Students’ perception of using e portfolios for learning and assessing speaking skills in efl classes at kim dong junior high school, ho chi minh city

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

----------------------------------------

DAO THI KIM HOA

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF USING
E-PORTFOLIOS FOR LEARNING AND ASSESSING
SPEAKING SKILLS IN EFL CLASSES
AT KIM DONG JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL,
HOCHIMINH CITY

Major :
Student’s code:
Class :

English Language
2141900020
21SNA11

HO CHI MINH CITY, FEBRUARY 2023


MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING
HO CHI MINH CITY UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

----------------------------------------

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF USING
E-PORTFOLIOS FOR LEARNING AND ASSESSING

SPEAKING SKILLS IN EFL CLASSES
AT KIM DONG JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL,
HOCHIMINH CITY
Submitted to the
Faculty of English Language
in partial fulfilment of the Master’s degree in English Language
Total words : 21657

Course code: 8222201
By

DAO THI KIM HOA
Supervised by

LE VAN TUYEN, Ph.D.

HO CHI MINH CITY, FEBRUARY, 2023


The thesis entitled
STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF USING E-PORTFOLIOS
FOR LEARNING AND ASSESSING SPEAKING SKILLS
IN EFL CLASSES
AT KIM DONG JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL,
HOCHIMINH CITY

was successfully defended and approved on 29/03/2023 at Ho Chi Minh City
University of Technology (HUTECH).

Academic supervisor : LE VAN TUYEN Ph.D.

Examination Committee
1. NGUYEN THI KIEU THU Ph.D.

Chair

2. CAO THI PHUONG DUNG Ph.D.

Reader 1

3. TRAN QUOC THAO Ph.D.

Reader 2

4. NGUYEN NGOC TRAN CHAU Ph.D.

Member

5. NGUYEN THI THU Ph.D.

Secretary member

On behalf of the Examination Committee
Chair

i


HCMC UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE

HCMC, February 2023

MASTER’S THESIS REPORT
Student name:

DAO THI KIM HOA

Sex : Female

Date of birth:

August 16, 1979

Place of birth : Ho Chi Minh City

Major:

English Language

Student code: 2141900020

I- Thesis title:
STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF USING E-PORTFOLIOS
FOR LEARNING AND ASSESSING SPEAKING SKILLS
IN EFL CLASSES
AT KIM DONG JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL,
HOCHIMINH CITY

II- Objectives and contents:
The objective of this study is to explore the students’ perceptions of the use of

e-

portfolios for learning and accessing English speaking skills at Kim Dong Junior High
School, HCMC.
III- Starting date:

07/06/2022

IV- Completing date:

11/02/2023

V- Academic supervisor: LE VAN TUYEN, Ph.D.
ACADEMIC SUPERVISOR

FACULTY DEAN

(full name, signature)

(full name, signature)

ii


CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY
I certify my authorship of the Master’s Thesis submitted today entitled:
STUDENTS’ PERCEPTION OF USING E-PORTFOLIOS
FOR LEARNING AND ASSESSING SPEAKING SKILLS
IN EFL CLASSES

AT KIM DONG JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL,
HOCHIMINH CITY

In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master’s programs issued by the
Higher Degree Committee of Faculty of English Language, Ho Chi Minh City
University of Technology.
Ho Chi Minh City, February 2023

DAO THI KIM HOA

iii


RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS
I hereby state that I, DAO THI KIM HOA, being a candidate for the degree of Master
of Arts (English Language) accept the requirements of the University relating to the
retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library.
In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master’s Thesis deposited
in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance
with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan, and
reproduction for theses.

Ho Chi Minh City, February 2023

DAO THI KIM HOA

iv


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This project will not be completed without the support of many people. First, I would
like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to my supervisor, LE VAN
TUYEN Ph.D., who has spent a lot of time instructing me how to conduct the study as
well as giving me guidance, insightful advice, and the constant encouragement through
the whole research process. Second, I would also like to thank all lecturers and staffs of
the HUTECH’s post-graduation for their valuable lessons and great help in my thesis
preparation. In addition, I would also like to thank Kim Dong Junior High School and
63 students of Class 6/7 and 6/8 for helping me implement this project. Last but not
least, I would like to say ‘thank you’ to my classmates for the time we have been
together, and I would never forget them all, and express my thanks to my family, who
always provide support and love, have endured this long process with me.

