On‐Task Versus Off‐Task Self‐Assessments Among Korean Elementary School Students Studying English

Abstract

This study examined the validity of Korean students' self‐assessments of their oral performance in English in a Foreign Language at the Elementary School (FLES) level. We examined the validity of 2 types of assessments: an off‐task self‐assessment and an on‐task self‐assessment. The off‐task assessment asked students to evaluate their overall performance in a general and somewhat decontextualized way. The on‐task self‐assessment asked students to self‐evaluate their performance immediately after they completed their English tasks. The results of the 2 types of self‐assessments were compared both with the students' general proficiency test scores and with their teachers' assessments based on classroom observation. The results indicate that if self‐assessments are administered in an on‐task format, students can self‐assess their oral performance more accurately than they can in an off‐task format. It was also found that the on‐task self‐assessment was generally less influenced by student attitude/personality factors than was the off‐task self‐assessment