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A Case Study Examining Formative Assessment in a Postsecondary English Language Program Divya Varier Virginia Commonwealth University, [email protected]

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A Case Study Examining Formative Assessment in a Postsecondary English Language Program Divya Varier Virginia Commonwealth University, Varierd@Vcu.Edu Virginia Commonwealth University VCU Scholars Compass Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 2015 A Case Study Examining Formative Assessment in a Postsecondary English Language Program Divya Varier Virginia Commonwealth University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, and the Higher Education Commons © The Author Downloaded from http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/4016 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, please contact [email protected]. © Divya Varier 2014 All Rights Reserved A Case Study Examining Formative Assessment in a Postsecondary English Language Program A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. by Divya Varier B.A., Bangalore University B.S., Old Dominion University Director: Dr. James H. McMillan, PhD Professor, Department of Foundations of Education Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia December, 2015 ii Acknowledgement I would like to thank many people who have been instrumental in the completion of this dissertation. First, I thank my dissertation chair, Dr. James H. McMillan, for his guidance and support throughout my doctoral journey. I thank Dr. Lisa Abrams for her mentorship and for the many learning opportunities over the last four years that have shaped my research and evaluation knowledge. I thank Dr. Zachary Goodell and Dr. Sharon Zumbrunn for their guidance as committee members. I am grateful to the teachers and students who participated in the study for their commitment. I thank my peers in the doctoral program at the VCU School of Education for their support. In particular, I thank Ms. Erika Dumke for her role in the study and for being a source of support throughout. I also thank Dr. Shelby Forbes of Rescue Edit LLC for editing and proofreading the first four chapters of the dissertation. I express my gratitude to my family without which I could not have reached this milestone: my father, K.V.R. Varier, and my sister, Vidya Raghu, for their unconditional love and support; my mother-in-law, Prabha Lokesh, for taking leave from work to care for me and my baby during those arduous months of new motherhood. I wish I could share this achievement with my mother, Ramani, who would have been proud of me. I lost her nearly twenty years ago, but her wit, wisdom, kindness, and love has brought me this far and will continue to influence every aspect of my life. Most of all, I am indebted to my husband, Paurav Lokesh, for his willingness to support my academic pursuits. I thank him for being my source of strength, for his unceasing confidence in my ability, and for his patience through the ups and downs of this doctoral journey. I dedicate this dissertation to him. iii Table of Contents Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. v List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ vi Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... vii Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Background for the Study ............................................................................................... 1 Overview of the Literature .............................................................................................. 2 Theories of Formative Assessment ............................................................................. 2 The Study of Formative Assessment in Postsecondary ESL Contexts ....................... 3 The Role of Metacognition in Formative Assessment ................................................ 4 Rationale for the Study ................................................................................................... 6 Research Questions ......................................................................................................... 6 Design and Methods ....................................................................................................... 7 Definition of Terms ........................................................................................................ 8 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature............................................................................................. 10 Method for Review of the Literature ............................................................................ 10 The History, Development, and Theories of Formative Assessment ........................... 11 Characteristics of Formative Assessment ................................................................. 11 Issues in the Study of Formative Assessment ........................................................... 15 Theories of Formative Assessment ........................................................................... 20 Feedback Model for Enhancing Learning................................................................. 24 Sociocultural Theory of Learning and Development ................................................ 26 The Study of Formative Assessment Using Sociocultural Theory ........................... 32 The Study of Formative Assessment in Higher Education ESL/EFL Contexts ........... 35 Studies on Feedback Interventions ........................................................................... 36 Teachers’ Feedback Practices ................................................................................... 37 Student Perceptions of Formative Feedback............................................................. 43 Formative Assessment Practices in ESL Contexts ................................................... 45 Synthesis ................................................................................................................... 51 The Role of Metacognition in Formative Assessment .................................................. 52 The Relationship between Metacognition and Self-regulated Learning ................... 55 A Review of the Theory and Applied Research of Metacognition ........................... 59 Application of Metacognitive Judgments of Learning ............................................. 61 Synthesis ....................................................................................................................... 70 Chapter 3: Methodology ............................................................................................................... 73 Research Questions ....................................................................................................... 74 Study Overview ............................................................................................................ 74 Sampling Procedures ................................................................................................ 74 Participants ................................................................................................................ 77 Context ...................................................................................................................... 81 Assessments .............................................................................................................. 83 iv Measures ................................................................................................................... 83 Procedures ................................................................................................................. 90 Data Analysis Procedures ......................................................................................... 92 Validation Procedures ............................................................................................... 95 Institutional Review Board ....................................................................................... 97 Ethical Considerations .............................................................................................. 98 Study Delimitations .................................................................................................. 99 Chapter 4: Results ....................................................................................................................... 100 Quantitative Results .................................................................................................... 101 Qualitative Results ...................................................................................................... 112 Coding and Analysis Procedures ............................................................................ 112 Categories and Themes ........................................................................................... 118 Contextual Characteristics .....................................................................................
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