|  ISSN: 2757-6116

Original article | Journal of Innovative Research in Teacher Education 2023, Vol. 4(2) 201-221

Turkish high school EFL teachers’ AfL practices: Reported vs. actual classroom practices

Manolya Tunçer & Ali Merç

pp. 201 - 221   |  DOI: https://doi.org/10.29329/jirte.2023.572.3   |  Manu. Number: MANU-2303-08-0006.R1

Published online: September 26, 2023  |   Number of Views: 87  |  Number of Download: 355


Abstract

There has been a recognition of Assessment for Learning (AfL) in language teaching around the world. However, how and to what extent EFL teachers can benefit from AfL in Türkiye is questionable. This study aimed to examine English language teachers’ reported and actual classroom teaching practices and to detect any variation between these practices. A checklist, semi-structured interviews, and tasks prepared for each AfL strategy were employed within an explanatory sequential design. The participants of the study were divided into three groups: checklist respondents (N=111), interview respondents (N=10), and task respondents (N=115). Descriptive statistics were used for the quantitative data analysis, and deductive coding was utilised for the qualitative data. The quantitative data analysis yielded relatively high scores on EFL high school teachers’ AfL implementations demonstrating their reported practices. Still, a group among them stated to learn further on different issues about all these AfL strategies such as “how to assess students’ attainment of the objectives without exams”, “how to increase classroom participation”, “different ways to provide feedback”, “objectivity in self-assessment”, “determining the success of peers in homework”. Interestingly, qualitative results provided somewhat different insights into their actual classroom practices. Although teachers were informed of AfL strategies and even carried out them to a certain extent, these implementations did not completely correspond to the basic principles and, thus, their reported practices. These findings can contribute to a better understanding of the complexity of AfL practices in the EFL context.

Keywords: English language teachers, assessment for learning (AfL), reported practices, actual classroom practices, EFL high school context


How to Cite this Article?

APA 6th edition
Tuncer, M. & Merc, A. (2023). Turkish high school EFL teachers’ AfL practices: Reported vs. actual classroom practices . Journal of Innovative Research in Teacher Education, 4(2), 201-221. doi: 10.29329/jirte.2023.572.3

Harvard
Tuncer, M. and Merc, A. (2023). Turkish high school EFL teachers’ AfL practices: Reported vs. actual classroom practices . Journal of Innovative Research in Teacher Education, 4(2), pp. 201-221.

Chicago 16th edition
Tuncer, Manolya and Ali Merc (2023). "Turkish high school EFL teachers’ AfL practices: Reported vs. actual classroom practices ". Journal of Innovative Research in Teacher Education 4 (2):201-221. doi:10.29329/jirte.2023.572.3.

References

    Al-Bakri, S. (2016). Written corrective feedback: Teachers’ beliefs, practices and challenges in an Omani

    context. Arab Journal of Applied Linguistics, 1(1), 44-73. Retrieved from   https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1207970.pdf Access Date: 15.09.2022.

    Al-Daoud, D. M., & Bataineh, F. R. (2022). What about teaching grammar? Jordanian EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices. Journal of Positive School Psychology, 6(3), 6425-6439. Retrieved from

    https://journalppw.com/index.php/jpsp/article/view/3767/2467/ Access Date: 02.02.2023.

    Alonzo, D. A. (2016). Development and application of a teacher assessment for learning (AfL) literacy tool. (Doctoral dissertation). University of New South Wales, Sydney.  Retrieved from  https://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/entities/publication/2c7b124f-042c-4c54-a792-aa5c7b25f6d3/full/ Access Date: 04.05.2020.

    Alvarez Llerena, C. L., & Ha, X. V. (2022). Exploring English Language Teaching in Ecuadorian Secondary Schools: Teachers’ Beliefs About the National Curriculum Reform. Language Related Research, 13(5), 117-140. Retrieved from https://lrr.modares.ac.ir/article-14-60644-fa.pdf  Access Date: 24.01.2023.

    Andersson, C., & Palm, T. (2017). Characteristics of improved formative assessment practice. Education

    Inquiry, 8(2), 104-122. https://doi.org/10.1080/20004508.2016.1275185

    Andersson, C., Boström, E., & Palm, T. (2017). Formative assessment in Swedish mathematics classroom

    practice. Nordic Studies in Mathematics Education, 22(1), 5-20. Retrieved from

    https://ncm.gu.se/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/22_1_005020_andersson.pdf Access Date:

    12.12.2019.

    Andrade, H. L. (2010). Students as the definitive source of formative assessment. In H. L. Andrade & G. J.

