly way while they also followed all the principles of assessment: validity, reliability, objectivity, sensitivity and economy. Possible assessment techniques were described and tested young learners' listening and hearing comprehension and their speaking and communication skills. Furthermore an evaluation of the process and its possible improvements can guide the teachers of English to young pupils to reflect on their practical experience, while different forms of assessment which are shown and tested in this master's thesis may be introduced into their lessons.

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