Toward learning-oriented assessment in extensive reading
Yuya Arai, Waseda University, Japan
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https://doi.org/10.58379/WXMH1277
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Volume 14, Issue 1, 2025
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Abstract: Extensive reading (ER) in a foreign language (L2) has been regarded as incompatible with language assessment primarily because ER aims to read for pleasure (Day & Bamford, 2002), which is believed to be discouraged by assessment. However, in reality, ER programs implemented in the L2 classroom often necessitate assessment, mainly to fulfill the institutional requirement of student evaluation (i.e., summative purposes of the assessment use). Less is discussed as to how assessment can be used to promote language learning through ER (i.e., formative purposes of the assessment use). The present paper aims to discuss how assessment should be conceptualized and implemented in ER practice from the perspective of Turner and Purpura’s (2016) working framework of learning-oriented assessment (LOA). Based on the discussion, this paper emphasizes the necessity for further research on the effectiveness of LOA in language learning in ER programs.
Keywords: Learning-oriented assessment (LOA), extensive reading (ER), pleasure reading