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ABSTRACT
Using e-portfolios for teaching and learning English has become more and more
common in EFL contexts. Investigating their benefits and challenges is considered to
be essential for both teachers and researchers. This thesis aims to explore students’
perceptions of the use of e-portfolios for learning and assessing English speaking skills
in terms of benefits and challenges. The study was conducted at Kim Dong Junior High
School in Ho Chi Minh City with the participation of sixty-three 6th grade students. The
study employed two data collection instruments, including the questionnaire and semistructured interview. To analyse quantitative and qualitative data, “descriptive
statistics” and “content analysis” were used respectively. The findings of the study
revealed that the students agreed that e-portfolios helped increase motivation, promote
language use, create collaboration and interaction, and develop other skills (e.g. critical
thinking, discussion skills, searching skills, decision-making skills) in learning speaking
skills; additionally, they also agreed that it was beneficial to use e-portfolios for
assessing English speaking skills. In terms of challenges, most of them perceived that
they did not have any challenges in using e-portfolios except that they lacked time for

preparation. The findings of this study led to some recommendations to elevate and
expand the use of e-portfolios in both learning and assessment of languages. It is
expected that the study will shed light on the existing knowledge relating to the field of
study.
Key words: e-portfolio, alternative assessment, English speaking learning, English
speaking assessment, benefit, challenge

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY………………………………………….…iii
RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS …………………………………….iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………………….v
ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………..vi
LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………….………..ix
LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………………….x
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS …….………………………… x
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ………………………………………….…….1
1.1. Background to the study .................................................................................................1
1.2. Statement of the problem ...............................................................................................2
1.3. Aims and objectives of the study ...................................................................................4
1.4. Research questions .........................................................................................................4
1.5. Scope of the study ..........................................................................................................4
1.6. Significance of the study ................................................................................................5
1.7. Definitions of key terms .................................................................................................5
1.8. Organization of the thesis ...............................................................................................6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………8
2.1. Teaching and learning English speaking skills…………………………………………8

2.2. Assessment of English speaking skills ............................................................................ 9
2.3. Portfolios and E-portfolios ............................................................................................ 14
2.4. Using Portfolios for teaching, learning and assessing English speaking skills ............. 18
2.5. Previous studies ............................................................................................................. 26
2.6 Conceptual framework ................................................................................................... 31
2.7. Chapter summary .......................................................................................................... 33

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY ......................................................................... 34
3.1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………34
3.2. Research design………………………………………………………………………..34
3.3. Research site…………………………………………………………………………...35
3.4. Sample and sampling procedures……………………………………………………...36
3.5. Research instruments…………………………………………………………………..36

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3.6 Data Collection Procedures ...........................................................................................38
3.7. Data analysis procedures ..............................................................................................41
3.8 Validity and Reliability .................................................................................................42
3.9. Ethical issues ................................................................................................................43
3.10. Chapter summary .......................................................................................................43

CHAPTER 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION…………………………………44
4.1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................44
4.2. Results ..........................................................................................................................44
4.3. Discussions ...................................................................................................................61
4.4 Summary .......................................................................................................................65

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION…………………………………………………..66

5.1 Summary of the main findings of the thesis ..................................................................66
5.2. Pedagogical implications ..............................................................................................67
5.3. Limitations of the study ................................................................................................68
5.4. Suggestions for further studies .....................................................................................68

REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………69
APPENDIXES…………………………………………………………………….73
APPENDIX A: RUBRICS………………………………………………………………..73
APPENDIX B: STUDENTS QUESTIONNAIRE (ENGLISH VERSION)………………76
APPENDIX C: STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE (VIETNAMESE VERSION)…………..81
APPENDIX D: THE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND TRANSCRIPT OF STUDENTS 86
APPENDIX E: INTERVIEW QUESTIONS (VIETNAMESE VERSION) ........................ 93
APPENDIX F: ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS .................................................................... 94
APPENDIX G. REFLECTION PAPER ............................................................................ 100
APPENDIX H. PLAGIARISM REPORT.......................................................................... 100

