The Role of Formative Assessment in Developing Speaking Skills of Uzbek EFL Learners Zilola Kuchkarova

Аннотация

This study explores the role of formative assessment (FA) in improving the speaking skills of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in Uzbekistan. The research focuses on how self-assessment, peer feedback, and teacher-led formative strategies impact learners’ fluency, accuracy, and overall confidence in oral communication. A mixed-method study was conducted at a secondary school involving 30 pre-intermediate learners. Data were collected through observation, speaking tasks, and surveys. The findings reveal that regular use of formative assessment helps increase student motivation, speaking performance, and classroom participation. The paper concludes with recommendations for EFL teachers and policymakers to integrate formative practices in English language teaching. Keywords: Formative assessment, speaking skills, EFL, Uzbekistan, feedback, oral communication. language learning from early education stages, with a Introduction: In the modern EFL classroom, the strong emphasis on English proficiency for development of speaking skills is crucial for learners’ international competitiveness. Despite these communicative competence. In Uzbekistan, English has developments, many students still lack confidence and become a key subject in the curriculum, yet many fluency in real-life communication. This situation students struggle to express themselves orally due to a demands more responsive assessment approaches lack of real-life speaking opportunities and constructive tailored to learners' progress rather than high-stakes feedback. Traditional summative tests often fail to exams alone. support learners’ ongoing development in spoken English. Formative assessment (FA), which emphasizes Globally, formative assessment has been emphasized ongoing feedback and learner reflection, offers a by international organizations such as the OECD, which promising alternative. highlights its role in improving learning outcomes and student engagement. In line with this, the Uzbek This study aims to examine how formative assessment national curriculum has started integrating formative can enhance the speaking skills of Uzbek EFL learners. elements into the English subject standards; however, It focuses on three main questions: classroom implementation remains limited and 1. How does formative assessment affect inconsistent. Therefore, a deeper exploration of FA's students’ speaking fluency and confidence? practical impact on speaking skills is both timely and 2. What types of formative assessment relevant in the Uzbek EFL context. strategies are most effective? Literature Review 3. What are learners’ perceptions of Formative assessment (FA) has gained prominence as a formative feedback? pedagogical tool in recent decades. Black and Wiliam In recent years, the importance of English language (1998) define formative assessment as all activities education in Uzbekistan has grown rapidly due to undertaken by teachers and/or students to provide educational reforms and global integration efforts. information that can be used as feedback to modify According to the Presidential Decree No. PF-187 (2021), teaching and learning activities. In the context of the country has adopted strategies to enhance foreign speaking skills, FA is used to provide immediate, International Journal of Pedagogics 453 https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijp International Journal of Pedagogics (ISSN: 2771-2281) constructive feedback that helps learners self-correct motivation), and and grow in confidence. • Classroom observation notes by the teacher- According to Harmer (2007), speaking is a productive researcher. skill that involves fluency, coherence, pronunciation, The intervention emphasized low-stakes oral practice and interaction. Traditional testing methods often with consistent feedback. Peer and self-assessments ignore these dimensions. Nunan (2004) supports the were guided by rubrics aligned with CEFR (Common integration of formative techniques such as reflective European Framework of Reference) speaking tasks, peer correction, and performance-based descriptors. Data were analyzed both quantitatively speaking tasks, which provide learners with low-stakes (test score improvement) and qualitatively (student opportunities to practice and improve. reflections). In Uzbekistan, language instruction in schools is often The speaking tasks included a variety of communicative assessment-driven, and summative assessment activities such as role-plays (e.g., booking a hotel remains dominant (Yuldasheva, 2022). However, room), pair discussions on familiar topics, short research suggests that incorporating FA can improve storytelling, and problem-solving tasks. These were learner autonomy and oral performance (Tashkent intentionally designed to promote interaction and State Pedagogical University Study, 2021). The current reduce anxiety, encouraging authentic use of language study builds upon this foundation by focusing on the in classroom settings. Each task wa