EFL Teacher Voices of Authentic Assessment in the Current Curriculum in Indonesia

Abstract

There has been a revolutionary new paradigm shift in assessment of learning in Indonesia, from a traditional model to a more authentic approach adopted in the current curriculum. Its implementation seems to be a considerable challenge for teachers, including teachers of English. This article reports on a study of Indonesian EFL teachers’ perception of authentic assessment and problems they encountered in implementing this new model. The study is mixed-method research employing questionnaires and semi-structured interviews in its data collection. Eleven secondary school teachers of the English language from four schools in the town of Cilacap, Central Java Province, Indonesia, participated in this study. The data gathered through questionnaires were analyzed utilizing descriptive statistics, whereas the data obtained from interviews was analyzed inductively using a thematic analysis. The study revealed that overall, the English teachers tended to positively perceive authentic assessment. They admitted that the current assessment model benefitted students. However, in practice they considered it to be noticeably more complicated in comparison to the system applied in the former curriculum. They found it hard to implement the holistic assessment within the existing lesson time allotment, large size classes, and complicated systems. However, the benefits authentic assessment affords outweigh challenges faced by teachers and dissent from those unfamiliar with the model. Teacher training via workshops (instead of the seminars commonly held in recent years) might be highly recommended for this matter.