【作者】 王华；

【导师】 金艳；

【作者基本信息】 上海交通大学 ， 外国语言学及应用语言学， 2007， 博士

【摘要】 形成性评估是语言教学课程的重要组成部分,它通过向教师和学生提供及时、有效的反馈达到促进语言教学健康发展的目的。虽然国内外对形成性评估的研究已取得一定成果,但与国外大量实证研究相比,形成性评估在中国外语教学课程中的应用研究还较欠缺,尤其是形成性评估的可行性和有效性更待进一步深入。本研究重点在于建立和完善一套适合外语教学课程的形成性评估的系统化流程,并探索形成性评估能否并如何促进被评估的外语教学课程的发展,期望为形成性评估研究的理论发展及其在中国外语教学中的实践应用提供借鉴。本研究将回答以下问题:1)中国外语教学课程中的形成性评估应采用什么样的系统化流程?此流程的主要特点是什么?2)根据初步建立的流程所进行的形成性评估如何从课程设置、课堂教学、教材和学习环境等方面对所评估的课程产生影响?3)根据初步建立的流程所进行的形成性评估如何从教师对课程要求的理解、教学态度、教学方法和内容等方面对所评估的教学产生影响?4)根据初步建立的流程所进行的形成性评估如何从学生对课程要求的理解、学习态度、学习策略和内容等方面对所评估项目的学生的学习产生影响?本研究通过综述相关课程评估文献,确定了对建立教学课程中形成性评估流程具有重要影响力的7个评估理论,分别是Cronbach (1963, 1983, 2000)提出的三大评估功能, Stufflebeam (1971, 1997, 2000b)的背景-输入-过程-结果模型,Scriven(1972, 1994)的自由评估模型,Stake (1975)的回应模型,Wolf (1975, 1983)的判断模型, Eisner(1975, 1983)的鉴赏模型和Weiss (1983, 1997)的兴趣-意识-信息分析。基于对上述各评估模型的深入分析,作者初步建立一套适合语言课程的形成性评估流程。为了验证并完善此评估流程,作者将其应用于大连某高校英语专业本科教学课程,进行了为期一年的形成性评估实证研究。评估按学期分两个阶段实施。通过使用问卷调查、访谈、课堂观察、日记和水平测试等方法,评估者在整个评估过程中从实验班、对照班的师生和课程负责人处收集各种数据,详细分析、对比之后观察评估是否以及如何对该课程和英语教学产生影响。作为大量定性数据分析的补充,评估者对问卷和测试数据进行了统计分析,包括独立、配对样本差异显著性检验以及重复测量的方差分析。实验结果如下:首先,通过评估,课程设计者认识到形成性评估对课程的改进和提高意义重大,例如课程设置、教学安排和教材等均比实验前有较大的改变。第一,课程内涵拓展,课程名称由英语专业计算机方向改为应用英语方向;第二,每周新增两学时的英语技能实训课,开展一些实践性强的英语技能训练;第三,老师可以及时获得学生的考试分数特别是分项分,用于帮助学生认识学习中的优势和不足。此外,要求老师定期座谈,交流教学经验和方法;第四,课程设计者正在积极筹备策划定期的形成性评估,并希望借此长久持续地促进该语言课程和英语教学的提高。其次,形成性评估使教师的教学有所提高,具体表现如下:第一,评估的后期,在精读、泛读和写作课上计算机辅助教学的使用都有所提高;第二,教师日记数据表明更多鼓励学生参与课堂活动,其参与的主动性和积极性也比实验前有大的提高;第三,教学内容不再局限于课本,要求学生做大量的课后阅读,写读书笔记等;第四,老师积极参与课堂教学和评估的相关研究。第三,参加评估的学生也比实验前发生很大改变,具体表现在以下几个方面:第一,学生学习英语的兴趣和动机增强;第二,学生开始有意识地自主安排学习;第三,学生的学习自主性增强,积极探索有效的学习策略;第四,学生合作学习意识提高。研究结果还表明,形成性评估对学生学习的影响程度与评估目的关系密切。如果对学习者的态度、兴趣等情感、思想方面进行形成性评估,评估的影响是逐步显现的;但是,如果受评估的是某个教学安排或行为,形成性评估在评估初期就会对其产生较大影响。在实证研究的基础上,研究者对初步建立的形成性评估流程做了进一步调整,主要包括,强调语言课程评估背景的分析,具体细化评估的步骤,详细描述每个评估步骤的参与者和工具,等等。完善后的评估流程具有综合性、系统性和可应用性三大特征。该流程的综合性特征体现在它对评估文献和模型的回顾、借鉴和有效提炼。在前人基础上,所建评估流程强调了详细的评估背景分析,具体细化的评估步骤,多样的数据收集方法,受评估者的积极参与和评估者的作用等。其系统性特点体现在评估者在此流程的指导下,可以逐步有序地设计和实施课程评估,并在不同评估阶段,根据不同评估目的针对不同受评估对象采取不同评估方法收集数据。而且,本研究的实证数据论证了所建形成性评估流程的有效性,因此可以推断本流程可用于评估其它相同性质的语言课程。该研究还确定了决定评估成功的几个关键因素:课程负责人的理解和支持,合理设计符合课程具体需求的评估,参与者的积极配合,评估者的专业知识和技能等等。本研究最重要的贡献即提出和论证了一套适合语言课程的形成性评估的系统化流程。为适应社会需求,中国外语教学正处于改革的新阶段,本流程的建立也因此对形成性评估在中国外语教学中的实施有特殊的实践意义。目前,国内很少有外语教学课程把形成性评估作为其必不可少的一个组成部分。本研究不仅提高了课程设计者和教师对形成性评估重要性的认识,还为他们提供了一个切实可行的评估模式。当然,在实际操作过程中,可以根据受评估课程的具体情况对评估工具和方法做必要的改进和调整。更多还原

【Abstract】 As an important component of language programs, formative evaluation aims at improving language teaching and learning through providing teachers and learners with immediate and effective feedback. Studies of the theory and practice of formative evaluation of language programs have been carried out both at home and abroad. But compared with a large number of empirical studies conducted abroad, formative evaluation of language programs is rarely reported in China. In particular, the feasibility and effectiveness of formative evaluation in the context of foreign language teaching in China need further investigation. The present study focuses on the establishment of a systematic formative evaluation procedure for foreign language programs, and the investigation of whether and how the evaluation following the procedure promotes the development of the undergraduate program under evaluation. It is expected that the present study will contribute to the research on formative evaluation in general, and to the application of formative evaluation by foreign language teachers in China in particular. To this end, the study will address the following research questions:(1) What is the systematic procedure to be followed in the formative evaluation of a foreign language program in China? What are the main features of the procedure?(2) How effective is the proposed procedure when used for the formative evaluation of a foreign language program in terms of its impact on the curriculum design, classroom practices, materials of instruction, learning environment, etc.?