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Total

2154 words
7857 words
3369 words
7276 words
1001 words
21657 words

viii


LIST OF TABLES
Table 2 .1: Contrasting traditional and alternative assessment as cited in Brown &
Abeywickrama (2010, p. 18) ………………………………………………………………...9
Table 3.1 : Participants’ demographic information ………………………………….……35
Table 3.2 : Implementation of e-portfolios in teaching and learning English
speaking skills ………………………………………..…………………………………….38
Table 3.3 : Instruments of data collection and analysis to the research questions for the
current study ……………………………………..…………………………………………41
Table 3.4 : Cronbach’ Alpha Indexes of the questionnaire ……………………………….41

Table 4. 1: Descriptive Statistics of increase of motivation in learning speaking
skills…………………………………………………………………………….…….44
Table 4. 2: Descriptive Statistics of promotion of language use in learning speaking
skills…………………………………………………………………………………..45
Table 4. 3: Descriptive Statistics of creation of collaboration and interaction…….46
Table 4. 4: Descriptive Statistics of development of other skills……………………47
Table 4. 5: Descriptive Statistics of challenges related to the content of eportfolios……………………………………………………………………………...49
Table 4. 6: Descriptive Statistics of challenges related to time allocation………….50
Table 4. 7: Descriptive Statistics of challenges related to technology / software…...51
Table 4. 8: Descriptive Statistics of challenges related to preparation for
e-portfolios…………………………………………………………………..….…….52
Table 4. 9: Descriptive Statistics of challenges related to teacher’s knowledge,
instruction and attitudes................................................................................................ 53
Table 4. 10: Descriptive Statistics of the benefits of the use of E-portfolios for
assessing English speaking skills ................................................................................. 55
Table 4. 11: Descriptive Statistics of the challenges of the use of E-portfolios for
assessing English speaking skills ................................................................................. 57

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 2. 1: A framework for Using E-portfolio for Learning Speaking .................... 22
Figure 2. 2: A framework for E-portfolio Assessment adapted from Delett (2001) ... 23
Figure 2. 3: Figure 2.3 Steps for Planning and Implementing Portfolio Assessment
(McMillan, 2018) ......................................................................................................... 25
Figure 2. 4: Checklist for Implementing Portfolio Assessment (McMillan, 2018) .... 26
Figure 2. 5 : Conceptual framework of the study ……………………...……………………31

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS
KDJHS

Kim Dong Junior High School

SPSS

Statistical Package for Social Science

EFL

English as a Foreign Language

:

x

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background to the study
Different learning styles that might affect the entire teaching and learning
process have received a lot of critical attention over the past few decades. “It is a
commonly held view that one of the purposes of identifying learning styles is to match
teaching methods to learning styles” (Reid, 2005) . Because there are so many various
learning styles, assessment has experienced a significant development, from assessing
students’ ability to reproduce knowledge, which were traditionally organized and
graded by teachers to assessing students’ ability to apply knowledge creatively in
different situations. Reid (2005) points out that:
“it is important the students are assessed and present work in a range of modalities.
Therefore, activities involving drama and art, poetry and creative writing should be
seen as just as relevant to the assessment process as more formal written assignments.”
(p.85)

A student-centered approach to teaching has replaced the teacher-centered
model in which students are increasingly responsible for their own learning and
actively participate in it. Therefore, using alternative assessments along with traditional
assessments is supposed to assess students in a more formative and efficient way.
Among these alternative forms of assessment, thanks to modern technological
advances, e-portfolios are increasingly becoming one of the most popular assessment
tools in English teaching for all four language skills. With an e- portfolio, students have
the opportunity to practice and experience their progress connected with selfassessment and peer assessment.
English speaking skills are crucial for students of all levels. For students who
use speaking academically and for communication, speaking abilities must be
developed with other language abilities. Additionally, students must be evaluated for
their speaking skills in a way that gives them the chance to use such skills in an
authentic, existential conversation in the real world (Bachman & Palmer, 2010). A
portfolio is a structured collection of the work that students produce during class that

can be used to monitor changes in knowledge, abilities, and attitudes. An individual
1