    Cizek (Eds.) Handbook of formative assessment (pp. 90-105). Routledge.

    Assessment Reform Group (2002). Assessment for learning: 10 principles. Retrieved from 

    https://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/DocLibrary/SBA/HKDSE/Eng_DVD/doc/Afl_principles.pdf Access

    Date: 21.05.2020.

    Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B., & Wiliam, D. (2003). Assessment for learning: Putting it into

    practice. Open University Press.

    Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (2006). Developing a theory of formative assessment. In J. Gardner (Ed.),  Assessment and learning (pp. 81-100). SAGE Publications.

    Borg, S. (2003). Teacher cognition in language teaching: A review of research on what language teachers

    think, know, believe, and do. Language Teaching, 36(2), 81-109. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444803001903

    Borg, S. (2006). The cognition and language education: Research and practice. Continuum. 

    Borg, S. (2019). Language teacher cognition: Perspectives and debates. In X. Gao (Ed.), Second handbook

    of English language teaching (pp. 1149-1170). Springer.

    Borg, S., & Burns, A. (2008). Integrating grammar in adult TESOL classrooms. Applied Linguistics, 29(3),

    456−482.  https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amn020

    Broadfoot, P. (2014). Preface. In C. Wyatt-Smith, V. Klenowski, & P. Colbert (Eds.). Designing assessment

    for quality learning (pp. v-ix). Springer.

    Büyükkarcı, K. (2014). Assessment beliefs and practices of language teachers in primary

    education. International Journal of Instruction, 7(1), 107-120. Retrieved from

    https://www.e-iji.net/dosyalar/iji_2014_1_8.pdf Access Date: 07.08.2020.

    Cindrić, I., & Pavić, S. (2017). Tendencies and characteristics of feedback given by primary English

    language teachers in Croatia. ELOPE: English Language Overseas Perspectives and Enquiries, 14(2), 85-102. https://doi.org/10.4312/elope.14.2.85-102

    Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and

    qualitative research. Pearson Education.

    Crichton, H., & McDaid, A. (2016). Learning intentions and success criteria: Learners’ and teachers’ views.

    The Curriculum Journal, 27(2), 190–203. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585176.2015.1103278

    Crusan, D., Plakans, L., & Gebril, A. (2016). Writing assessment literacy: Surveying second language

    teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and practices. Assessing Writing, 28, 43-56. 

    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2016.03.001

    Danh, L. T., & Quan, N., H. (2021). Vietnamese university EFL teachers’ reported and classroom practices

    in teaching listening. International Journal of Science and Management Studies, 4(5), 10-26.

    https://doi.org/10.51386/25815946/ijsms-v4i5p102

    DeLuca, C., Chapman-Chin, A., & Klinger, D. A. (2019). Toward a teacher professional learning

    continuum in assessment for learning. Educational Assessment, 24(4), 267-285.

    https://doi.org/10.1080/10627197.2019.1670056

    Deneen, C., Fulmer, G. W., Brown, G. T., Tan, K., Leong, W. S., & Tay, H. Y. (2019). Value, practice and

    proficiency: Teachers’ complex relationship with assessment for learning. Teaching and Teacher

    Education, 80, 39-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.12.022

    Farag, L. (2014). An investigation of teachers' self-reported and actual written feedback practices in

    Egyptian ESL classes (Master's thesis). American University, Cairo. Retrieved from https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/1165/ Access Date: 12.01.2023. 

    Ghaffar, M. A., Khairallah, M., & Salloum, S. (2020). Co-constructed rubrics and assessment for learning:

    The impact on middle school students’ attitudes and writing skills. Assessing Writing, 45, 1-15.

    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2020.100468

    Harrison, C. (2010). Peer and self-assessment. International Encyclopedia of Education, (3), 231-235.

    Hattie, J., & Timperley, H. (2007). The power of feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81-112.

    https://doi.org/10.3102/003465430298487

    Heitink, M. C., Van der Kleij, F. M., Veldkamp, B. P., Schildkamp, K., & Kippers, W. B. (2016). A systematic

    review of prerequisites for implementing assessment for learning in classroom

    practice. Educational Research Review, 17, 50-62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.12.002

    Huang, S. C. (2015). Setting writing revision goals after assessment for learning. Language Assessment

    Quarterly, 12(4), 363-385. https://doi.org/10.1080/15434303.2015.1092544 

    James, M., Black, P., Carmichael, P., Conner, C., Dudley, P., Fox, A., Forst, D., Honour, L., MacBeath, J,

    McCormick, R., Marshall, B., Pedder, D., Procter, R., Swaffield, S., & Wiliam, D. (2006). Learning how to learn: Tools for schools. Routledge.

