FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT FOR SELF-REGULATED LEARNING IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION: STUDENT PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

Formative assessment (FA) is recognized for its potential to foster self-regulated learning (SRL). However, learner perspectives in exam-oriented English classrooms remain underexplored. This study investigates how English language teachers’ formative assessment practices activate or constrain SRL mechanisms among students in two Vietnamese university settings. Using a qualitative descriptive design, the data were collected from 48 reflection papers and 12 semi-structured interviews and analyzed through content analysis guided by Gu’s (2021) FA cycle. The findings indicated that formative practices, such as clarifying learning intentions, eliciting meaningful evidence, and providing actionable feedback supported key SRL mechanisms, including metacognitive awareness, strategic adaptation, and increased learner autonomy. However, opportunities for peer and self-feedback, revision, and follow-up actions were inconsistent, particularly in classrooms shaped by summative, exam-driven practices. These conditions were found to limit students’ ability to interpret feedback, regulate their learning, or sustain improvement. The study argues that FA’s potential to support SRL depends on the coherence with which teachers implement the full FA cycle. It also depends on the teachers’ language assessment literacy required to cultivate dialogic, student-centered formative feedback practices. Implications are offered for teacher education and curriculum reform in exam-oriented EFL contexts.