(3) How effective is the proposed procedure when used for the formative evaluation of a foreign language program in terms of its impact on the teachers’understanding of the program requirements, teaching attitudes, teaching methodology, teaching content, etc.?(4) How effective is the proposed procedure when used for the formative evaluation of a foreign language program in terms of its impact on the students’understanding of the program requirements, learning attitudes, learning strategies, learning content, etc.?After a brief review of the educational literature on program evaluation, several models of educational program evaluation have been singled out for the exploration of a systematic procedure of formative evaluation in the present study, including Cronbach’s three functions of evaluation (1963, 1983, 2000), Stufflebeam’s Context-Input-Process-Product model (1971, 1997, 2000b), Scriven’s goal-free evaluation model (1972, 1994), Stake’s responsive model (1975), Wolf’s judicial model (1975, 1983), Eisner’connoisseurship model (1975, 1983) and Weiss’Interest- Ideology-Information analysis (1983, 1997). On the basis of an in-depth analysis of the above evaluation models, the researcher develops a preliminary formative evaluation procedure for foreign language programs, which is to be validated and modified in the present study. In the study, the researcher follows the procedure in the process of implementing a one-year formative evaluation of a new undergraduate program for English majors at an institute in Dalian.The evaluation has been conducted in two stages over the course of two terms. By means of questionnaires, interviews, classroom observation, journals and proficiency tests, the evaluator has collected various types of data from the program designers, teachers and students in the treatment and control classes. The data have been analyzed and compared in great detail to show the impact of the evaluation on the program and on the EFL teaching and learning. To complement the qualitative analysis of the large amount of data collected, the questionnaire data and test data have been subjected to statistical analysis, including independent samples t-test, paired samples t-test and repeated measures ANOVA (analysis of variance). Following is a summary of the major findings of the study.The program designers have come to realize that formative evaluation is highly significant for revising and improving the program. For example, some changes have been made to the curriculum design, teaching arrangements, choices of teaching materials, etc. The undergraduate program has been reoriented towards the use of English for various practical purposes instead of English with an orientation towards computer technology. One new course aimed at improving students’English language skills has been offered in the English Department once a week. Profile test scores of the students have been made known to the teachers after each test so that they can help students identify their strengths and weaknesses. The teachers have also been required to meet regularly to exchange teaching experience and methods. Moreover, formative evaluation on a regular basis has been planned, which is expected to continuously benefit the language program and the EFL teaching and learning of the department.Improvements of teaching as a result of the evaluation have been made in the following aspects. First of all, computer-based teaching has been promoted in classes of intensive and extensive reading and writing. Secondly, the data from the journals written by the teacher participants indicate that more students have been encouraged to take part in classroom activities on their own initiative. Thirdly, the teaching content is not confined to the textbooks. The students are required to do supplementary reading, take notes and make comments