EFL Teachers' Beliefs and Practices about Classroom Assessment: A Multiple Case Study in the Context of Kuwait

Classroom language assessment is a recent topic of interest in education research. Yet, few studies have examined teachers beliefs concerning language classroom assessment or the relationship between teachers assessment practices and their beliefs. In addition, little research has situated classroom assessment in a specific theoretical approach, especially in the postsecondary English as a foreign language (EFL) context. In this study I investigated the beliefs and practices of EFL teachers regarding classroom assessment, using a social constructivist approach to examine the way contextual factors influence those teachers assessment beliefs and practices (Shepard, 2000). I also investigated how teachers assessment practices and beliefs differ between general English (GE) and English-for-specific-purposes (ESP) courses.

This study adopted a multiple-case design using qualitative methods conducted in three data collection stages: I started by exploring teachers assessment beliefs and practices through initial interviews. I then investigated teachers assessment practices through classroom observations and document collection. Finally, I conducted post-observation interviews about the teachers assessment beliefs and practices. Participants included seven EFL teachers teaching GE and ESP courses at a post-secondary institution in Kuwait. I analyzed the data using an inductive approach by analyzing each case individually as well as identifying themes emerging from the analyses.

Results showed that although teachers believed in the effectiveness of classroom assessment and implemented a variety of assessments in the classroom, they only considered summative assessment as a valid means for student evaluation. Most teachers did not identify their practices as formative assessments but considered them part of their teaching practices. The findings also revealed that various contextual factors influence teachers assessment beliefs and practices. Those factors include the teachers educational background and teaching experience, their beliefs about students L2 proficiency level, the local culture, the classroom physical setting, and the assessment policies. Results also showed that teachers assessment practices did not appear to differ greatly between GE and ESP courses. This study has implications for teachers and policy makers on how to improve assessment practices by encouraging teachers to join, and policy makers to offer, professional development programs that focus on classroom assessment. Recommendations for future research are also discussed.