Abstract
Language assessment is an important part of language planning and language policy as it often has a direct impact on the way language is taught and learnt. The current study reports an assessment design, which has been developed over fifteen-years of Chinese language teaching experience at the University of Western Sydney in Australia since the programme was at its infancy in 1997. The Chinese program at the University of Western Sydney in Australia grows from 33 students in 1997 to more than 600 students in 2011 through innovative research-based strategies. In particular, a model of language assessment that is based on research findings in bilingualism and language acquisition plays an important role in ensuring the success of the program. Language assessment in line with learning outcomes is the focus of this investigation. Three assessment models are compared: norm-referenced assessment, criteria-based assessment, and standards-based assessment (Sadler, 2005). Findings from this study suggest that a model of criteria and standards-based assessment prove to bring maximum learning outcomes in a composite Chinese class. Course outlines, assessment tasks, and student feedback are presented to help address the three key research questions: 1. What do we want students to learn? 2. How well are they learning what they need? 3. How can we help students learn more effectively? Results demonstrate that research-based 3 D Assessment: Differentiated, Developmental and multi-Dimensional approach is the most effective and efficient way of assessment in a non-Chinese-L1 context. The design of the assessment has implications for other immigrant languages as well as for the teaching of Chinese in other contexts.
Translated title of the contribution | Designing an assessment for Chinese language teaching in Australian universities : a 3D approach |
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Original language | Chinese (Simplified) |
Title of host publication | China Language Strategies |
Editors | Daming Xu, Tiekun Wang |
Place of Publication | China |
Publisher | Shanghai Translation Publishing House |
Pages | 70-77 |
Number of pages | 8 |
ISBN (Print) | 9787532757596 |
Publication status | Published - 2012 |
Keywords
- Chinese language
- study and teaching (higher)
- educational tests and measurements
- assessment