A Study On Language Assessment Literacy Of College English Teachers In Inner Mongolia

Assessment plays a significant role in teaching and learning.Teacher assessment literacy is the prerequisite for “assessment for learning” and “assessment for teaching”.High-quality assessment could improve students’ academic performance and learning motivation.With the development of educational evaluation reform in China,teacher assessment literacy has become an important topic in the field of educational evaluation.At present,the domestic research on teacher assessment literacy mainly focuses on the conceptual framework and theoretical discussion.The empirical research mainly focuses on primary and secondary school teachers,but the empirical research of college English teachers’ language assessment literacy is still relatively scarce.Based on teacher assessment literacy in practice(TALi P model)and triadic reciprocal determinism,this study explores the profiles of college English teachers’ language assessment literacy and influencing factors of language assessment literacy.Adopting a mixed-method consisting of qualitative and quantitative approaches,this study collected 75 valid questionnaires of college English teachers in Inner Mongolia,classroom observations with follow-up interviews of six teachers and semi-structured interviews on factors affecting assessment literacy followed.The following research questions are raised in this study: 1.What is the current situation of language assessment literacy among college English teachers? 2.What do assessment practices of college English teachers reflect? 3.What are the factors affecting college English teachers’ language assessment literacy?The results show that: The current situation of college English teachers’ language assessment literacy is not satisfactory.Teachers have complicated assessment conceptions,a moderate level of assessment knowledge and insufficient assessment-related experiences.College English teachers’ assessment activities tend to be teacher-centered.It also reflects the consistency between assessment practices and assessment knowledge and the inconsistency between assessment practices and assessment conceptions.College English teachers’ language assessment literacy is influenced by personal factors,behavioral factors and environmental factors.Teachers’ assessment knowledge and assessment conceptions are constantly adjusted and developed with the interaction with the socio-cultural and institutional context through teacher learning and reflection.Based on the findings of the research,some suggestions on development of language assessment literacy of college English teachers are raised from the perspectives of colleges and teachers.Colleges should pay attention to teachers’ needs and provide in-service training combining assessment theories and practices;teachers should give full play to subjective initiatives,participate in professional learning activities,and improve their practical ability to promote the development of assessment literacy and teaching practices.