On the Legitimacy of Cooperative Assessment: Examining EFL Learners’ Rating Accuracy in Assessing Cooperative Reading
محورهای موضوعی : نشریه زبان و ترجمهMina Bolghari 1 , Parviz Birjandi 2 , Parviz Maftoon 3
1 - PhD Candidate in TEFL, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 - Professor, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
3 - Associate Professor, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
کلید واژه: Cooperative assessment, Cooperative reading, Rating accuracy, Self- and peer-assessment,
چکیده مقاله :
Cooperative learning has attracted ever-increasing research literature on language studies, among which EFL reading instruction abounds with numerous examples in favor of cooperative learning. However, there is a common belief that if cooperative learning were not assessed, students would be unlikely to take it seriously. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to examine EFL learners’ accuracy in assessing cooperative reading. To this end, 60 sophomores majoring in English translation at Islamic Azad University, Tehran Central Branch, participated in this study. Data were collected in the course of 15 weeks. Each week, first, the participants cooperatively read an expository passage in 15 four-member groups in class. Then, each participant was asked to carry out an individual reading assignment at home. For the cooperative reading assessment, both the group performance and the individual homework assignment of each participant was weekly self-, peer-, and instructor-assessed. The results demonstrated the participants’ reasonable accuracy in assessing cooperative reading. Furthermore, the qualitative findings obtained from a semi-structured focus group interview showed that the participants perceived cooperative reading assessment positively. The study may produce credible evidence for using cooperative assessment as a reasonably honest approach to evaluate EFL learners’ reading performance.
یادگیری مشارکتی درمطالعات بیشماری مورد توجه واقع شده است که در این میان، تاثیر مثبت آن بر روی مهارت خواندن و درک مطلب زبان انگلیسی--به عنوان زبان خارجی-- به اثبات رسیده است. با این وجود، مطالعات نشان میدهند تا زمانیکه یادگیری مشارکتی مورد ارزیابی قرار نگیرد، زبان آموزان به طور جدی به آن نخواهند پرداخت. بر این اساس، هدف اصلی این مطالعه بررسی دقت ارزیابی زبان آموزان ایرانی در ارزیابی مشارکتی مهارت خواندن مد نظر واقع شد. در راستای احقاق این هدف، 60 دانشجوی سال دوم رشته تربیت مترجم زبان انگلیسی از دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی، واحد تهران مرکزی انتخاب شدند. اطلاعات مربوط، طی 15 هفته جمع آوری شد. هر هفته، ابتدا زبان آموزان یک متن را در کلاس در گروههای چهار نفری خود به طور مشارکتی می خواندند و سپس تکالیف فردی خود را در منزل انجام میدادند. برای ارزیابی خواندن مشارکتی، هر هفته فعالیت گروهی و نیز فعالیت فردی و مستقل هردانشجو توسط مدرس، خود دانشجویان، و همگروهی ها مورد ارزیابی قرار میگرفت. نتایج مطالعه نشانگر دقت معنادار زبان آموزان در امر ارزیابی مشارکتی بود. همچنین، بر اساس نتایج کیفی به دست آمده از مصاحبه گروهی، شرکت کنندگان دریافت مثبتی از ارزیابی خواندن مشارکتی داشتند. نتایج تحقیق حاضر میتواند گواهی بر اعتبار ارزیابی مشارکتی در سنجش مهارت خواندن و درک مطلب زبان آموزان ایرانی باشد.
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