Prof. Lee Kit Bing Icy
The two-year General Research Fund
(GRF) project seeks to contribute to the development of principles and practices
of assessment for learning (AfL) in English as a Secondary Language (ESL)
writing through school-based investigation of the implementation of AfL in the
writing classroom and its impact on the teaching and learning of writing. The
aims of the study are
three-fold: to investigate the AfL strategies teachers use and develop to promote writing; to investigate the impact of AfL on the teaching and learning of writing; to investigate the factors that facilitate or inhibit the implementation of AfL in writing. Participants of the study are 13 Secondary 1 teachers and 498 students from three secondary schools in Hong Kong. Data collection is based on a mixed-methods approach, relying primarily on qualitative methods that include semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and documentary analysis, supplemented by the use of questionnaires. Data collection began in September 2008 and finished in July 2009. In the second year of the project (i.e. 2009-10), the major focuses of the research team are on data analysis, materials production, dissemination of research findings, and manuscript preparation. Preliminary findings show that the teachers' determination to implement AfL have a positive impact on their instructional and assessment practices and students' motivation in the writing classroom. A package of pedagogical materials on good AfL practices for writing is being produced and will be delivered to secondary schools in the form of a DVD. The materials will also be disseminated through the web. A subject seminar on AfL in writing will be held in June, where some participating teachers and students will be invited to share their experience with AfL in writing. To share some of the initial findings of the study, I have presented a paper at the Symposium on Second Language Writing in November 2009 in Arizona, USA. I will be presenting a second paper at an upcoming conference in Murcia, Spain in May and another one at a regional conference in August 2010. The project will end on 31 August 2010.
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