    James, M., & Pedder, D. (2006). Beyond method: assessment and learning practices and values. The

    Curriculum Journal, 17(2), 109-138. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585170600792712 

    Jonsson, A., Lundahl, C., & Holmgren, A. (2015). Evaluating a large-scale implementation of Assessment

    for Learning in Sweden. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 22(1), 104-121.

    https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594X.2014.970612

    Karavas-Doukas, E. (1996). Using attitude scales to investigate teachers' attitudes to the communicative

    approach. ELT Journal, 50(3), 187-198. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/50.3.187

    Kır, P. (2020). Exploring the relationship between the beliefs and practices of instructors about oral

    corrective feedback in EFL classes: A case study from Turkey. International Online Journal of

    Education and Teaching (IOJET), 7(2), 567-583. Retrieved from: 

    http://iojet.org/index.php/IOJET/article/view/632 Access Date: 20.08.2021.

    Laveault, D., & Allal, L. (2016). Implementing assessment for learning: Theoretical and

    practical issues. In D. Laveault & L. Allal (Eds.), Assessment for learning: Meeting the challenge of implementation (pp. 1-18). Springer.

    Lee, I. (2007). Feedback in Hong Kong secondary writing classrooms: Assessment for learning or

    assessment of learning? Assessing Writing, 12(3), 180-198.

    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asw.2008.02.003

    Lee, I. (2011). Bringing innovation to EFL writing through a focus on assessment for learning. Innovation

    in Language Learning and Teaching, 5(1), 19-33. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2010.502232 

    Lee, I., & Coniam, D. (2013). Introducing assessment for learning for EFL writing in an assessment of

    learning examination-driven system in Hong Kong. Journal of Second Language Writing, 22(1), 34-50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2012.11.003

    Li, L. (2013). The complexity of language teachers' beliefs and practice: One EFL teacher's theories. The

    Language Learning Journal, 41(2), 175-191. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2013.790132

    Lu, W., & Mustapha, S. M. (2020). Relationship between assessment for learning and English learning

    motivation of university students in blended learning environment. Journal of Education and

    Practice, 11(5), 65-71. Retrieved from https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/304991495.pdf Access

    Date: 10.04.2021.

    Mak, P., & Lee, I. (2014). Implementing assessment for learning in L2 writing: An activity theory

    perspective. System, 47, 73-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2014.09.018

    Mamad, A., & Vigh, T. (2021). Moroccan EFL public high school teachers’ perceptions and self-reported

    practices of assessment. Journal of Language and Education, 7(3), 119-135. 

    https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2021.12067 

    Marshall, B., & Wiliam, D. (2006). English inside the black box: Assessment for learning in the English

    classroom. Granada Learning.

    Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook

    (3rd Ed.). Sage Publications.

    Nasr, M., Bagheri, M. S., Sadighi, F., & Rassaei, E. (2018). Iranian EFL teachers’ perceptions of assessment

    for learning regarding monitoring and scaffolding practices as a function of their demographics. Cogent Education, 5(1), 1-29. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2018.1558916

    Nasr, M., Bagheri, M. S., Sadighi, F., & Rassaei, E. (2019). Iranian EFL teachers’ assessment for learning

    practices and barriers: Do textbooks taught and teaching context matter? Cogent Arts & Humanities, 6(1), 1-28. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2019.1646691

    Nasr, M., Bagheri, M. S., & Sadighi, F. (2020). Iranian English language teachers'

    perceptions of monitoring and scaffolding practices of assessment for learning: A focus on gender and class size. International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Research, 8(29), 75-90. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344931240/ Access Date: 02.05.2021.

    Ölmezer-Öztürk, E., & Aydın, B. (2019). Investigating language assessment knowledge of EFL teachers.

    Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 34(3), 602-620.   

    https://doi.org/10.16986/HUJE.2018043465 

    Öz, H. (2014). Turkish teachers' practices of assessment for learning in the English as a foreign language

    classroom. Journal of Language Teaching & Research, 5(4), 775-785.

    https://doi.org/10.4304/jltr.5.4.775-785            

    Pat‐El, R. J., Tillema, H., Segers, M., & Vedder, P. (2013). Validation of assessment for learning

    questionnaires for teachers and students. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 83(1), 98-113. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8279.2011.02057.x  

    Patton, M. Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods. (3rd Ed.). Sage Publications.

    Popham, W. J. (2011). Transformative assessment in action: An inside look at applying the process.

    ASCD.