student tracks their academic development in a portfolio. This helps students learn
since it enables teachers to give comments on their work while involving the students
in the evaluation process. In the last two decades, along with the development of hightech gadgets, more and more advantages of e-portfolio have been acknowledged.
McMillan (2018) stated that “an obvious advantage of having an electronic portfolio is
that it encourages and makes possible the use of multimedia elements” (p.263).
However, how to assess speaking skills in junior high school is a challenge to
many teachers. Two or three – minute oral tests with native speakers are not enough to
fully assess students’ speaking ability and progress. Additionally, at this level, the
assessment tools and criteria for evaluating speaking abilities are seldom ever
discussed in the textbook. The assessment of speaking abilities in junior high schools
in Vietnam continues to be a struggle for many English teachers of this grade despite
the attempts to close the gap between teaching and testing, particularly with the
approval of the National Project 2020 and the creation of VSTEP (Nguyen Thi Dieu
Ha, 2018). At KDJHS, even for some intensive English classes, the students have 90
minutes per week to study with native speakers but the teaching and assessment are
still very traditional, which is a 5-minute oral test with some prepared questions and
answers together with some follow-up ones made by the native speakers. In that way,
the students’ speaking skill cannot be fully assessed, which leads to the need for
alternative assessment methods in speaking. In order to assess students’ speaking,
teachers can use portfolios and e-portfolios, which can be considered as a useful and
effective tool.
As a teacher of English in a junior high school, the researcher notices that the
6th graders can read and write quite well with good grammar and vocabulary but they
do not seem to take much interest in speaking activities and they have never heard of
the term “e-portfolio". The implementation of e-portfolio assessment is definitely a
challenging issue, which needs further study and development.

1.2. Statement of the problem
In the context of Vietnam , English is a popular and common subject not only in lower
and upper secondary, but even in primary schools. In general, teachers place a strong
emphasis on grammar, reading, and writing abilities to help students prepare for exams

2


because both institutional and national exams put a heavy focus on testing written
structures and grammar; therefore, practical English or communicative competence,
particularly English speaking skills, does not receive proper attention (Nguyen Thi
Phuong Lan & Phung Nhu Thuy, 2015). As a result, in Kim Dong Junior High School
(KDJHS) and many other schools in Ho Chi Minh City, "e-portfolio" is relatively a
new concept, especially in speaking improvement and assessment.
In recent years, several studies investigating teaching English speaking skills in
Vietnam have been carried out and have revealed that in educational context of
Vietnam nowadays, there are many limitations exposed in the teaching and learning of
English in state schools: teaching in a large-sized class with about 40 students or more,
different levels in cognitive capacity, insufficient teaching aids, etc. A class includes
different kinds of learners, different language levels and speaking skills. Therefore, it
is difficult to teach speaking for big classes. Firstly, as there are more learners, more
mistakes to correct, the teachers have more work to take care of. Secondly, because of
the higher number of learners, large classes are often harder to control. Discipline
issues can spiral out of control, and noise is more critical. Thirdly, many of the methods
and resources we employ in smaller classrooms are challenging to apply in bigger ones.
It can be challenging for teachers to mentor students who have varying learning styles,
aptitudes, and modes of instruction. Speaking classes must be well-organized,
adaptable, and enjoyable. It goes without saying that teaching speaking in large, regular
classrooms with a range of levels presents a significant difficulty for English teachers.

Fourthly, in most English classes in Vietnamese junior high schools including KDJHS,
the teaching of speaking skills is supposed to be integrated with other skills.
Nevertheless, speaking skills are often skipped to save time for grammar exercises that
account for most scores of the term tests.
Moreover, there are still few studies on the use of portfolios, especially eportfolios to assess students’ speaking skills. Most of the studies have focused on using
portfolios in teaching and learning writing skills. For example, Mai Thu Duong,
Nguyen Thi Kim Cuc, and Griffin (2011) had a study to confirm the validity of
portfolio writing assessment in a long-term project. Tran Thi Que Nhi and Le Xuan Mai
(2018) studied how to develop writing skills of 50 students of Grade 11 at a high school
in Soc Trang province, Viet Nam by using portfolios of writing activities. Another
3


writer is Phung Van Huy (2016), who described how e-portfolio was used in a projectbased English learning course at a public university in Vietnam. Therefore, the aim of
this study is to investigate how e-portfolio is implemented for learning and assessing
English speaking skills in a junior high school in Vietnam.

