An Action Research On The Application Of Performance Assessment To Speaking English Teaching In Junior High School

With the demand for evaluation reform of English subject teaching and the need to develop the core literacy of Chinese students,we can find an increasing call for new evaluation theories and paradigms in the change of education,and the influence of multiple evaluations on educational teaching is becoming more and more prominent.From the current situation of basic English teaching,students’ language application ability is worrying,and “knowing but can’t use” has become the current situation of English speaking for most students.In basic education English classrooms,teachers focus on teaching students to learn English linguistic knowledge such as: phonetics,vocabulary,grammar,and so on,and training students’ language skills such as: listening,speaking,reading and writing,but neglect to evaluate students’ overall performance using a variety of assessment methods and tools.As a new method that combines qualitative assessment of learning process and learning outcomes,performance assessment can make up for the inability of traditional tests to fulfill the requirements of multiple,multidimensional and deep assessment,transforming students from passively listening and recording key points to actively participating in classroom activities and providing strong support for teacher’ teaching.In view of the above,this study is based on Multiple-Intelligence Theory,and Situated Cognitive Theory.It uses the action research paradigm,including questionnaires,interview outlines,English-speaking test papers,and English-speaking performance assessment scales as research tools to study 103 students in their final year at Y Junior High School in Changchun,Jilin Province,with the aim of answering the following three questions through two rounds of action research:(1)How can performance assessment of spoken English in junior high school English speaking instruction be implemented?(2)What is the effect of performance assessment on junior high school student’s attitudes towards learning spoken English?(3)What is the effect of performance assessment on junior high school student’s English-speaking ability?After two rounds of action research,a comparative analysis of the pre-action and post-action research questionnaires and students’ English-speaking scores using SPSS25.0,combined with the interview transcripts and the English-speaking performance scale,led to the following conclusions:(1)Implementing performance assessment of spoken English in junior high school is feasible.(2)The implementation of performance assessment improves students’ attitudes towards learning spoken English and increases their interest in learning.This is mainly evidenced by the fact that students begin to speak English actively,practice spoken English consciously,students are able to grasp the focus of the speaking task,take the initiative in self-evaluation,peer evaluation and self-reflection,and become active in the classroom atmosphere.(3)The application of performance assessment improves student’s English speaking ability and enhances their self-confidence,and gives them a sense of accomplishment.