    Retnaningsih, W. (2013). Applicability of model assessment for learning (AfL) in classes of vocabulary and pragmatics in English teaching learning at Stain Salatiga. Register Journal, 6(1), 53-76.

    https://doi.org/10.18326/rgt.v6i1.53-76

    Sardareh, S. A., & Saad, M. R. M. (2013). Malaysian primary school ESL teachers' questions during

    assessment for learning. English Language Teaching, 6(8), 1-9.

    http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/elt.v6n8p1 

    Sardareh, S. A., Saad, M. R. M., Othman, A. J., & Me, R. C. (2014). ESL teachers' questioning technique in

    an assessment for learning context: Promising or problematic? International Education

    Studies, 7(9), 161-174. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/ies.v7n9p161 

    Stiggins, R. (2005). From formative assessment to assessment for learning: A path to success in

    standards-based schools. Phi Delta Kappan, 87(4), 324-328. Retrieved from: 

    https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/003172170508700414/ Access Date: 05.06.2019.

    Tawney, J. W., & Gast, D. L. (1984). Single subject research in special education. Charles E.

    Thibodeaux, L. M. (2013). The politics of grading: A comparative study of high school English teachers'

    personal beliefs, self-reported systems, and actual practices (Doctoral dissertation). University of North Texas, Denton. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/politics-grading-comparative-study-high-school/docview/1506548150/se-2/ Access Date: 04.11.2022.

    Topping, K., & Ehly, S. (1998). Introduction to peer-assisted learning. In K. Topping, & S. Ehly (Eds),

    Peer-assisted learning (pp. 1-23). Routledge.

    Umar, A. M. A. T. (2018). The impact of Assessment for Learning on students' achievement in English for

    Specific Purposes: A case study of pre-medical students at Khartoum University: Sudan. English

    Language Teaching, 11(2), 15-25. http://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v11n2p15 

    Vattøy, K. D. (2020). Teachers’ beliefs about feedback practice as related to student self-regulation, self-

    efficacy, and language skills in teaching English as a foreign language. Studies in Educational

    Evaluation, 64, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2019.100828

    Volante, L., & Beckett, D. (2011). Formative assessment and the contemporary classroom: Synergies

    and tensions between research and practice. Canadian Journal of Education 34(2), 239-255. 

    Retrieved from

    https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/canajeducrevucan.34.2.239 Access Date: 10.01.2023.

    Wiliam, D. (2005). Keeping learning on track: Formative assessment and the regulation of learning. In C.

    J. Anderson & T. Spencer (Eds.) Making mathematics vital: Proceedings of the twentieth biennial

    conference of the Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers (pp. 20-34). Australian

    Association of Mathematics Teachers.

    Wiliam, D. (2010). An integrative summary of the research literature and implications for a new theory

    of formative assessment. In H. L. Andrade, R.E. Bennett & G. J. Cizek (Eds.), Handbook of formative assessment in the disciplines (pp.18-40). Routledge.

    Wiliam, D. (2011a). What is assessment for learning? Studies in Educational Evaluation, 37(1), 3-14.

    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2011.03.001

    Wiliam, D. (2011b). Embedded formative assessment. Solution Tree Press.

    Wiliam, D. (2018). The handbook for embedded formative assessment. Solution Tree Press.

    Wu, X. M., Zhang, L. J., & Dixon, H. R. (2021). Implementing Assessment for Learning (AfL) in Chinese

    university EFL classes: Teachers’ values and practices. System, 101, 1-12.

    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102589

    Xu, Y., & Harfitt, G. (2019). Is assessment for learning feasible in large classes? Challenges and coping strategies from three case studies. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 47(5), 472-486. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359866X.2018.1555790

    Xu, Y., & Qiu, X. (2022). Necessary but problematic: Chinese university English teachers’ perceptions and

    practices of assessing class participation. Teaching in Higher Education, 27(7), 841-858.

    https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1747424 

    Yan, Z. (2014). Predicting teachers' intentions to implement school-based assessment using the theory

    of planned behaviour. Educational Research and Evaluation, 20(2), 83-97.

    https://doi.org/10.1080/13803611.2013.877394

    Yan, Z., Li, Z., Panadero, E., Yang, M., Yang, L., & Lao, H. (2021). A systematic review on factors  influencing teachers’ intentions and implementations regarding formative assessment. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 28(3) 228-260. 

    https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594X.2021.1884042

    Zheng, H. (2013). Tensions and relations: Exploring the dynamic relationship between teachers’ EFL

    (English as a Foreign Language) teaching and learning beliefs and practices. In X. Zhu & K.

    Zeichner (Eds.), Preparing teachers for the 21st century, (pp. 395-407). Springer.