Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.32728/mo.10.2.2015.02
IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF ASSESSMENT IN ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES BY REDUCING TEST ANXIETY
Tamara Polić
orcid.org/0000-0002-1189-3911
; Veleučilište u Rijeci, Hrvatska
Abstract
English for Specific Purposes (ESP) taught in the framework of learning professional foreign languages is of unquestionable importance at the institutions of higher education, preparing students for professional communication. It should be primarily students oriented and defined to meet their specific needs.
Institutionalized learning of a foreign language cannot be discussed without mentioning the affective factors, such as foreign language anxiety that is negatively correlated with achievement. Adding test anxiety to foreign language anxiety makes it clear that students need help when taking ESP exams, which they cannot avoid.
Summative assessment needs to be made as much students-friendly as possible. The objective of this research is to prove that eAssessment reduces test anxiety in ESP course as compared to traditional paper-based exams, and that it affects positively the students’ concentration and increases their achievement.
The study is carried out on a sample of 30 part-time students, who first sat for one partial ESP exam in the form of eAssessment and then for the other one in the form of a traditional paper-based partial exam. Upon completion of each of the exams they were asked to fill in a 5 scale questionnaire regarding test anxiety. By the interpretation of the statistically analyzed results it is established that traditional ESP paper-based assessment provokes higher test anxiety than eAssessment. Moreover, students’ achievement (grades)
is better, while concentration during both methods of assessment remains equal.
To conclude, eAssessment in ESP is recommendable to be used at the institutions of higher education for the benefit of students, and both ESP teachers and any other language for specific purposes (LSP) teachers should offer their students the option of
eAssessment.
Keywords
eAssessment; English for Specific Purposes; foreign language anxiety; test anxiety; higher education
Hrčak ID:
154209
URI
Publication date:
23.12.2015.
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