An exploration of English teachers’ beliefs and practices of speaking assessment: bring English teachers into focus

Abstract

The present study aimed at exploring and describing English teachers' beliefs and their practices of speaking assessment through a semi-structured interview. This study employed a qualitative method. There were two sets of research questions: (1) What were English teachers’ beliefs about their roles in assessing students’ speaking? (2) How did English teachers assess students’ speaking? There were nine teachers from three different levels of education participated in this study. The findings indicated that the beliefs of English teachers and their practices in assessing speaking were not always aligned with one another due to some factors. The pedagogical implications of the study included a need for (1) guidance to teachers in how to conduct a good speaking assessment, (2) guidance to teachers in how to develop their speaking assessment rubric that can be modified to meet the needs of the school context and later build the accountability system at the school.