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Description
The transition toward English as a Second Language (ESL) education in emerging economies such as Vietnam has necessitated a fundamental shift from traditional summative assessment to more dynamic, classroom-based alternative assessment (CBA) approaches. Despite increasing pedagogical advocacy for formative, peer, and performance-based assessment, empirical evidence on how these approaches influence communicative competence and student engagement remains limited, particularly in ESL transition contexts. Drawing upon social constructivist theory and experiential learning perspectives, this study develops and tests a research model examining the relationships among classroom-based alternative assessment (formative assessment, peer assessment, and portfolio-based assessment), student engagement, and communicative competence. A quantitative research design was employed using survey data collected from 412 undergraduate students enrolled in English-related courses in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The proposed model was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), complemented by Artificial Neural Network (ANN) analysis to capture nonlinear effects. The results reveal that alternative assessment practices significantly enhance student engagement, which in turn positively influences communicative competence. Among assessment dimensions, formative assessment and peer assessment exhibit the strongest effects. The mediating role of engagement is also confirmed. The findings contribute to the ESL literature by extending classroom-based assessment theory into emerging contexts and by empirically validating a learner-centered assessment model. Practical implications highlight the importance of integrating alternative assessment strategies to foster authentic language use and engagement in ESL classrooms.
