How Do Swedish Student Teachers Assess their Own Writing Skills in English as a Foreign Language? A Pilot Study

Abstract

The present paper reports some results from a pilot project where student teachers’ ability to assess their global ability in English, as well as their writing skills, were investigated using the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Data was generated from a self-assessment and feedback questionnaire administered to a total cohort (N=29) of first-year students of a teacher education programme in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) for lower- and upper secondary school in Sweden.  Self-assessment is a metacognitive skill that helps develop awareness of the learning process and that is said to foster learning to learn skills. This skill is considered so important that it is included in the Swedish curriculum and syllabus for languages from an early level but there is little known whether once pupils leave upper secondary school, they are able to assess their language skills with any degree of accuracy.  The results indicate that though the students are fairly accurate in their assessments of their general language skills at the group level, self-assessment needs to be practiced for the students to have a realistic view, individually of their own specific writing ability as these skills do not seem to develop otherwise. .