Preservice and In-Service EFL Teachers' Assessment Preferences: Can Digitized Formative Assessment Make a Difference?

Preservice and In-Service EFL Teachers' Assessment Preferences: Can Digitized Formative Assessment Make a Difference?

Marwa F. Hafour
DOI: 10.4018/IJCALLT.309098
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Abstract

In an authentic class experience, preservice (N = 54) and in-service (N = 65) EFL teachers were assigned digitized formative assessment tasks, and their preferences were assessed using an assessment preferences questionnaire, with both open- and closed-ended questions. Following the pretest-posttest mixed-method design, data were collected and analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Quantitative findings revealed that, though the variety of their preferences increased, both groups had similar preferences after the intervention. Thematic analysis of their responses showed that most preservice and in-service teachers preferred online assessment methods to traditional and formative ones. With respect to the reasons they mentioned for selecting or avoiding a particular method, in-service teachers tended to be more practical and time-oriented than preservice ones, who were more precautious about the intricacies of preparing, responding, and reviewing the assessment task. Both groups also shared a number of emotional reasons and even prioritized them over all the other reasons.
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Introduction

Recent years have witnessed great shifts in instructional practices which have, in turn, influenced assessment practices. Among these shifts are switching from computer-assisted to mobile-assisted, from face-to-face to online, and from product- to process-oriented learning. By virtue of the anytime-anywhere-anyhow nature of online and mobile-assisted learning, assessment is no longer restricted to a specific time, place, tool, or method. Additionally, the shift from product- to process-oriented learning has prompted teachers to assess the processes beyond learning, not merely the final finished products. This, in turn, has entailed the prioritization of ongoing formative over final summative assessment methods.

Today’s students, widely referred to as “digital natives” (a term coined by Prensky, 2001), are already accustomed and well-equipped to dealing with the various digital tools. This has prompted educators, supported by the plethora of user-friendly online assessment tools/apps and availability of low-cost high-tech hardware, to experiment and look for alternatives, or even additional, ways to assess students in safer and low-risk contexts. Furthermore, in recent pandemic conditions, this shift to digitized and online assessment has not been a matter of choice, but rather an obligation. This raises the following questions: Are teachers ready for this transfer? Will their perceptions and assessment preferences change to be in line with these concurrent shifts?

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