Assessment Literacy and its Relevance to Teaching Experience and Academic Background among EFL Teachers in Iran

Subject Areas :

Rahim Watmani ¹ , HASSAN ASADOLLAHFAM ^{2 *} , Bahram Behin ³

1 - PhD Candidate of TEFL, English Language Department, Islamic Azad University, Bonab Branch, Iran
2 - PhD in Applied Linguistics, Islamic Azad University, Bonab Branch, Iran,
3 - Associate Professor in ELT, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran

Received: 2024-07-10 Accepted : 2024-08-10 Published : 2024-08-10

Keywords: assessment literacy, assessment literacy practices, novice and experienced teachers, TEFL/non-TEFL background,

Abstract :

Teachers’ educational background and experience in classroom assessment are important factors that influence their level of assessment literacy. Despite this, few studies are reported to investigate this area. The present study aims to find differences between experienced and novice teachers with or without TEFL backgrounds regarding their assessment literacy skills. Two hundred high school teachers working in various Iranian schools with TEFL and non-TEFL backgrounds were randomly selected to participate in the current study. Chi-square (crosstabs) was applied to compare the assessment practices of the study groups. The researchers also took notes while observing the classroom assessments. The results revealed that TEFL-background teachers practiced assessment methods more significantly than the teachers with no TEFL background. Likewise, it was indicated that novice teachers practiced assessment methods and components more significantly than experienced teachers, irrespective of their educational background. The findings also indicated that high school teachers of TEFL have inadequate educational assessment literacy. Therefore, ongoing in-service training programs on educational assessment should be considered to cater to problems of low assessment literacy in Iranian high schools.

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