Assessment Literacy: Teachers’ Conception of Formative Assessment in EFL Classrooms
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20372/star.v9i4.05Keywords:
Formative Assessment, Language Assessment, EFL, classroom, conceptionsAbstract
Formative assessment has been proven to be one of the means of improving the quantity and quality of students learning. However, it hasn’t been implemented effectively in classrooms, possibly because of misconceptions. The purpose of this research is to find out how English language teachers conceptualise formative assessment and if their conceptions vary with their level of qualification. A total of 252 randomly selected secondary school English language teachers with different levels of qualification filled out the Teachers’ Conception of Formative Assessment (TCFA) questionnaire adapted from Teachers’ Conception of Assessment (TCOA III). They were also interviewed in groups based on their qualifications. The data from the questionnaire was analysed using a one-sample t-test and a one-way between-groups ANOVA. The interview data was analysed thematically. The result indicated that the participants’ conception is mixed and partially deviates from the proper notion of formative assessment. It also revealed that the higher the level of qualification, the better the conception of formative assessment. This implies a poor conceptualization of the relationship between teaching, learning, and assessment that can impede its implementation.
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