| The purpose of the study was to develop a description of the existing outcomes assessment practices in listening, speaking, reading, writing and knowledge of the culture of students majoring in foreign languages at comprehensive and baccalaureate institutions. The study also described the extent to which the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines and the National Foreign Language Standards are used to develop alternative outcomes assessment procedures to evaluate language skills. Obstacles to implementing alternative assessment were also described.; The study was grounded in a learning theory as defined by cognitive psychology. This theory asserts that learning outcomes are better evaluated through alternative assessment procedures that are consistent with the way students learn. This study reported data gleaned from an online survey answered by ninety-seven (n = 97) foreign language department chairs. The survey items were devised from the literature and were also validated during a pilot testing process. A reliability coefficient of 0.8 was reached.; This study presented some evidence which suggested that student learning outcomes assessment was taking place, but the prevailing methods of assessment were still traditional. The multiplism of assessment (Shohamy, 1998) was controlled by traditional views on evaluation. Students were assessed by means of various approaches; however, many of these approaches were far from being of an alternative nature. The study also reported that the use of technology in language testing at the undergraduate level was weak.; Furthermore, the findings of this study indicated that the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines and the National Standards have not gained the expected momentum in the assessment practices in foreign language undergraduate programs. The application of the guidelines and the standards was infrequent in the development of alternative assessment procedures for listening, reading, and writing. The National Standards were not used regularly to develop procedures for the assessment of the knowledge of the foreign language culture.; Another implication of this study was that alternative assessments have not been fully accepted into the foreign language undergraduate classroom because of obstacles. Faculty lack of training on alternative assessments was one of the top obstacles. Designing alternative assessments was another obstacle reported. Finding adequate assessment tools was also highly rated as an obstacle. |