1.3. Aims and objectives of the study
The aim of this study is to investigate students’ perceptions of using e-portfolios
for learning and assessing speaking skills in EFL classes at a junior high school in Ho
Chi Minh City, Vietnam. More specifically, the objectives of the study are as follows:
• to explore the benefits and challenges of the use of e-portfolios for learning
English speaking skills in EFL classes at Kim Dong Junior High School.
• to explore the benefits and challenges of the use of e-portfolios for assessing
English speaking skills in EFL classes at Kim Dong Junior High School.

1.4. Research questions
This study aims to answer the following two research questions:
1) What are the benefits and challenges of the use of e-portfolios for learning
English speaking skills in EFL classes at Kim Dong Junior High School?

2) What are the benefits and challenges of the use of e-portfolios for assessing
English speaking skills in EFL classes at Kim Dong Junior High School?

1.5. Scope of the study
Researchers and educators have investigated different aspects related to eportfolios used for teaching and learning English. Nonetheless, this study mainly
focuses on the benefits and challenges of using e-portfolios in learning and assessing
speaking skills among the 6th graders. Due to the complicated working conditions in
the covid 19 situation, instead of inviting more students from different junior high
schools in Ho Chi Minh City to participate in the study, this study was only conducted
in two English intensive classes of Kim Dong Junior High School – Grade 6 with 63
students of Class 6/7 and 6/8. The study used the mixed methods design and employed
two major instruments : the questionnaire for quantitative data and the interviews for
qualitative data in terms of data collection instruments.

4


1.6. Significance of the study
The goal of the study is to look into how e-portfolios might be used to teach and
evaluate English speaking abilities. It is expected to be a significant foundation for
theory and practice of teaching, learning and assessment of learners’ speaking skills.
The literature on teaching and learning English as a foreign language may theoretically
benefit from the investigation of the advantages and difficulties of using E-portfolios
as an innovative approach to learning and assessing English speaking skills. The
findings of the study may shed light on the theory of the implementation of e-portfolios
in teaching and learning English at secondary school level in EFL contexts. Practically,
the current study might support the EFL teachers at KDJHS with the implementation
of e-portfolios more suitably. Moreover, the exploration might help the teachers gain
more steps in improving the quality of learners’ speaking skills, and upgrade the quality
of speaking activities.

1.7. Definitions of key terms
Speaking skills
As Bailey (2004) defined, “speaking is the productive, oral skill. Speaking consists of
producing systematic verbal utterances to convey meaning.” (p.2). Speaking skills refer
to fluency (the ability to respond coherently, linking the words and phrases in a smooth
effective way, with clear pronunciation and appropriate stress and intonation),
accuracy (the ability to use necessary vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation properly
and adequately) and pronunciation (phonological processes referring to the
components of a grammar's structure that determine how different sounds and patterns
are represented in a language). This study examines the use of e-portfolios for learning
and assessing all aspects of English speaking skills mentioned above : fluency,
accuracy and pronunciation.
Assessment
Assessment is a term that refers to the process of drawing conclusions or judging the
qualifications and qualities of the learner based on information collected systematically
(Bachman & Palmer, 2010).

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Portfolio
A portfolio is also an archive of student-oriented work, through which teachers can see
their efforts and progress in a given school subject. The literature review about
portfolios is mentioned in this study as the base foundation to develop the theory about
e-portfolios.
E-portfolio
E-portfolio can be video clips easily recorded with cameras or mobile phones.
McMillan (2018) identifies electronic portfolio as “a digital collection of evidence,
often stored and managed online” with “the purposes as a hard-copy file” (p. 263) .

Perceptions
In this study, perception is used to identify the ability of noticing and understanding
about the benefits, challenges and issues of e-portfolios used in learning and assessment
of English speaking skills.

