Future efl teachers' attitudes towards self-assessment

Abstract

A widely recognised goal of tertiary education is to provide conditions for developing students into 'reflective practitioners' who can critically evaluate their own professional knowledge and skills. Although research has accumulated evidence for the benefits of self-assessment for increasing student engagement, promoting self-reflection and improving learning outcomes in the English language classroom, student reactions to the implementation of self-assessment techniques in the academic disciplines of language teachers' preparation programmes have not been sufficiently explored. This article first discusses the characteristics of fifty-seven student teachers' self-assessment of their involvement in the learning process, and of their learning outcomes. Then, it reports on the findings of a small-scale survey that aims to examine perceptions of their academic performance, and on the use of self-assessment as a tool to boost their involvement. Despite respondents' insufficient experience with self-assessment techniques, the survey results indicate generally positive attitudes towards this form of evaluation. While the majority of the respondents consider self-assessment beneficial for their personal and professional growth, and recognise its motivational capacity and potential for fostering autonomy and self-discipline, they admit objective self-assessment requires more practice to avoid the influence of personal feelings and beliefs, and of tutor's expectations. The article concludes with a discussion of the practical implications of the survey findings.