EXPLORING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ASSESSMENT LITERACY TRAINING NEEDS OF PRE-SERVICE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS

Abstract

Language teachers are expected to be language assessment literate (LAL) - the ability to use assessment knowledge effectively in own contexts - to guide instruction and improve learning. However, research demonstrated that most English teachers had challenges in assessment practices and needed further training. Then, this study aims to explore LAL training needs of pre-service English language teachers through a course-based training in teacher education. The participants as pre-service English language teachers responded to open-ended questions two times: before the course (N=164) and after the course (N=146). The content analysis of their responses yielded two major themes: conceptual dimension and course-related issues. Although most found the course beneficial and sufficient for LAL training, certain training needs were revealed. For example, the course was too theoretical and lacked practice. The topics were testing-oriented and other topics such as formative assessment, evaluation skills, integrated testing, ethical issues, and contextual factors were not included. Therefore, some implications were discussed to revise the course for a better LAL training at the teacher education phase.