1.8. Organization of the thesis
This thesis consists of five major chapters, including:
Chapter 1 presents the general information of the thesis such as the background to the
study, the statement of the problem, the aims and objectives of the study, the research
questions, the scope of the study, the significance of the study along with the definitions
of key terms as well as the organization of the thesis.
Chapter 2 provides a lot of information about Teaching and learning English speaking
skills, assessment of English speaking skills, using e-portfolios for learning and
assessing English speaking skills. Many previous studies with the same topic are also
mentioned and discussed in this chapter. Lastly, the study is summarized with the
conceptual framework, in which the relationship between the aspects is shown
connectedly.
Chapter 3 shows how the research was planned and conducted, including the research
design, the research site, the sample and sampling procedures, the research instruments,
the data collection procedures, the data analysis procedures together with the reliability
and validity.

6


Chapter 4 describes the results of analysing the data collected through the
questionnaire and the interviews. In addition, the comparison and the contrast of this
study’s results with the previous studies’ ones is also included.
Chapter 5 gives an account of the findings of the research, focusing on the pedagogical
implications, laying out the limitations of the research and stating some suggestions for

further research.
In addition to the 5 chapters, at the end of the thesis, the list of references and
appendixes are provided.

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CHAPTER 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
The literature review includes some key concepts about speaking, traditional
and alternative assessment, portfolios and e-portfolios as well as self and peer
assessment. There is also literature review of some recent studies about e-portfolios
which highlight the importance of e-portfolios in improving students’ speaking skill
learning and assessment. The literature review will serve as the foundation for this
study.

2.1. Teaching and learning English speaking skills
Both in the first and second languages, speaking is a skill that requires the same
amount of attention as literary ability. It is a skill that they are most often judged on,
showing their place in society. Therefore, “the teaching of speaking merits more
thought” (Bygate, 1987, p.vii). In this section, there is an overview of how speaking
has been taught in different teaching methods and approaches. The importance of
teaching speaking has changed a lot depending on different methods and approaches.
“The Grammar-translation Method does not really prepare students to speak English,
so it is not entirely appropriate for students who want to improve their speaking skills”
(Bailey, 2004, p.16). During the lessons, there are no oral practice or fluency . On the
contrary, in the Audiolingual Method, fluency is the goal and some of the typical
activities are “repeating teacher models, oral pattern practice, pronunciation drilling
and practicing memorized dialogues in pairs” but it is the rigidity and little room for
creativity that fade the Audiolingual Method out. In Suggestopedia and Total Physical

Response, oral communication skills are targeted by conducting repetition drills, role
plays, dialogue practice as well as imperative commands and action response but there
are over-reliance on assumptions about relaxation and overemphasis on physical
actions. As a result, the two methods wear thin after the first few weeks (Brown & Lee,
2015, p.37).
Teaching

speaking

includes

teaching

pronunciation,

giving

learners

opportunities to achieve fluency and accuracy in communication (Brown & Lee, 2015,
p.346). Nunan (2015, p.54) synthesized five principles of teaching speaking as follows:
8


(a) The number of opportunities to use the language outside the classroom varies in
second language and foreign learning contexts; b) Teaching speaking must provide
students opportunities to improve both fluency and accuracy; c) Pair work and group
work should be chosen to maximize speaking practice opportunities and minimize
teacher’s talking time; d) Speaking tasks should familiarize learners with the
negotiation of meaning, which is very common and vital in the reality; and e) The

transactional language, which relates to social relationship, and interactional language,
which helps convey selected messeges, both should be integrated into teaching.
Speaking may involve at least the process of producing speech. In relation to
the processes involved in producing speech, Carter & Nunan (2001, p. 16) suggested
that there be four main processes involved. They are formulation, conceptualization,
articulation, and self-monitoring. Thanks to these processes, speakers may check their
own expression, grammar, and pronunciation. Formulation included selecting the right
words and phrases to convey the meaning and placing them with the appropriate
grammatical indicators (like inflection, auxiliary, and article). The motor control is
provided by the articulator organs, which include the lips, tongue, teeth, alveolar palate,
velum, glottis, mouth, and breath. Language users who are capable of self-monitoring
can spot errors and correct them. That is why learning speaking skills needs more
efforts from students. They need to apply different strategies in learning.

