Uncovering the Reasons of EFL Teachers’ Unwillingness and Demotivation towards Being More Assessment Literate

Yıl 2021, Cilt: 8 Sayı: 3, 596 - 612, 05.09.2021

Elçin Ölmezer Öztürk

https://doi.org/10.21449/ijate.876714

Cited By: 2

Öz

The current study investigates the reasons of EFL teachers’ unwillingness and demotivation towards being more assessment literate. 19 EFL teachers working in the preparatory programs of various state universities took part in the study, and the data were collected via semi-structured interviews. Those 19 teachers were deliberately chosen from 27 teachers based on their negative utterances towards being more assessment literate in relation to the aim of the current study. The data obtained from the utterances of the participants with respect to two interview questions were transcribed, coded and labelled according to the recurrent and common themes according to the qualitative content scheme of Creswell (2012). The findings revealed that why the participating teachers were unwilling and demotivated to be more assessment literate resulted from five factors; a) seeing language assessment as an extra burden, b) the presence of testing office and materials, c) language assessment as an anxiety-provoking factor, d) institutional factors and e) rarity of ways to improve oneself. Apart from shedding light on the unwillingness and demotivation of teachers to learn more about assessment, this study also comes up with implications for language teachers and research suggestions in relation to the findings of the study.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Assessment literacy, Turkish EFL teachers, Unwillingness, Demotivation

Uncovering the Reasons of EFL Teachers’ Unwillingness and Demotivation towards Being More Assessment Literate

Öz

The current study investigates the reasons of EFL teachers’ unwillingness and demotivation towards being more assessment literate. 19 EFL teachers working in the preparatory programs of various state universities took part in the study, and the data were collected via semi-structured interviews. Those 19 teachers were deliberately chosen from 27 teachers based on their negative utterances towards being more assessment literate in relation to the aim of the current study. The data obtained from the utterances of the participants with respect to two interview questions were transcribed, coded and labelled according to the recurrent and common themes according to the qualitative content scheme of Creswell (2012). The findings revealed that why the participating teachers were unwilling and demotivated to be more assessment literate resulted from five factors; a) seeing language assessment as an extra burden, b) the presence of testing office and materials, c) language assessment as an anxiety-provoking factor, d) institutional factors and e) rarity of ways to improve oneself. Apart from shedding light on the unwillingness and demotivation of teachers to learn more about assessment, this study also comes up with implications for language teachers and research suggestions in relation to the findings of the study.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Assessment literacy, Turkish EFL teachers, unwillingness, demotivation

