Examining the Differences in Student Self-Assessment of Their Skills in English as a Foreign Language: A Pilot Study Comparing Male and Female Lower Secondary Students
Abstract
Developing English language proficiency is of utmost importance for education systems across Europe. Self-assessment of one's English as a foreign language (EFL) skills is a widely used source of information concerning learners' level of language proficiency.
Thus, an investigation of the way different groups of learners assess their language skills is warranted. In this pilot study, we examine the self-assessment of both general and specific (reading, writing, listening, speaking) EFL skills from a sample of Czech lower secondary students and compare these self-assessments across genders.
We also analyze the relationship of the self-assessment of specific EFL skills with the self-assessment of general EFL skills for male and female students. Our results show that Czech students are more confident in their receptive skills, while the productive skills are more closely related to their overall language self-assessment.
Further research should take into consideration the differences in scale usage between different groups of students, possibly utilizing methodological approaches such as the anchoring vignette method.