2.2. Assessment of English speaking skills
2.2.1. Traditional Assessment
Testing refers to a method or action a teacher utilizes to gather data about
students' knowledge, abilities, and attitudes regarding learning in order to serve as the
foundation for assessment. Testing is "a subset of assessment" (Brown &
Abeywickrama, 2010, p. 4), which is regularly carried out to examine the efficacy of
teaching and learning. A test may influence what teachers present next and give
teachers useful information about the level at which students are studying. A test will
assist a teacher in determining whether or not their methods of instruction are effective
and will serve to highlight important factors. Testing frequently serves as an evaluation
of both teaching and learning. Students who take tests may get a sense of success as
well as learn what they already know and what they need to refresh. Students can
frequently benefit much from feedback provided after the test in understanding what
9

they were unable to complete. Standardized tests are instances of summative evaluation
since they have these characteristics.
2.2.2. Alternative Assessment

Generally, alternative assessment should firstly focus on student growth in
learning rather than compare students with one another; then emphasize students’
strengths rather than their weaknesses as well as take into consideration students’
learning styles, educational background and levels. One of the features of alternative
assessment is formative.
Table 2. 1: Contrasting traditional and alternative assessment ( Brown & Abeywickrama
(2010, p. 18)

Traditional Assessment

Alternative Assessment

Standardized exams

Continuous long-term assessment

Timed, multiple-choice format

Untimed, open-ended responses

Decontextualized test items

Contextualized communicative tasks

Scores suffice for feedback

Individualized feedback

Norm-referenced scores

Criterion-referenced scores

Focus on discrete answers

Open-ended, creative answers

Summative

Formative

Oriented to product

Oriented to process

Non-interactive performance

Interactive performance

Fosters extrinsic motivation

Fosters intrinsic motivation

As mentioned in Table 2.1, it is evident that traditional assessment is single,
periodic, and occasion tests. Traditional assessment measures learners' ability at a
specific time. Test results, however, cannot speak to a child's development. Similar to
this, typical test results cannot emphasize the unique challenges that students

experience during the test. Teachers also give very little commentary on students'
strengths and weaknesses in this form of evaluation, simply reporting points and giving
answers. Traditional exams are typically undertakings that are primarily completed
alone, and the evaluation process is decoded. Most standardized examinations mainly
evaluate low-level cognitive abilities in students, concentrating on their capacity for
memory and recall, which is a lower level of awareness. Additionally, learners must
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demonstrate their knowledge using standard evaluation instruments in a predetermined
manner. In contrast, in alternative assessment, students are required to perform some
kind of task which is similar to what they are likely to do in real life, for example, to
complete an application form, exchange something in a store or book a flight ticket.
According to Richards and Renandya (2002) “alternative assessment has been
described as an alternative to standardized testing and all of the problems found with
such testing.” (p.338). Alternative assessment is distinct from traditional testing since
it genuinely requires students to show what they can achieve. Instead of focusing on
what they can remember and duplicate, teachers evaluate students on what they
integrate and produce. As a result, alternative assessment used in class activities
reflects and adheres to curriculum requirements as needed. Additionally, the
information gathered is based on real-world tasks, and alternative assessment reveals
the strengths and weaknesses of the students. Alternative assessment helps students
develop their decision-making and problem-solving abilities while making learning
more authentic. Furthermore, teachers can learn more about the quality of their courses
and, if necessary, make adjustments.
2.2.3. Peer and self-assessment
Topping (2018) defined peer assessment as:
“an arrangement for learners to consider and specify the level, value, or quality of a
product or performance of other equal-status learners, then learn further by giving
elaborated feedback to and discussing their appraisals with those who were assessed

to achieve a negotiated agreed outcome.” (p.1)

