An Attitude-based Study of the Effects of Task-based Assessment on the Iranian EFL Learners' General English achievement

Subject Areas : Research in English Language Pedagogy

Farzaneh Khabbazi Babanari ¹ , Mohammad Sadegh Bagheri ² , Firooz Sadighi ³

1 - Department of English, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran
2 - Department of English, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran
3 - Department of English, Shiraz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shiraz, Iran

Received: 2018-11-03 Accepted : 2019-08-25 Published : 2020-01-01

Keywords: EFL learners, General English achievement, Traditional assessment, Task-based Language Assessment (TBLA), Attitude,

Abstract :

According to Montano and Kasprzyk (2008), attitude is determined by the individual's beliefs about outcomes or attributes of performing the behavior (behavioral beliefs), weighted by evaluations of those outcomes or attributes. This study examined Iranian EFL learners’ attitudes toward the Task-Based Language Assessment (TBLA) and the traditional assessment concerning their General English achievement. One hundred EFL students from Islamic Azad University of Zarghan, Fars Province with the age range of 20-35, participated in this study. The data were gathered using an attitude questionnaire. Frequency Analysis and chi-square were used to show the learners' attitudes towards the task-based assessment in General English ability. Regarding the attitude questionnaire, EFL learners had positive attitudes towards the TBLA utilization in improving their General English achievement and most of the students were satisfied with learning English through the TBLA.

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