An implementation of an integrated performance assessment module to promote English speaking ability and learning engagement of undergraduate students

Abstract

Integrating assessment with instruction has been a challenge for English language teachers, especially in English speaking courses. Therefore, it is crucial to incorporate instruction and assessment methodologies that can help enhance students’ speaking ability. The Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA), designed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (Adair-Hauck et al., 2015), is a cluster assessment consisting of three modes of communication, namely interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational, to seamlessly connect instruction and assessment as well as reflect how students use the language. This study was conducted to 1) investigate the effects of an IPA module on undergraduate students’ English speaking ability, 2) examine the effects of an IPA module on undergraduate students’ learning engagement, and 3) explore undergraduate students’ opinions of the implementation of an IPA module. This mixed-methods research employed a one-group pretest and posttest design to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. The participants were 33 undergraduate students majoring in English who enrolled in an English speaking course at a Thai public university. The research instruments included the pre- and posttests, unit tests, an IPA opinion questionnaire, a self-report questionnaire on learning engagement, and a semi-structured interview protocol. Three IPA modules were taught over nine weeks in the first semester of the academic year 2020. The quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation, percentage, and the paired-samples t test, while content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data. The findings suggested that the implementation of three IPA modules had a positive effect on students’ speaking ability in an English speaking course. Moreover, this study provides positive evidence that implementing the IPA module into an English speaking course increased students’ levels of learning engagement in three dimensions: behavioral, emotional, and cognitive engagement. Students also revealed positive opinions on the implementation of the IPA module. This study highlighted the importance of the seamless connection between instruction and assessment, which dynamically enhances students’ speaking ability while engaging them in the learning process. Therefore, it can be concluded that the implementation of the IPA module could be an alternative instructional and assessment model that can effectively improve undergraduate students’ English speaking ability as well as increase their level of learning engagement.