Effects of Criterion-Referenced Assessment on Motivation in EFL

本研究旨在考察标准参照评估(CRA)是否有助于激发日本初中和高中学生学习英语作为外语的动机。CRA制度从2002年开始在初中实施，2004年在高中实施。CRA实践优于NRA实践是常识，因为前者有助于激发学习者的学习动机，因为前者在学习的每个阶段为学生提供了一套特定的目标，而后者在缺乏目标的情况下，只通过参考其他学习者的成绩来帮助学习者自我评估自己的成就水平。本研究通过访谈、问卷调查和课堂观察对这一问题进行了研究。对教师的访谈和问卷调查表明，教师确实理解并期望CRA系统将激励学习者。然而，与这种期望相反的是，教师们忙于为自己的学校制定标准，导致未能利用CRA系统中固有的“激励因素”。对学生的采访还表明，他们预计CRA系统将比NRA更具激励作用，因为前者将给他们更大的机会获得根据他们的努力程度而应得的分数。然而，很少有证据表明他们真的有动机。本研究的结论是，为了使用CRA系统来激励学习者，教师和学生应该对该系统有更高的理解水平。也有人建议，即使在CRA系统中，如果使用评估来激励学习者，也不应忽视学生之间的一定程度的比较。

The purpose of the present research was to examine whether criterion-referenced assessment (CRA) would help motivate learners learning English as a foreign language (EFTL) at Japanese junior and senior high schools. The CRA system has been implemented since 2002 at junior high schools and 2004 at senior high schools. It is commonsensical to claim that the CRA practice is superior to the NRA (norm-referenced) practice in that the former would help motivate learners, as the former would potentially provide students with a specific set of goals at each stage of learning, whereas the latter, in the absence of such goals, would help learners selfevaluate their own levels of achievement only by referring to the achievement of other learners.The present research investigated the issue by conducting interviews, questionnaires, and classroom observations. The interviews and questionnaires that were administered to teachers indicated that teachers did understand and expect that the CRA system would motivate learners. Contrary to this expectation, however, teachers were busy establishing criteria for their own schools, which lead to failure to capitalize on the `motivating factor inherent' in the CRA system. The interviews with students also indicated that they expected the CRA system would be more motivating than the NRA in that the former would give them a greater chance to receive a grade that they would deserve according to their degree of effort. However, there was very little evidence that indicated that they were really motivated.The present research concluded that in order to use the CRA system to motivate learners, a greater level of understanding of the system should be gained on the part of teachers and learners. It was also suggested that a certain degree of comparison among students should not be neglected even in the CRA system, if assessment is employed to motivate learners at all.