Interchange Third Edition introduces a new feature, the Progress check. It is designed as a guide for students to assess their own progress in key skill areas after every two units of the Student's Book. The Progress check provides learners with the tools to measure their own mastery of new material and discover what skills they need to strengthen. (Click here for a sample Progress check, from Student's Book 1, Units 7–8.) You will need Adobe® Reader® to view the PDF files. If you don't already have the software, you can download it for free. Go to www.adobe.com.

Instructors who are new to the concept of self-assessment naturally have questions about it. This article provides answers to some frequently asked questions about self-assessment. At the end of the article, there is a link to an activity that can be used to introduce students to the process of assessing their own language and reading skills.

About self-assessment

Recently there has been considerable growth of interest in the use of student self-assessment. Proponents of self-assessment argue that there is much to be gained from it, and that, given adequate guidance to its use, students are capable of evaluating themselves.

Some teachers remain reluctant to transfer to their students the responsibility of assessment in the belief that students are not professionally trained in evaluation of their own performance. Despite this obvious concern, self-assessment is seen as an increasingly important, if not necessary, part of teaching English – or any second language. According to Ian Tudor, "assessment is integral to the teaching-learning process, and can be as learner-centered and motivation-based as any other form of learning" with equally positive outcomes (pp. 161–163).

What is the purpose of self-assessment?

Penny Ur observes that the purpose of any assessment is either to enhance or to conclude a process by confirmation of something mastered. Progress checks, included as a part of Interchange Third Edition, are a self-assessment feature new to the revised edition. After every two units, students are asked to reflect on what they have learned and to estimate how well they think they are able to do each listed function. Next, they review the language functions that they have determined need more practice. In the final activity, students look back at their original assessment and decide if any functions still need more review. The objectives of this self-assessment are to:

1. encourage students to reflect on their learning by making them aware of what they have learned thoroughly and what they have learned less well
2. review specific language items that students themselves acknowledge to be weak
3. set future goals on the basis of their self-evaluation

Progress checks fulfill the goal of enhancing learning by "improving the quality of learning and instruction" (Carter and Nunan, p. 140). They do not seek to conclude the learning process, however, because they do not measure outcomes (success or failure), nor do they make learners responsible for determining their final grades.

What are the main benefits of self-assessment?

Involving learners directly in the different stages of the learning-teaching process can greatly enhance that process for both teachers and learners. In fact, the benefits derived by providing an active role for students in instructional activities often result in an increase in the learner's level of motivation, sense of responsibility, and feeling of empowerment. A more proactive assessment process can yield benefits that far outweigh any disadvantages. A number of such benefits are:

2. Personal involvement and attitude

Usually, the teacher has sole responsibility for identifying students' weaknesses and addressing them. Learners have a passive role in this traditional and top-down process. When students are expected or encouraged to assess their own progress, however, the immediacy of evaluating their performance can potentially alter the students' overall attitude toward learning the task at hand.

3. Awareness

By assessing themselves, learners may also be more aware of the course content and learning objectives. They will thus have a clearer idea of the materials already covered and what remains to be learned (Richards and Renandya, p. 104).

4. Motivation

Self-assessment gives students a concrete sense of participation in the learning process (Dornyei, p. 105). This can lead to their becoming more involved and cooperative class participants. Over time, they should also become skilled judges of their own strengths and weaknesses. These factors can significantly increase learners' motivation to reach mastery of course material.

5. Self-direction

"Participating in self-assessment can assist learners to . . . develop their capacity to become self-directed" (Carter and Nunan, p. 140). In other words, as students become more aware of their strengths and weaknesses, they should be able to set realistic goals for themselves. For example, they might choose, on their own, to participate more in their class or spend more time preparing for class or try to apply what they have learned outside the classroom.

6. Beneficial long-term and post-course effects

Students who learn how to realistically evaluate their own learning possess a skill crucial to subsequent learning, even when they might have no access to a teacher. Self-assessment therefore fosters independent learning, according to M. Oskarsson.

What difficulties do language learners experience in self-assessment?

Self-assessment means being realistically critical of one's own work. Research shows that students without experience in this kind of critical evaluation find it is not easy for them and need guidance and encouragement, according to G. Brindley. "With training, learners are capable of self-assessing their language ability with reasonable accuracy" (Carter and Nunan, p. 140).

Some typical problems for inexperienced learners may include:

At first, learners will probably not produce objectively valid or reliable opinions about their work.

Students tend to overestimate or underestimate their abilities and accomplishments.

Some learners might feel uneasy about doing something that they believe is a teacher's prerogative.

Initially, learners are often better able to determine or admit what they can't do than what they can do.

Students may have problems understanding the process of self-assessment.

What can teachers do to help their students?

Clearly, guidance in the use of self-assessment techniques is crucial (Carter and Nunan, p. 141). This may even require providing help to students in their first language. For learners who are unfamiliar with the process, the teacher will need to explain the purpose and benefits of self-assessment. In cases where learners display anxiety, the teacher should encourage them to be honest in their assessment and reassure them that their honesty will not affect grades in any way. Above all, teachers should demonstrate trust in their students' abilities to be responsible and realistic. They also must be patient and remember that they cannot expect objectivity, realistic goal-setting, or recognition of strengths and weaknesses from learners who are new to the process of self-evaluation.

To what extent is self-assessment a long-term goal?

Self-assessment is simply one stage in the learning-teaching process (Tudor, p. 161). The process itself is continuous and cyclical: after self-assessment, in which students have identified their weaknesses, they set goals to remediate them. A concrete plan to address those weaknesses is essential; without one, students may be left with a real sense of failure (Richards and Renandya, p. 104). Following the step of setting remedial objectives, the attainment of them should be monitored. Monitoring leads to feedback and a continuation of the cycle of goal-setting and learning. According to Richards and Renandya, "this cycle is closely related to the notion of promoting greater learner autonomy, which should be a long-term goal in most programs."

Teachers interested in further developing students' reading skills should consider trying this ready-to-use activity from Learner Autonomy (Scharle and Szabó, p. 76) by clicking here for the PDF file. You will need Adobe® Reader® to view the PDF files. If you don't already have the software, you can download it for free. Go to www.adobe.com. Ask your students to read the same article twice. After each reading, ask them how long it took them to read it and to estimate how much of it they understood. Follow this with a class discussion of reading strategies.

Sources and further readings

Brown, H. D. 2001. Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. Longman.

Carter, R., and D. Nunan. 2001. The Cambridge Guide to Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Cambridge University Press.

Dornyei, Z. 2001. Motivational Strategies in the Language Classroom. Cambridge University Press.

Oskarsson, M. 1980. Approaches to Self-Assessment in Foreign Language Learning. Oxford University Press, Council of Europe.

Richards, J. C., and W. A. Renandya. 2002. Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice. Cambridge University Press.

Scharle, Á., and A. Szabó. 2000. Learner Autonomy. Cambridge University Press.

Tudor, I. 1996. Learner-Centredness as Language Education. Cambridge University Press.

Ur, P. 1996. A Course in Language Teaching Cambridge University Press.