Developing and Validating Four Resource Model-Based Critical Literacy Assessment Instruments for EFL Learners

Abstract

This research was done using the Four Resource Model as a framework to validate tools for assessing literacy awareness in English learners. The study employed a mixed methodology, integrating qualitative elements with quantitative validation, and focused on fourth year English students at Oda Bultum University. Tools, including a questionnaire, observation checklist and test items, were developed for the purpose of assessing the level of literacy and tools’ worthiness in reading classroom. A preliminary study of 16 participants demonstrated the reliability of the questionnaire and Cronbach’s alpha of .71 indicated initial feasibility. The results underlined the importance of the Four Resource Model as a theoretical basis for the design of assessments and to promote literacy that goes beyond decoding to include socially-contextualized and critically engaged practice. From the teaching point of view, the study highlighted the need for context-sensitive tools that not only assess but also improve the ability of learners to analyze texts, thus facilitating the transformation of English as Foreign Language learning. More research into long-term methods may be needed to bridge this gap and to check the long-term consequences of theoretical and pedagogical views in the English as a Foreign Language context.