while self-assessment is defined as “an arrangement for learners and/or workers to
consider and specify the level, value or quality of their own products or performances”
(Topping, 2018, p.14). Generally, assessment is the process of gathering and analysing
evidence of student changes through the aspects: perception, skills (manipulation of
hands, thinking) and attitude (emotion, consciousness) to be able to get to conclusions
regarding how well the teaching and learning process works. “The assessment
decisions can be made by students on their own essays, reports, presentations,
performances, projects, dissertations, and even exam scripts.” (Race, 2001)
Topping (2018, p.2) stated that “all can benefit, including assessors as well as
assessees, irrespective of age, ability or disability”. As Race (2001, p.7) and Topping
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(2018, p.3) stated assessment is important for students, instructors, managers, as well
as scientists. The assessment gives students the chance to demonstrate how their minds
work by memorization, summarization, generalization, systematization, and
application; self-evaluate their level of mastery of learning tasks and their own
progress; self-adjust their study strategies, professional knowledge, and skills; and
demonstrate their drive to succeed. Teachers can classify students, provide appropriate
assistance, and self-evaluate the success of their own teaching sessions in terms of the
lessons they deliver and the methods they use in order to make the required adjustments
based on the learning outcomes for their students. For administrators, students' learning
outcomes will help them understand the quality of teaching and learning, thereby
improving teaching content and equipping appropriate facilities.
For researchers, the learning outcomes of learners will provide useful materials
for scientific research. When it comes to assessment goals, first of all, people find that
testing is an indispensable part of the teaching process, at least it must be for the
progress of the students. Assessment for improvement means providing feedback to

help students know how well they are progressing, which areas of knowledge / skills
have improved, and which areas of knowledge / skills are weak to adjust teaching and
learning processes. And when it comes to the assessment that is for the students'
progress, the assessment has to do so that students do not fear and get hurt to motivate
students to make efforts. Assessment for student's progress also means that assessment
must take place throughout the teaching-learning process, helping students compare
how they change on the path to achieving their individual learning goals has set out.
Second, to realize that evaluation is a learning process, evaluation takes place
throughout the teaching and learning process. Not only teachers know how to evaluate
students, but equally important, students must learn how to evaluate teachers, evaluate
each other and self-evaluate training results. By doing this, students will respond to
themselves about how well their academic results and training are compared to their
requirements. With that understanding, it helps to form the capacity of students. Third,
the assessment must accurately and objectively evaluate the learning results, indicating
how much the student has achieved in comparison with the set goals and standards.
After students finish a learning period, they organize an assessment, so that the teachers
know what they teach, in which part the students have mastered the knowledge and
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skills and which are somewhat gaps. “Combining assessment of product and process
can enhance student understanding of the consistency or mismatch between these, and
different ways of learning beyond their own” (Topping, 2018, p.17)
Peer and self-assessment are important and may be “the most rewarding” as long
as they must be “carefully designed and administered for them to reach their potential”
(Brown H. D., 2003, p.276). First, the students must be told in advance the purpose of
the assessment. Second, “guidelines and models” are useful for clarifying the tasks
given. Third, maximize the beneficial washback of self and peer assessment. Giving
positive comments first calms reviewers' fears and makes it easier for you to take later
critical feedback. Students should also be made aware that peer review directly affects

their learning and that it should foster a sense of ownership, accountability, and
motivation. Teachers can also demonstrate how encouraging one another can boost
diversity and excitement, movement and socialization, awareness and connection, selfassurance, and empathy for others. The teacher needs to take social variables into
account. Potentially harmful social issues can be reduced with careful planning, and
children can gain social and communication skills, negotiating and diplomatic abilities,
and teamwork abilities. Learning how to reject a suggestion, provide and accept
criticism, and defend your position are all beneficial, transferable social skills. Peer
assessment hardly ever serves as a substitute for evaluations conducted by instructors
or computers. Time will not let students to participate in peer reviews at an excessive
pace during their workweek, completely different from any other factor. Alternative
forms of evaluation are required as a result of criticisms of traditional forms, and
portfolios are highly valued and offer many benefits in these forms.
2.2.4. Types and characteristics of a speaking test
Assessing speaking is considered as “the most difficult to develop and
administer” and what should be concerned is test takers’ and interlocutors’
characteristic effect, what we are actually trying to test, what we can predict from the
task response, “the validity and the consistency of the scoring system” (Coombe,
Davidson, O'Sullivan, & Stoynoff, 2012, p. 234). To be successful in assessing
speaking, a productive skill that “can be directly and empirically observed” (Brown &
Abeywickrama , 2010, p. 183), the test writers must create such a specific oral stimulus
to elicit sufficient output with appropriate scoring procedures.
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