The Effects of Collaborative Discussion on Classroom Assessments of Reading and Writing

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Abstract

This study investigates the role of collaborative discussion in improving second language learners’ performance on classroom assessment of reading and writing. Seventy 4th grade participants read authentic stories and were required to complete certain tasks. Comparisons of scores demonstrate that collaborative discussion has a small but significant effect on both reading and writing assessment, with poor learners benefit more from it. Moreover, motivation and learning attitude are correlated with the assessment scores. The findings suggest that using collaborative discussion in the classroom assessment can provide a more dynamic and objective way to assess second language learners. It is also reported that when adopting the collaborative discussion format, the second language learners are more involved in the assessment.

Author

• Junli Wei, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign