Does Portfolio-Based Language Assessment Align with Learning-Oriented Assessment? Evidence from Literacy Learners and their Instructors

A high-stakes Portfolio-Based Language Assessment (PBLA) protocol that was fully implemented in all Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) programs in 2019 requires instructors and students to set language-learning goals and complete, compile, and reflect on numerous authentic language...

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Published inCanadian journal of applied linguistics Vol. 24; no. 2; pp. 229 - 254
Main Authors Abbott, Marilyn, Lee, Kent, Ricioppo, Sabine
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Québec Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics 31.05.2021
Subjects
Bilingualism
Citizenship
Classroom communication
English as a second language instruction
Immigrants
Immigration
Interpreters
Interviews
Language acquisition
Language Aptitude
Language assessment
Language instruction
Language Proficiency
Language Skills
Literacy
Literacy Education
Noncitizens
Portfolios
Protocol
Second language teachers
Student teacher relationship
Students
Task-based language teaching
Teaching
Teaching Methods
Verbal tasks
Canada
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Summary:A high-stakes Portfolio-Based Language Assessment (PBLA) protocol that was fully implemented in all Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) programs in 2019 requires instructors and students to set language-learning goals and complete, compile, and reflect on numerous authentic language tasks. Due to the language barriers incurred when communicating with beginner English-as-a-second-language literacy learners (BELLs), no PBLA research has been conducted with BELLs. To address this gap, we interviewed 26 BELLs (n = 2 from 13 L1s) and their instructors (n = 4) about their understanding and use of PBLA. Student interviews were conducted with the assistance of bilingual interpreters in the students’ L1s. All the interviews were then transcribed and thematically analyzed in relation to PBLA’s alignment with the six dimensions in Turner and Purpura’s (2016) learning-oriented assessment framework: contextual, elicitation, proficiency, learning, instructional, interactional, and affective. Results have implications for optimizing learning, and task-based instruction and assessment practices in LINC.
ISSN:1481-868X
1920-1818
DOI:10.37213/cjal.2021.31338