Self-Assessment Surveys – A Tool for Independent Learning in Lower-tier Dependent Classrooms

Abstract

This project took place over an academic year, using self-assessment surveys as a unique tool for guiding students to engage in the learning process, with the goal of improving their motivation and overall awareness in second language studies. The participants (n=94) were first year students from a private Japanese university from the departments of Aerospace and Systems Engineering (n=11), Architecture (n=11), Computer Information Sciences (n=49), Life Sciences (13) and Mechanical Engineering (n=10). The surveys were bookended with two similar Likert-scaled questionnaires. The first was used as a baseline of participants’ initial beliefs, motivation and overall awareness regarding their L2 education, while the second was used as a comparison, through a paired sample T-test, to mark any changes. The self-assessment survey sought to elicit students’ knowledge and confidence in areas of vocabulary, use of English and usage of the target language, with a survey report given to everyone prior to unit assessments. The following is a report on the effect self-assessment surveys had on students’ motivation and overall awareness when used as a learning tool promoting autonomous learning for teachers and advisors wishing to empower students to take a more prominent role in their L2 education.