The role of self-assessment in foreign language teaching

The self-assessment as the subject of this thesis study first is explained via variousdefinitions. Following explanations of both positive and negative elements areexamined.Through the study, it became clear out one of the advantages of self-assessment isthe learner?s using it as a tool to achieve autonomous learning and the learnerdeveloping a habit of life-long learning. In this process the learner should raise anawareness about his performance and according to that should make somedecisions. And thus the comparative self-assessment which will be done as a resultof all these steps will bring him to the objectivity. Another advantage is seen that self-assessment is an inevitible skill in attaining the excellence in continuousimprovement.Human nature and the effect of the society that he lives in make it difficult for him tobe realistic in self-assessment. The more a man is successful in seeing his positivesides the less he is in finding out the negative ones. Self-assessment requires aprocess. Since it is not enough to apply the self-assessment only in foreign languageteaching in this process, it has to be applied in the other subjects as well.The research has found several samples of self-assessment. However, thesesamples can be used for different situations so that none of them is perfect. At thebeginning, although the plan was to create a sample and apply it, the need of ageneral model has been determined after this research. The study has continued inthe direction of this model and has reached to a flexible model which can be criticizedand improved.The model which was created after the readings and researches was applied ondifferent age groups as samples and the results have also been attached.