Hello All
We are coming to the end of our research and I would just like to say a huge thank-you to everyone that participated. Your contribution to this process has enabled us to begin to construct some answers to the issue of ESOL student perceptions of assessment in Higher Education in the UK.
So here is your final question:
Question:
If you could design a support process for ESOL students studying Psychology what would you include in that process? (We are using the term process to mean a series of steps that you might take to transform the ESOL students experience of studying Psychology in Higher education-UK)
We will be creating a summary of the outcome of this research in due course and will post it to this blog for your perusal. We continue to welcome comments and feedback from you about the research
Many thanks for your continued support and your thoughtful contributions.
Hello All I’ve spent some time analysing your more recent responses about the nature of study skills in your country of origin and the different demands that UK Universities place on you to produce academic work for assessment. I’ve also noticed that a number of you have studied subjects other than Psychology in the past and this made me wonder whether you perceive any specific differences between studying Psychology as opposed to studying subjects which are either closely related to Psychology (such as Sociology) or not as related (such as Geography).
So here is you fifth question…this is a two-part question:
When you think about studying Psychology, which three words (or terms such as ‘demands good analytical skills’) come to mind?
Now that you have your three words or terms, provide an example of how these words/terms reflect a personal challenge that you have experienced whilst studying Psychology in the UK
Once again, thank-you for taking time to respond to these research posts.
You should expect to receive two more questions relating to this research and we aim to post our final question by 10th February.
Hello All
I’ve spent some time analysing your more recent responses about the nature of study skills in your country of origin and the different demands that UK Universities place on you to produce academic work for assessment.
I’ve also noticed that a number of you have studied subjects other than Psychology in the past and this made me wonder whether you perceive any specific differences between studying Psychology as opposed to studying subjects which are either closely related to Psychology (such as Sociology) or not as related (such as Geography).
So here is you fifth question…this is a two-part question:
When you think about studying Psychology, which three words (or terms such as ‘demands good analytical skills’) come to mind?
Now that you have your three words or terms, provide an example of how these words/terms reflect a personal challenge that you have experienced whilst studying Psychology in the UK
Once again, thank-you for taking time to respond to these research posts.
You should expect to receive two more questions relating to this research and we aim to post our final question by 10th February.
THIS IS A RE-POST FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN’T HAD A CHANCE TO RESPOND
Once again, thank-you for participating in this research-your responses have been very interesting.
I posed this next question to one of our reflective bloggers based on her response to the third question that I posted to this site but its a great question for all of you to consider.
I am particularly interested in the idea that
‘…the problem with not being a native English speaker and studying is not so much about the level of language but on how you are expected to study and write essays for example. In my own country, we do not assess work the same way and the rules for writing essays are completely different’.
Question (this is four-part question!)
Does the statement outlined above reflect any of the concerns that you may have about studying and producing assignments for assessment in the UK? If you answered ‘No’ to this question describe any concerns that you might have about the way that you are currently assessed?
Could you share with us the types of assignments that you would be expected to complete for assessment in your country of origin?
How was your competence and knowledge of the subject that you were studying assessed? (i.e in your country of origin)
This question is about study skills. Could you describe the study skills training/instruction that you received prior to attending University in the UK?
Again, it would be great to hear from all of you but don’t worry if you do not have time to respond before Christmas-I will re-post this question at the beginning of the New Year.
Your responses to the questions posted so far have been very interesting and a joy to read.
I would like you all to consider the next two part question:
Question 1a: How would you rate your proficiency in the use of the English language (both written and spoken)? Would you describe yourself as a beginner (just learning the language), and intermediate (learnt the language and use it well in both conversation and when writing in English) or advanced (consider the level of your language use to be equivalent to that of a native english speaker). Please also say why you have chosen that rating (for example, self assessment, ESOL assessment etc)
Question 1b: In your response to the second research question you described in detail the steps that you take in order to plan for, write and submit an assignment for assessment.A few of you have mentioned the fact that you ask a native English speaker to review your work before you submit it for assessment. Are there any other steps in the process (that you already described in response to the last question) that are necessary because you have English as a second or other language? When making this distinction consider whether you would do the same things in the same way if/when you studied a course in your native language.
Many thanks for all your contributions and I look forward to reviewing your responses to this question
Hello All
I’m still interested in understanding more about the specific tasks you engage in in order to complete an assignment. Think about the moment that you receive the essay title or details of the assignment and the steps you need to take to get from that point to the point where you hand in your assignment for assessment i.e describe the steps you take to produce an assignment
Just a quick reminder regarding the purpose of this research and how to participate in this discussion forum.