on the reading materials. Lastly, the teachers are found to be more actively involved in research on teaching methods and self-evaluation methods.Progress made by the students as a result of the evaluation has been identified in the study. Firstly, their interest in learning English has grown and their motivation for learning has been increased. Secondly, they have learned to self-monitor their learning processes. Thirdly, they have a better awareness and understanding of autonomous learning and tried to develop more effective learning strategies. Fourthly, their sense of cooperation and teamwork has been improved. Moreover, the data seem to suggest that the impact of formative evaluation on EFL learning to a great extent depends on the purposes of the evaluation. With respect to the factors in the affective domain such as students’interest, motivation, attitudes, etc, formative evaluation has an indirect impact which affects the participants in a gradual way. However, when a particular arrangement or action of teaching or learning is evaluated, the effect will be more direct and prompt, and especially strong at the early stage of the evaluation.Based on the empirical study, the researcher modifies the preliminary formative evaluation procedure in several ways, for example, giving more emphasis to the analysis of the evaluation context, further specifying the evaluation steps, providing a more detailed description of the participants and instruments involved at each step, etc. The refined procedure has been defined as a synthesized, systematic and applicable procedure for the formative evaluation of foreign language programs.The procedure is a synthesized one because important implications have been drawn from the review of previous evaluation models. As a result, emphases have been given in the procedure to the analysis of the evaluation context, the careful division of the evaluation steps, the use of multi-methods for data collection, the involvement of participants, the roles of the evaluator, etc. The procedure is also a systematic one in that evaluators can design and implement formative evaluation of a language program in a phase-by-phase and step-by-step manner using different instruments on different participants for collecting different types of data. Moreover, the empirical data collected in the present study demonstrate to a large extent the effectiveness of the procedure, and it is expected that the procedure can be applied to the evaluation of language programs of a similar nature. As a result, some principal factors which may contribute to the success of program evaluation have been identified, including mainly the full support and understanding of the program director (s), the proper design of the evaluation which meets the specific requirements of the program, the active participation of all participants, and the evaluator’s professional knowledge and skill of conducting the formative evaluation of foreign language programs.To sum up, the most important contribution of the present study is the proposal and validation of a systematic formative evaluation procedure for foreign language programs. The establishment of the procedure is of special practical value to the implementation of formative evaluation of foreign language programs in China, which are entering a new stage of reform in response to the changing needs of society. At present, few foreign language programs have incorporated formative evaluation as an indispensable component. The study not only raises the awareness of the importance of such kind of evaluation on the part of program designers and teachers but also equips them with a useful and practical framework. In actual implementation, however, modifications and adjustments to the evaluation instruments and methods are necessary to cater to the specific context of the program to be evaluated.更多还原