scholarly journals Correction to: EFL teachers’ perceptions and practices of their language assessment knowledge

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Farhady ◽  
Kobra Tavassoli
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Farhady ◽  
Kobra Tavassoli

AbstractResearch on language assessment knowledge (LAK) of teachers has focused on two major topics: identifying the LAK needs of teachers and developing appropriate LAK tests. Although the prior research findings significantly contributed to our understanding of the parameters of LAK, they were mostly quantitative and did not provide much information about EFL teachers’ perceptions and applications of their LAK in a direct and face-to-face situation. Therefore, this qualitative study was designed to shed light on some key issues related to teachers’ LAK using semi-structured interviews. The issues included EFL teachers’ perception of their LAK and their utilization of LAK in their teaching. The participants were 11 teachers with a high level of LAK and 10 teachers with a low level of LAK determined by their performance on a LAK test. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and content analyzed. The findings did not reveal significant differences in the responses provided by the two groups of teachers. Further, to investigate the extent of teachers’ application of LAK in classroom contexts, some of the tests made by the participating teachers were collected and content analyzed. The results showed that teachers with high LAK wrote longer tests with more varied sections and tasks. Finally, no meaningful relationship was found between the teachers’ level of LAK and their students’ performance on classroom achievement tests. The findings imply that the language assessment field needs more research on multiple dimensions of LAK.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-79
Author(s):  
Ika Wulandari ◽  
Oikurema Purwati ◽  
Slamet Setiawan ◽  
Syafi'ul Anam

There is convincing evidence of the potential advantages of peer assessment; however, earlier studies on peer assessment in the learning process have largely focused on students’ views on it. Although much can be inferred from the students’ views about peer assessment in the learning process, there is a limited empirical study on the practical use of peer assessment by teachers and their responses. This study attempts to offer salient information for educational institutions, especially on the importance of peer assessment as a part of their instructional design for novice EFL teachers. This qualitative study aims to investigate Indonesian novice EFL teachers’ perceptions of the use of peer assessment in a speaking class as well as its’ benefits and challenges. The data was obtained from six Indonesian novice EFL teachers through a semi-structured interview. Findings revealed the two groups of teachers’ different perceptions, benefits, and challenges of peer assessment which were affected by their understanding of peer assessment and undergraduate study experiences. Hence, educational institutions for pre-service EFL teachers should take peer assessment into account to be integrated into their instructional designs to enable them to experience and perceive peer assessment as a valuable alternative way of language assessment.


2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 163-170
Author(s):  
Yasemin Kirkgoz ◽  
Muzaffer Pinar Babanoglu ◽  
Reyhan Ağçam

The present study aimed to investigate perceptions of EFL teachers working at state primary schools on core language skills, assessment types and question types used in assessing student’s foreign language development and proficiency during an academic year. Data were gathered from 56 EFL teachers working at 42 primary state schools in Turkey through a questionnaire comprising a variety of items to elicit their perceptions and applications of language assessment in the classes of 4th to 6th graders. Results obtained from frequency analyses indicated that the pen-and-paper tests, performance tasks, and in-class observation are the mostly used assessment tools, and that the selected response items are mostly employed question types in the tests, and that performance-based and communication-based assessment types are preferred more frequently than the traditional types in evaluating students’ success in learning EFL.


Author(s):  
Anh Thanh Nguyet Le

<p><em>Learner autonomy is currently one of the central themes in language education. </em><em>Autonomous learning plays an important role not only in university life but also throughout life for learners.</em><em> Exploring teachers’ perceptions and practices regarding learner autonomy is necessary, especially in local contexts, to provide more insights of this field. The present study was conducted with 20 EFL teachers at Dong Thap University through interview. The findings showed that all of them had positive understandings in related aspects and levels of learner autonomy. In practice, they made significant attempts to cultivate students’ autonomy. However, they faced certain problems shared by EFL teachers elsewhere.  </em></p><p><em></em><em><br /></em></p>


2006 ◽  
Vol 151 ◽  
pp. 33-56
Author(s):  
Ali Ahmad Al-Barakat ◽  
Ruba Fahmi Bataineh ◽  
Samih Mahmoud Al-Karasneh ◽  
Rula Fahmi Bataineh

This study investigates the appropriateness of the Action Pack Textbook Series (APTS) currently taught in the first four primary stage classes in Jordanian public schools. An evaluation checklist, compiled from the literature, and a semi-structured interview were used to evaluate the content, layout, assessment tasks, teacher's book and the availability of supplementary materials. The findings support the following conclusions: Poor ratings were minimal; APTS is adaptable to the needs of both teachers and pupils and provides a broad range of resources that can be selectively integrated into the curriculum; APTS contains modes of instruction that are developmentally appropriate for a wide range of learners; APTS instructional materials are interesting, engaging and effective for the target learners; the format of the teacher's book is easy to follow, the directions for implementing activities are clear, and the teacher's book itself is flexible and allows teachers to choose from a variety of activities to use with their pupils; for the most part, non-text materials are used appropriately to promote learning; and, overall, the materials for the pupils are well written, age-appropriate and compelling in content.


RELC Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 003368822095247
Author(s):  
Loc Tan Nguyen ◽  
Jonathan Newton

The role of teacher professional learning (TPL) in assisting teachers to teach pronunciation in English as a second/foreign language (ESL/EFL) contexts has received little attention. The study reported in this paper extends this line of research by investigating how six EFL teachers at a Vietnamese university transform and integrate the pronunciation pedagogical knowledge they received from a TPL workshop into teaching practice. It then examines the teachers’ perceptions of the impact of the workshop on their knowledge gains and pronunciation teaching skills. Data were collected from seven lesson plans designed by the teachers, video recordings of 24 subsequent classroom observations, and six individual semi-structured interviews. The study adopted a content-based approach to qualitative data analysis. The findings show that the teachers were all able to translate TPL into classroom practice of pronunciation teaching. The findings further show that workshops designed and implemented in accordance with research-based TPL principles can be effective for promoting teachers’ knowledge of pronunciation pedagogy and refining their pronunciation teaching skills. The study has implications for ESL/EFL teachers’ professional development in pronunciation teaching.


2017 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Mohammadi ◽  
Khaled Moradi

AbstractContinuous professional development (CPD) is important for teachers in attaining sustainable education. Accordingly, exploring teachers’ perceptions could be a significant endeavor as teachers’ beliefs impact their classroom practices, thereby, impacting student learning and, thus have educational implications. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate this fundamental issue via establishing professional development workshops to train teachers in order to promote sustainable professional growth. It examined 86 EFL teachers’ beliefs and attitudes toward CPD before and after attending workshops for professional development. The data were collected through a questionnaire and a follow-up interview. Paired-samples t-tests were run to measure differences between responses of pre and post surveys. Moreover, raw frequencies and percentages were calculated in order to prioritize the items the teachers selected in each variable. The findings demonstrate that beliefs about CPD can change. Survey data collected before and after professional development workshops revealed a statistical significant shift in EFL teachers’ beliefs. This finding was also supported by semi-structured interviews. In addition, the results also revealed that the participants perceived customized professional development programs with professional development framework as a beneficial tool to be included in the professional development programs. The study may have some pedagogical implications to be utilized in the educational process directed at sustainable professional development.


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