Learning-Oriented Reading Assessment: A Design for EFL Students

Abstract

Learning-oriented reading assessment (LORA) has expanded multiple views of
assessment for learning reading. Most EFL reading assessment contexts tended not
to utilise feedback and self-assessment for the redesign of authentic tasks and tests.
This mixed-methods study investigated how LORA enhanced EFL students’
reading after the implementation of LORA. Participants consist of sixty-seven
tenth Grade Thai students from the urban public school. They were divided into
two groups, including 32 students for the LORA group and 35 students for the
control group. The reading test was designed to compare post-test scores of both
groups and was analyzed using Mann-Whitney U-test. In addition to perceptions
on assessment, only those in the LORA group responded to the LORA
questionnaire to give their perceptions of the assessment, and the three highestranking and the three lowest-ranking students were selected for the semi-structured
interviews to explore five aspects of the design, including task, test, teacher’s
observation, feedback, and redesign. Findings from the questionnaire were
analyzed using descriptive statistics whereas the semi-structured interview was
categorized through thematic analysis. Although there was no statistically
significant difference between groups, students in the LORA group tended to gain
higher scores on reading after participating in the study. They perceived positively
on the implementation. Implications indicated connecting reading assessment and
feedback for learning with authentic tasks and tests.