Oral assessment in the English subject

Abstract

This study investigates how teachers of English assess oral competence at lower secondary schools in Norway. Previous studies (Svenkerud, 2013, Hertzberg, 2012, Bøhn, 2015) point to oral presentations as the main method used for oral assessment, and the assessment given varies because of the subjective nature of oral assessment. It is also assumed that teachers disagree on how oral assessment should be done, and I imagine that they find oral assessment more difficult than written assessment. Therefore, this thesis investigates teachers’ practices of oral assessment. The research question is as followed: How do teachers assess oral skills in lower secondary schools in Norway? In order to answer this question, I have used a mixed-method approach consisting of a questionnaire and an interview. A questionnaire with 139 participants was used to gather data that could show general practices in assessing. An interview guide was developed based on the data collected from the questionnaire. An interview was conducted with three informants. All the informants teach at lower-secondary schools in Norway. My findings indicate that teachers vary in what method they use and what aspects they focus on during oral assessment. Although most teachers use oral presentation as a form of assessing oral competence, it is not the only form of assessment. Teachers do not think there is a common understanding nationally as to how oral skills should be assessed. Moreover, my findings show that there is a common belief among teachers that there is a need for clearer criteria or a common rating scale for oral assessment.