Action-based approach assessment and skills integration in foreign language

Abstract

This article focuses on foreign language assessment from the action-oriented approach perspective, which includes, among its premises, merging language learning and the real social use of the language by means of tasks in which skills are integrated. It reflects upon the issue of assessment practices that usually divide the language skills into listening, speaking, reading and writing. It makes considerations about the assessment process through the integration of language activities, particularly the receptive and productive ones, so as to favour pedagogical actions that mirror the real use of the language in classroom assessments. By means of a literature review, this text discusses the action-oriented approach, textual genres, assessment for learning as well as the integration of language activities in classroom assessments. It advocates for assessment practices that are representative of language use in real communicative situations and that rely on procedures that integrate language activities such as those taking place in real life. Oral and written textual genres consist in material to operationalize language activities. From the action-oriented approach perspective, connecting reception to text production means making the assessment process authentic. Our intention is to provide a pedagogical possibility to language teachers’ assessment practices.