The learning process of a pre-service teacher in implementing performance-based assessment in an English language classroom

Adopting an action research approach, the present study explores the challenges in implementing performance-based assessment (PBA) in a Hong Kong band three secondary school English language classroom and how a pre-service teacher overcame them. The pre-service teacher, who was also the researcher of the present study, implemented PBA in her English language classrooms to understand more about her own teaching and facilitate her own professional development through the research process. The data was systematically collected through video recordings of the lessons and the teacher’s reflective journal. A qualitative inductive approach was used to analyse the data. A second rater who is a teacher of the teacher training programme assisted the teacher in her reflective process and ensure reliability of the application process of action research. Thus, the field experience supervision feedback forms were collected as supplementary data too. Since students are an important stakeholder of the teaching and learning experience, to enhance learner agency, their feedback on implementing PBA was also taken into consideration. Student questionnaires were distributed, and the results was quantitatively analysed. Findings revealed that time constraints, the preservice teacher’s limited knowledge and skills, insufficient external support and students’ low ability and motivation were the difficulties in the process of implantation of PBA. Therefore, the pre-service teacher added teaching steps, enhanced her instruction and feedback and diverse the grouping and topics to address those challenges. These results provided insights for teacher educators on what support student-teachers need when learning PBA in teacher training programmes and how curriculum innovations such as PBA can be better implemented in schools. The findings also implied that in-service teachers need to be aware of the backwash effects of PBA when implementing this new assessment method in their language arts classroom.