Exploring student teachers’ perceptions of assessment ethics across university-based teacher education programs in Iran

Abstract

It is acknowledged that assessment ethics is an integral part of teacher education. Unlike sizable published research on students' perceptions of assessment in higher education, very little is reported on student teachers' perceptions of assessment ethics across university-based teacher education programs. This study aimed to explore Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) student teachers’ perceptions of assessment ethics in the classroom. Qualitative (phone interview) data from 15 TEFL teacher candidates were collected and analyzed using thematic content analysis. Based on the informants' responses, three overarching issues in assessment ethics emerged and are namely related to (a) assessment development (i.e., content underrepresentation, one-dimensional assessment, surprise items), (b) assessment administration(i.e., time, noise, and inconsistency in educators' behaviors), and (c) assessment scoring and communication (i.e., lack of transparency in feedback provision' 'misalignment of grading practice,' and 'breaching confidentiality in grade communication'). Furthermore, it was revealed that assessment is, for a great part, teacher-initiated and summative-oriented. In light of these findings, this study can inform professional development programs on assessment in teacher education.