As you know, our main purpose is to gather information about your attitudes, thoughts and feelings regarding the nature of your assignments (the type of assignments you need to complete in order to pass that particular module), how your assignments are assessed, and whether you think/feel that you were given enough support, guidance and opportunity to show the Lecturer what you know.
Over the next 14 days, we will post a series of discussion questions for you to respond to and we also encourage you to comment of other students posts.
We are very keen to understand the actual experience of ESOL students in UK Higher Education and we appreciate your participation in our research.
Remenber that everytime we post a new discussion topic you will be automatically notified by email and should aim to post your response within three days. After the three day period is up, we will post another question for your consideration. We anticipate that you will need to respond to five key questions over a period of 14 days.
So here is your first question…
Question: This is a three-part question:
a. Which course are you currently studying?
b. What type of assignment have you submitted for assessment whilst studying in the UK? These could include book reports, presentations, home essays, timed essays, laboratory reports etc
b. Which type of assignment do you like the least and explain why?
Re: Research into the approach to assessment of Psychology (Certificate in Higher Education/Diploma/Degree) students, with English as a second language: invitation to participate (Students)
Dear All
My name is Paula Robinson and I am a Tutor on the Applied Psychology programme teaching ‘Learning and Learning Styles.
This research explores the current ways in which Psychology Lecturers assess the academic work of students with English as a second language (ESOL) studying Psychology. I will use the information that you provide to design an assessment tool which I hope will assist Lecturers in conducting more accurate assessments of your work.
This study is being undertaken as part of a Masters in Academic Practice at Kings College, London.
I have provided some answer to common questions that students tend to ask about the research process. Please see below:-
Frequently asked questions
1. Who is doing the research?
Paula Robinson, a Tutor on the Applied Psychology programme teaching Learning and Learning Styles.
2. Can I participate in this research?
In order to participate in the research, you will need to be:
• Enrolled on a full Psychology (Certificate in Higher Education/diploma/degree) programme
• Have English as a second language.
3. What will participating in the research involve?
You will be asked to participate in online discussion groups over a two week period. This will require that you subscribe to our blog at http://wp.me/p1Tn8O-3 Our expectation is that you commit to making written comments on this discussion forum for a minimum of 30 minutes per week, for two weeks. Our online discussion groups will give you an opportunity to be a part of a structured discussion focused on your attitudes, thoughts and feelings about how your assignments are assessed i.e. what you think, how you feel etc about how you are assessed and whether you think/feel that you were given enough support, guidance and opportunity to show the Lecturer what you know.
Again, any information that identifies a particular student will not be included in the final transcription of the data.
4. What are the benefits of this research?
We anticipate that the main benefit of this research will be to provide an insight into the views of ESOL students studying Psychology about how their academic work is assessed and whether they felt they were able to ‘show what they know’ in their essay or other assessed work. We also hope that these insights will enable us to create specific guidance to assist Lecturers in assessing the competence of students studying Psychology who’s first language is not English.
5. How will I conduct the research?
I will establish an online discussion group and the nature of the discussions will be based around a series of questions which focus on your attitudes, thoughts and feelings about how your assignments are assessed i.e. what you think, how you feel etc about how you are assessed and whether you think/feel that you were given enough support, guidance and opportunity to show the Lecturer what you know. We will pose a series of discussion questions for you to respond to through the online discussion group. Once you subscribe to our blog, you will receive regular notifications of any new discussion topics that we have been posted online.
A code will be attached to all of the data to ensure it remains totally anonymous.
The study will conform to the Data Protection Act 1998 and you have the right to look at the information that we hold on you at any time by contacting the researcher using the information provided on the consent form.
All data and images will be kept for a minimum of 6 months and a maximum time of 3 years.
6. Might this might affect my studies in some way?
I do not anticipate that you will experience any specific discomforts or any inconvenience if you participate in this research. I will keep you fully informed about the research process and how information collected will be used and stored. In the event that you no longer want to participate in the research you will be able to withdraw without any detrimental effect to your academic studies or to you personally and you may withdraw your data at any time up to four weeks after the second Focus group has taken place. The decision about whether you participate or not is entirely voluntary and will not affect your treatment on any of your courses or your assessment.
The results of the study will be written up in a dissertation for my Masters degree. You will not be identifiable in the write up or in any publication which might ensue.
