Towards a Continuum From Know-How To Show-How for Developing Efl Student-Teachers’ Assessment Literacy

Abstract

It mushrooms as an unerring fact that that assessment literacy has been a focus of interestas one of the major professional requirements of a teacher. Correlatively, there are somemanifold standards for assessment and measures for assessment literacy. This study, hereat,aims to unearth the prospective English as a Foreign Language (henceforth EFL) teachers’levels of assessment literacy. In this context, the Assessment Literacy Survey developed byVolante and Fazio (2007) together with the student questionnaire of the European Network ofLanguage Testing and Assessment (ENLTA) which was developed in 2004 are exploited tocollect data. The participants are thirty-six senior students from the department of EnglishLanguage Teaching (henceforth ELT) at a state university in Turkey. Fundamentally, the preserviceteachers’ utilization of the assessment approaches, and their understanding ofunderlying principles are at the major axis. As a result, it is reported that prospective EFLteachers are aware of the concept of assessment literacy though they perceive themselves asnot adequately qualified. At the very same, practicum courses in which they enroll do notsatisfactorily meet their expectations in developing their assessment skills. Similarly, theyhave a judicious amount of practical knowledge on different types of assessment approachesalthough they are mindful of the fact that in-class practices are to be laced with various kindsof assessment applications. Some practical recommendations and implications for teachereducation are also listed in tow.