Refining the Assessment Literacy Competence among K12 EFL Teachers

Abstract

Language assessment literacy as a relatively new term denotes teachers’ understanding of the assessment construct both theoretically and practically. Given the importance of assessment in the teaching and learning process, the main purpose of the current study is to investigate the general and skill-based language assessment literacy levels of EFL teachers working at K12 schools in Türkiye and to analyse their needs both in pre-service and in-service years. Considering the purpose of the study, a mixed-method research design was employed. At the initial phase of the study, the quantitative data were collected by means of the Language Assessment Knowledge Scale (LAKS), and 272 EFL teachers working at K12 schools in Türkiye participated. Descriptive and inferential analyses were run, and results showed that the participants’ mean score in LAKS was 31.59 out of 60. The participants demonstrated the highest level of knowledge in assessing reading, while assessing listening was identified as the area where teachers had the least expertise. In the second phase, semi-structured interviews were conducted with volunteers to learn more about the teachers’ opinions on language assessment knowledge and their needs. Qualitative findings complemented the findings from the questionnaire by revealing details about the reasons of the participants’ scores in LAK scale.