The researcher anticipates that at the end of this research I will be able to use the results to enhance the academic experience of students attending lectures in the Department of Psychological Sciences
7. What should I do now?
Please read the declaration and sign the form below if you agree to participate in this research.
If you have any further questions then you can speak to Paula Robinson by telephoning 07951 449724 (the researcher’s details can be found on the next page)
Consent Form Title of Project: Research into the approach to assessment of Psychology (Certificate in Higher Education) students, with English as a second language
Name of Researcher: Paula Robinson BSc (Hons), MSc, Dip, Cert, PGDip, MBPsS, fHEA, MIfl
Researchers Contact details: 07951 449 724
eshui1@hotmail.com
Supervisors Details: Sharon Markless
Senior Lecturer in Higher Education
Kings learning Institute
Kings College, London
020 7848 3718
sharon.markless@kcl.ac.uk
Declaration
1. I confirm that I have read and understand the information above and have had the opportunity to ask questions
2. I understand that my participation is voluntary and that I am free to withdraw from the research at any time, without giving any reason
3. I understand that all information that is collected during the evaluation will be treated with confidentiality and will not be identifiable as belonging to me.
4. I understand that I will be asked to subscribe to a blog so that I can make a written contribution to an online discussion forum
5. I understand that the researcher will use the information collected during the research to write and publish a report. I will receive a copy of the report and additional copies of the report will be available to others who are interested in understanding the research results
Research Information and Consent Form
Date Signature
Paula Robinson 30/09/11
Researcher Date Signature
Thank you for your interest in participating in our research into student responses to grades awarded for assignments, with a specific focus on ESOL students studying psychology at diploma or degree level.
We’ve created a very short survey to help you determine whether you can participate in our research. Please click on the link below to Take the Survey
If you meet our criteria we will send you further information about how to participate
University guidelines and offers of departmental support to improve an educators approach to the assessment of student coursework, tends to occupy a substantial space on the computer hard drive and represents the theme of the majority of the contact
received from respective schools/departments.
Beyond wrestling with the semantics of terminology commonly used to refer to adults engaged in further part time study (Jarvis 2004), the approach to assessment in continuing education has received much needed scrutiny in recent years (Young and Saich 2005). This scrutiny tends to focus on macro level organisational issues (assessment guidelines and procedures, including course design etc) to the microscopic aspects of
promoting learning in higher education (for example, the place of collaborative tutorials in improving student performance, Waite et al 2006; learning styles of students, Coffield et al 2004, pp 37-62 etc). The central tenet of thisscrutiny seems to be that to understand the ‘process of education’ (Bruner1960, pp. 1-6), the student and educator experience (and whether theseinterventions result in the desired outcome), is to change and improve them.
Rationale for this research project
Mass ‘academic migration’ (Wang 2005, pp 216-217; Rubenstein 2006, pp 435) of both prospective students and academics have changed the teaching landscape across the globe.
Although I teach in a number of settings, within Higher education I teach ‘non traditional’ and ‘traditional’ undergraduate Psychology students. This proposal focuses on the experience of ‘non traditional’ or continuing education students studying Psychology. Continuing
education sits firmly within the widening participation agenda (see http://www.hefce.ac.uk/widen/) although people attend these courses for a number of different reasons, these reasons may or may not align with the prospective students rationale for attending these courses (Young & Saich 2005)
Increasingly the student population personifies the concept of diversity related to socio-cultural factors (such as race, gender etc) and in terms of their early experience of learning in their country of origin. This diversity poses many challenges for the educator in all realms of managing
the learning environment (Hockings 2008).
My interest in this particular area of research stems from my experience of assessing the work of students with English speakers of other languages (ESOL) within a ‘guidance vacuum’ where no specific information is shared with the assessor about how to interpret the work of ESOL students in regards to whether they have attained the required standard of academic competence within a given
subject.
Purpose of research
The main purpose of this research is to:-
To consider whether current approaches to assessing the academic work of continuing education Psychology students enable educators to adequately assess the level of competence attained by non-native speakers of English.
To develop an assessment tool (which is embedded into the existing assessment framework), to assist educators in assessing the academic competence of non native speakers of English enrolled on a continuing education Psychology course.
If you are a student of Psychology with ESOL (English as a second or other language) we would really welcome your input in this research. Click on the post called ‘Can you participate?’ and take our short survey to determine whether you meet our research criteria.
eshuindependent
