Abstract

This research attempted to find out the impact of formative evaluation on Saudi male learners’ achievement in English for Specific Purposes (ESP). The study also seeks to check the instructors and students' attitudes towards formative assessment. The sample of the study involved 98 subjects chosen purposively from among the Preparatory Year students at Umm-Al- Qura University in Saudi Arabia. These were divided into two equal groups; one was intended to act as an experimental and the other was taken as a control group. The experimental group was taught their ESP material following the formative evaluation techniques; whereas the control group was taught the same material in accordance with the traditional summative assessment principles. The study lasted for one semester (sixteen weeks) during which the students studied two textbooks: Nursing 1 and Nursing 2. In the last week of the experiment, the two groups sat for the final achievement exam, which was intended for all pre-medical students in the Preparatory College. The grades of both group students in the final exam were statistically analyzed and compared. The results revealed a considerable difference between the two groups. The achievement of the experimental group students was found to be higher than that of the control group. This difference is taken to indicate the efficacy of using formative evaluation in teaching ESP. To check students and instructors’ attitudes towards formative evaluation a questionnaire and a series of interviews were used. Advanced statistical analysis of the responses of the instructors and students has shown their positive attitudes towards this form of evaluation. The study concluded with some recommendations to enhance this type of assessment.

Keywords

Formative evaluation, summative assessment, feedback, scaffolding, attitudes towards learning.

How to Cite