Oral presentations in the Chinese high school classrooms: A formative assessment device or a pedagogical activity

Formative assessment is considered as a powerful device to improve student learning. The recent assessment literature shows that formative assessment is embedded in classroom teaching, and various opportunities in classrooms can be used to assess students formatively. The current paper focuses on the example of oral presentations in the English language classrooms and explores how oral presentations can be used to improve student learning in language classrooms. A qualitative approach has been adopted and data were collected through classroom observations and interviews. The findings reveal that oral presentations acted both as a formative assessment device and as a pedagogical activity, thus further supporting that formative assessment can be integrated into daily teaching. Finally, the article makes suggestions regarding how formative assessment can be integrated into daily classrooms. Copyright © 2017 大連理工大學.