Efl instructors’ beliefs and practices of formative assessment in teaching writing

Abstract

The purpose of this study was twofold: firstly to assess EFL instructors’ beliefs and practices of formative assessment in teaching writing, and secondly to determine the relationship between their beliefs and practices of formative assessment. Utilizing a mixed methods approach and an explanatory design, both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered and analyzed. The data were generated from 25 EFL instructors teaching writing skills via a five point Likert scale questionnaire and semi-structured interview as well as students’ assessment papers. The Data from the close-ended questionnaire were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics whereas those from open-ended questionnaire, interview and students’ papers were analyzed through description and thematic categorization. The findings showed that writing skills teachers have a positive belief toward the importance of formative assessment, and they practice it at medium level. Moreover, the statistical analysis showed a positive, moderate and significant correlation between instructors’ beliefs and their practices (r (23) =.569, p<0.01). Nevertheless, the triangulation made with the qualitative data revealed instructors’ beliefs and their actual practices are incongruent.