Comparing Language Assessment Literacy and the Challenges of Iranian EFL Teachers: TEFL vs Non-TEFL Background

The present study was an attempt to investigate assessment literacy among EFL teachers in the Iranian context aiming at studying the implications of assessment literacy for TEFL teacher education reform. Twenty EFL teachers in Iranian language institutes were randomly selected for an in-depth semi-structured interview. The interviews were recorded on a Digital Voice Recorder (DVR) and were transcribed, categorized, and analyzed. The data collected were categorized and analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding systems. The results revealed that Iranian teachers were moderately familiar with assessment literacy components. Likewise, it was revealed that novice teachers with a TEFL background were more aware of assessment literacy and its significance in teacher education. However, in terms of other assessment components such as test administration, selecting the best assessment methods, and communicating assessment results experienced teachers with a TEFL background presented more to-the-point concepts compared to their counterparts in the non-TEFL group, indicating that the teachers with a TEFL background could perceive the aforementioned teacher assessment literacy components better than their non-TEFL counterpart. The findings imply that EFL language institute teachers’ literacy on educational assessment is inadequate especially on communicating assessment results to others and valid grading of the learners’ assessment.