Kaynakça

• Alderson, J. C. (2005). Diagnosing foreign language proficiency. Continuum.
• Baker, B. A., & Riches, C. (2017). The development of EFL examinations in Haiti: Collaboration and language assessment literacy development. Language Testing, 35(4), 557-581. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532217716732
• Banat, H. (2018). Policy makers, assessment practices, and ethical dilution. In T. Ruecker, & D. Crusan. (Eds.). The politics of English second language writing assessment in global contexts. (pp. 58-65). Routledge
• Calderhead, J. (1996). Teachers: Beliefs and knowledge. In d. C. Berliner, & R. C. Calfee (Eds.), Handbook of Educational Psychology (pp. 709-725). Macmillan.
• Campbell, Y., Murphy, J. A., & Holt, J. K. (2002). Psychometric analysis of an assessment literacy instrument: Applicability to preservice teachers. Paper presented at the meeting of the Mid-Western Educational Research Association, Colombus, OH.
• Coombe, C., Troudi, S., & Al-Hamly, M. (2012). Foreign and second language teacher assessment literacy: Issues, challenges, and recommendations. In C. Coombe, P. Davidson, B. O’Sullivan, & S. Stoynoff. (Eds.). The Cambridge guide to second language assessment. (pp. 20-29). Cambridge University Press.
• Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational Research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Pearson Education.
• Davies, A. (2008). Textbook trends in teaching language testing. Language Testing, 25 (3), 327-347. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532208090156
• Dornyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics. Oxford University Press.
• Falsgraf, C. (2005, April). Why a national assessment summit? New visions in action. National Assessment Summit. Meeting conducted in Alexanderia, Va. Retrieved from: http://www. nflrc.iastate.edu /nva/word documents/ assessment_2005/ pdf /nsap_introduction.pdf
• Fulcher, G. (2012). Assessment literacy for the language classroom. Language Assessment Quarterly, 9 (2), 113-132. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2011.642041
• Hatipoğlu, Ç. (2015). English language testing and evaluation (ELTE) training in Turkey: Expectations and needs of pre-service English language teachers. ELT Research Journal, 4 (2), 111-128. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/eltrj/issue/28780/308006
• Herrera, L. & Macias, D. (2015). A call for language assessment literacy in the education and development of teachers of English as a foreign language. Colomb. Appl. Linguist. J., 17(2), 302-312. http://dx.doi.org/10.14483/udistrital.jour.calj.2015.2.a09
• Inbar-Lourie, O. (2008). Constructing a language assessment knowledge base: A focus on language assessment courses. Language Testing, 25 (3), 385 402. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532208090158
• Jacobs, L. C. & Chase, C. I (1992). Developing and using tests effectively: A guide for faculty. Jossey-Bass.
• Katz, A. (2012). Linking assesment with instructional aims and learning. The Cambridge guide to second language assessment. In C. Coombe, P. Davidson, B. O’Sullivan, & S. Stoynoff. (Eds.). The Cambridge guide to second language assessment. (pp. 66-73). Cambridge University Press.
• Lam, R. (2015). Language assessment training in Hong Kong: Implications for language assessment literacy. Language Testing, 32(2), 169 197. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532214554321.
• Leung, C. (2014). Clasroom-based assessment issues for language teacher education. In A. J. Kunnan (Ed.), The Companion to Language Assessment, (pp. 1510-1519). Wiley Blackwell.
• Malone, M. E. (2013). The essentials of assessment literacy: Contrasts between testers and users. Language Testing, 30 (3), 329-344. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532213480129
• McCafferty, A. S., & Beaudry, J. S. (2018). Teaching strategies that create assessment-literate learners. Corwin.
• McNamara, T., & Roever, C. (2006). Language testing: The social dimension. Blackwell.
• Mede, E., & Atay, D. (2017). English Language Teachers’ assessment literacy: The Turkish context. Dil Dergisi, 168 (1), 1-5. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/780021
• Mertler, A. C. (2003). Secondary teachers’ assessment literacy: Does classroom experience make a difference?. American Secondary Education, 33(1), 49 64. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/41064623.pdf
• Mertler, C. A., & Campbell, C. (2005). Measuring teachers’ knowledge and application of classroom assessment concepts: Development of the assessment literacy inventory. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Research Association, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED490355.
• O’Loughlin, K. (2013). Developing the assessment literacy of university proficiency test users. Language Testing, 30 (3), 363-380. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265532213480336
• Ölmezer-Öztürk, E., & Aydın, B. (2019). Investigating language assessment knowledge of EFL teachers. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 34(3), 602 620. https://doi.org/10.16986/HUJE.2018043465
• Plake, B. S. (1993). Teacher assessment literacy: Teachers’ competencies in the educational aasesment of students. Mid-Western Educational Researcher, 6 (1), 21-27.
• Popham, W. J. (2006). All about accountability / Needed: A dose of assessment literacy. Educational Leadership, 63(6), 84 85. http://www.ascd.org/publications/educationalleadership/mar06/vol63/num06/[e-mail]
• Popham, W. J. (2009). Assessment literacy for teachers: Faddish or fundamental? Theory Into Practice, 48, 4-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405840802577536
• Popham, W. J. (2011). Assessment literacy overlooked: A teacher educator's confession. The Teacher Educator, 46 (4), 265-273. https://doi.org/10.1080/08878730.2011.605048.
• Popham, W. J. (2018). Assessment literacy for teachers in a hurry. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and curriculum Development.
• Purpura, J. E. (2016). Second and foreign language assessment. The Modern Language Journal, https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12308
• Schafer, W. D. (1993). Assessment literacy for teachers. Theory into Practice, 32 (2), 118-126. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1476329?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
• Shepard, L. A. (2000). The role of assessment in a learning culture. Educational researcher, 29 (7), 4-14. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X029007004
• Stiggins, R. J. (1991). Assessment literacy. Phi Delta Kappan,72, 534-539. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20404455
• Stiggins, R. J. (1995). Assessment literacy for the 21st century. Phi Delta Kappan, 77 (3), 238-245. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20405538
• Stiggins, R. J. (2010). Essential formative assessment competencies for teachers and school leaders. In H. L. Andrade, G. J. Cizek (Eds.), Handbook of formative assessment, (pp. 233-250). Taylor & Francis.
• Şahin, S. & Hatipoğlu, Ç. (2019). An analysis of English language testing and evaluation course in English language teacher education programs in Turkey: Developing language assessment literacy of pre-service EFL teachers. (Unpublished PhD Dissertation). Middle East Technical University.
• Tao, N. (2014). Development and validation of classroom assessment literacy scales: English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers in a Cambodian Higher Education Setting. (PhD thesis). Victoria University.
• Tsagari, D. & Vogt, K. (2017). Assessment Literacy of Foreign Language Teachers around Europe: Research, Challenges and Future Prospects. Papers in Language Testing and Assessment, 6(1), 41 64. http://www.altaanz.org/uploads/5/9/0/8/5908292/5.si3tsagarivogt_final_formatted_proofed.pdf
• Vogt, K. & Tsagari, D. (2014) Assessment literacy of foreign language teachers: Findings of a European study. Language Assessment Quarterly, 11 (4), 374-402. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/15434303.2014.960046.
• Volante, L., & Fazio, X. (2007). Exploring teacher candidates’ assessment literacy: Implications for teacher education reform and Professional development. Canadian Journal of Education, 30 (3), 749-770. https://journals.sfu.ca/cje/index.php/cje-rce/article/view/2973