The effect of web-based formative assessment on students’ achievement and attitudes in a large enrolment tertiary English course

Abstract

[Abstract]: The study aimed to investigate the effect of Web-based formative assessment on students’ achievement and attitudes in a large enrolment tertiary English course at a Thai university. The participants were a stratified random sample of 186 first year undergraduate Thai students who enrolled to study English II (212102) in the Department of Western Languages, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Burapha University in the second semester of 2004-2005 academic year. The sample was randomly separated to a Web-based formative assessment (WBFA) group as an experimental group and a conventional paper-and-pencil formative assessment (CPFA) group as a control group. Prior to and after the intervention of the WBFA program, a mixed methods research design with sequential explanatory strategy was utilised to collect two phases of data. First, quantitative data were collected and analysed from objective pre- and post-tests to comprehend the students’ achievement in the CPFA and WBFA groups. Then the students’ attitudes toward using WBFA in the course were determined from quantitative and qualitative data collected and analysed from pre- and post-WBFA questionnaires and pre- and post-WBFA semi-structured interviews. Results revealed that the WBFA group outperformed the CPFA group. However, there was no statistical difference between their overall means. With regard to the four language features tested, the WBFA group surpassed the CPFA group. The means of the WBFA group were statistically higher than those of the CPFA group in reading comprehension and vocabulary sections. In addition, students who completed the WBFA program got higher average score than those who did not. Nonetheless, there was no significant difference. There was no significant correlation between the number of attempts to perform the WBFA and the students’ achievement scores. Findings also indicated that after using the program students in the WBFA group had more positive attitudes toward using WBFA in their course. Specifically, the students agreed that WBFA should be integrated in their course because it helped to improve and motivate them to learn English in the course.