A Case Study On High School EFL Teachers’ Writing Assessment Literacy

The General Senior Middle School English Curriculum Standards(2017 Edition)explicitly states that a new assessment system which takes students as the main agent,and promotes students’ comprehensive and healthy development should be established.Despite increasing scholarship language assessment literacy(LAL),few studies have touched upon EFL/ESL teachers’ writing assessment literacy(WAL).In view of the significance of English writing competence,to explore whether secondary school EFL teachers in China are equipped with qualified WAL,the present study,employing a qualitative case study approach,explored two experienced EFL high school teachers’WAL status quo and the factors mediating the formation and development of their WAL.Through analyzing the data mainly collected from semi-structured interview,class observations,and essential documents,this study discovered that the two participants’WAL status quo is unsatisfactory.Firstly,they have limited assessment knowledge base with inadequate understanding of concepts such as reliability and validity,and the notion of assessment for learning(AfL).Regarding their assessment conception,they were confident in practices,and have firm belief in one-on-one writing conference and two-draft writing,but doubtful of peer assessment.Besides,their assessment affections are not alike.As for their assessment practices,both of them tended to implement assessment in a traditional manner,seldom actively involving their students in discussions or conducting alternative assessment tasks.During the formation and development of their WAL.Their agency role,language proficiency and teaching experience played significant roles.As they worked simultaneously in three communities,different division of labor endowed them distinct rules and responsibility.Among the three,the TRO-T has played the most significant role and provide beneficial affordances despite some constraints.