The language assessment literacy needs of Iranian EFL teachers with a focus on reformed assessment policies

Abstract

Teachers' assessment literacy has recently captured the attention of scholars across various educational contexts. The literature has it that there is a gap between teachers' assessment practices and national assessment policies. The present study investigated the assessment needs of Iranian EFL teachers in the wake of the new assessment reform, which aims at replacing traditional discrete point testing policies with performance testing. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 EFL head teachers. In addition, documents related to the curriculum reform were also closely examined. Inductive coding of the data showed that to meet the demands of the noted reform, teachers' current perceptions of language assessment need to change. Furthermore, teachers need training in both knowledge and skills of language assessment. More specifically, teachers need training in developing rubrics for use in assessing the productive skills of speaking and writing. They also need to develop literacy in devising higher-order thinking skills in assessing reading and listening comprehension. Finally, as non-native speakers of English, Iranian English teachers need better English aural/oral skills.

Understanding Teachers’ Knowledge, Skills, and Principles on Language Assessment: A Survey on Teachers’ Language Assessment Literacy

“…Besides, the interview data also supported that, based on the teachers' perception, they still needed to have training to improve their LAL. The needs for additional training in LAL have widely been voiced in different educational contexts [24], [21], [17], [25], [22], [15].…”

“…They argued that assessment trainers should examine teachers' current assessment practice and match the training to the need. Relatedly, T. Firoozi, K. Razavipour, and A. Ahmadi's [22] study revealed that the reformed of assessment policy in their study context have created a gap between the teachers' assessment practice and the new assessment policy. Hence, it recalled for taking a new policy into consideration in designing training for developing teachers' LAL.…”

A Post-Positivist and Interpretive Approach to Researching Teachers’ Language Assessment Literacy

“…Therefore, this might be an area of language teachers' lal that needs to be further examined, especially because teachers are expected to balance these general policies as well as the internal technicalities of language testing. Authors have indeed highlighted that this coexistence can entail tensions teachers face in doing language assessment (Firoozi, Razavipour, & Ahmadi, 2019;Inbar-Lourie, 2008;Scarino, 2013Scarino, , 2017.…”

Opportunities and Questions: A Short Report on Rubric Assessments in Asia and the Middle East

“…By contrast, analytic methods assess individual details with Arab World English Journal www.awej.org ISSN: 2229-9327 23 less potential for bias and more impact when applied to formative assessments for use in student education through task completion (p. 124). Firoozi (2019) adds the function-based qualifiers of diagnostic, progressive, and summative types and that selecting the most valid and reliable method remain crucial to the validity of the assessment results.…”

“…196-197). Firoozi (2019) recommends teacher training in the use of rubrics as one of the greatest tools of reading and writing literacy and that they receive training in the higher-order, critical thinking cognitive skills which non-native language users require to best apply their learning. These skills apply both to teachers and students.…”