Using self-assessment to maintain motivation in a dynamic classroom environment: An Exploratory Practice inquiry of one Japanese university speaking course

Abstract

This paper presents a practitioner’s account of the use of student self-assessment for classroom participation scores at a Japanese university, worth 30% of the overall grade for the semester. It explains how experience of teaching an EFL speaking skills course has led to the initiation and further development of this method of assessment as a way to foster greater autonomy. The purpose of expanding the learners’ locus of control in this way was to help them maintain motivation. This paper presents data from 2 years of an ongoing Exploratory Practice inquiry with which the practitioner has been engaged for over four years. The data is from pedagogically generated sources and teaching journals, as well as an anonymous questionnaire completed at the end of the course. In-keeping with the philosophy of Exploratory Practice, one of the aims has been to improve the quality of classroom life and to involve the learners in a process of research which directly contributes to their classroom experience. Motivation is approached from a complex dynamic systems perspective, looking at the interactions and processes that define it. An attempt is made to bridge the complex dynamics of motivation with actual teaching practices and classroom-based practitioner research.