Browsing by Author "Paredes Quijanes, Paula"

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Teachers’ Conception of Learner Self-assessment. A Qualitative Interview Study with Seven Teachers of English in a Swedish Upper-secondary School
(2018) Paredes Quijanes, Paula; Institutionen för språk och litteraturer
The aim of this study is to shed light on EFL teachers’ perspective on learner self-assessment as the field is lacking teachers’ voices regarding this research issue and non-existent in the Swedish context even if it is part of the Swedish curriculum of English and stated in the Swedish National Agency of Education. Teachers are the foundation of classroom learning, which makes this an important research area to explore. It can increase our understanding of why or why not learner self-assessment is used in the EFL classroom. Thus, this study investigates EFL teachers’ conception of learner self-assessment to further student learning, and explore what teachers consider significant for the implementation of this activity. Although the current use of learner self-assessment varied among the teachers, the findings show that teachers’ conception of learner self-assessment is overall following the definitions and purposes presented in the Swedish syllabi. Also, teachers suggest that learner self- assessment might be challenging to incorporate as learners’ associate assessment with grading. Nevertheless, learner self-assessment could lead to autonomous learning and consensus between teachers and learners regarding grades if used as a continuous method. Finally, the study reveals some necessary requirements for implementing learner self- assessment which partly involve the importance of clarity regarding the purpose of the activity as well as the necessity of practice. The conclusion addresses the pedagogical implications of learner self-assessment and indicates that teachers should be provided with materials as this would facilitate the incorporation of learner self-assessment in the EFL classroom and prevent the issue of time constraints in teachers’ everyday practice.
Teachers’ motivational practice and student motivation in the EFL classroom: A literature review
(2017) Paredes Quijanes, Paula; Institutionen för språk och litteraturer
The aim of this review is to survey the research area on motivational strategies for teachers in different EFL settings. Research on motivation in the L2 has for a long period of time focused on the role of motivation in the L2 learning process and has established its great importance for learning. Early research focused to a great extent on defining motivation and identifying important components. In the early 90s, a shift of focus took place with a new interest in strategies, making the teacher role a central aspect. This paper analyses research on teachers’ beliefs regarding the importance of motivational strategies and frequency of use in the EFL classroom in different cultural contexts. It compares the results to evaluate what motivational strategies teachers believe to increase student motivation the most when learning English as a foreign language. The review shows that there is agreement among teachers from different cultural backgrounds on which strategies are most important. However, few studies to date have tested the strategies in relation to English achievement and learning benefits.