Using Alternative Assessment to Assess Undergraduate EFL Students at Yemeni Universities: Challenges from the Perspectives of Faculty
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34050/elsjish.v3i3.11077Keywords:
Alternative Assessment, Challenges, Yemeni Context, Undergraduate EFL Students, EFL Faculty MembersAbstract
The present study aimed at investigating alternative assessment (AA) within the Yemeni university EFL classrooms in terms of identifying the challenges of using AA to assess undergraduate EFL students from the perspectives of the faculty. Data were collected, through a questionnaire, from (66) lecturers and professors of different ranks who teach EFL at the collegiate level in two Yemeni public universities and one national university. The results of the study indicated that faculty members of English departments at Yemeni universities face some challenges of using AA to assess undergraduate EFL students. These challenges belong to various factors, including the instructional environment, the students, the management of Yemeni universities, the faculty members, or the nature of AA. Statistically significant differences were found in the mean scores according to years of experience variable between respondents with less than 5 years and those with 5-10 years of experience in favor of those with less than 5 years of experience, but not according to the type of university, gender, and specialization variables. Accordingly, some recommendations were given to address the identified challenges, which might lead to a better implementation of AA in Yemeni university EFL classrooms.Downloads
References
Abbas, Z. (2012). Difficulties in using methods of alternative assessment in teaching from Iraqi instructors points of view. AL-Fatih Journal, 48, 23-45.
Ahangari, S., Rassekh-Alqol, B., & Hamed, L. (2013). The effect of peer assessment on oral presentation in an EFL context. International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, 2(3), 45-53. doi:10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.2n.3p.45
Aliasin, S. & Amanlu, M. (2017). The effect of alternative assessment techniques on EFL learners’ reading comprehension ability and self-efficacy in reading: The case of Iranian junior high school students. Linguistics and Literature Studies, 5(3): 160-168. doi: 10.13189/lls.2017.050302
Alkharusi, H., Aldhafri, S., Alnabhani, H., & Alkalbani, M. (2012). Educational assessment attitudes, competence, knowledge, and practices: An exploratory study of Muscat teachers in the Sultanate of Oman. Journal of Education and Learning, 1(2), 217-232.
Al-Mahrooqi, R. & Denman, C. (2018). Alternative assessment. In J. I. Liontas (Ed), The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching (pp. 1-6). Hoboken, USA: Wiley & Sons, Inc. doi: 10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0325
Al-Ruqeishi, M. & Al-Humaidi, S. (2016). Alternative assessment as perceived by EFL teachers. The IUP Journal of English Studies, 11(3), 88-101.
Assessment Reform Group (ARG). (1999). Assessment for learning: Beyond the black box. Cambridge: University of Cambridge, School of Education.
Azarnoosh, M. (2013). Peer assessment in an EFL context: Attitudes and friendship bias. Language Testing in Asia, 3(11). doi:10.1186/2229-0443-3-11
Baleghizadeh, S. & Zarghami, Z. (2012). The impact of conferencing assessment on EFL students’ grammar learning. Profile Issues in Teachers' Professional Development,14(2), 131-144.
Baniabdelrahman, A. A. (2010). The effect of the use of self-assessment on EF students’ performance in reading comprehension in English. TESL-EJ, 14(2), 1-22.
Barlow, L. & Coombe, C. (2000). Alternative assessment acquisition in the United Arab Emirates. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/
Birenbaum, M. (2003). New insights into learning and teaching and their implications for assessment. In M. Segers, F. Dochy, & E. Cascallar (Eds.), Optimizing New Modes of Assessment: In Search of Qualities and Standards (pp. 13–36). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Birenbaum, M., & Dochy, F. (1996). Alternatives in assessment of achievement, learning processes and prior knowledge. Boston: Kluwer Academic.
Butler, P. (1997). What do we do now? A survey of current assessment practices at KGU. In P. Butler (Ed.), Issues in Alternative Assessment: The Japanese Perspective (pp. 96-118). Nishinomiya: Language Center, Kwansei Gakuin University.
Chan, Y-C. (2008). Elementary school EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices of multiple assessments. Reflections on English Language Teaching, 7(1), 37-62.
Chirimbu, S. (2013). Using alternative assessment methods in foreign language teaching. Case study: Alternative assessment of business English for university students. Scientific Bulletin of the Politehnica University of Timişoara Transactions on Modern Languages, 12(1-2), 91-98.
Cornelius, S. & Kinghorn, O. (2014). Student attitudes towards self and peer assessment in Japanese university first year EFL classes. Retrieved from https://www.kansai-u.ac.jp
DeLuca, C., Luu, K., Sun, Y., & Klinger, D. (2012). Assessment for learning in the classroom: Barriers to implementation and possibilities for teacher professional learning. Assessment Matters, 4, 5-29.
Demir, M., Cynthia, A., & Başboğaoğlu, U. (2018). Comparative investigation of alternative assessment methods used in Turkey and United States elementary 4th grade mathematics curriculum. International Journal of Educational Administration and Policy Studies, 10(7), 72-82. Doi: 10.5897/IJEAPS2018.0561
Dochy, F., & McDowell, L. (1997). Assessment as a tool for learning. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 23(4), 279–298.
Elezovic, S. (2011). University students' attitudes towards alternative assessment in FLT. Proceedings of the 1st FLTAL, 1058-1067. Retrieved from https://core.ac.uk/reader/
El-Koumy, A. S. (2009). The effect of classroom performance assessment on EFL students’ basic and inferential reading skills. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/
Ghaicha, A. & Omarkaly, E. (2018). Alternative assessment in the Moroccan EFL classrooms teachers’ conceptions and practices. Higher Education of Social Science, 14(1), 56-68. Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.3968/10161
Ghaslani, R. (2015). The effect of self-assessment on Iranian EFL learners' reading comprehension skill. Journal of Academic and Applied Studies, 5(3), 1-9.
Gielen, S., Dochy, F. & Dierick, S. (2003). Evaluating the consequential validity of new modes of assessment: The influence of assessment on learning, including pre-, post-, and true assessment effects. In M. Segers, F. Dochy, & E. Cascallar (Eds.), Optimizing New Modes of Assessment: In Search of Qualities and Standards (pp. 37-54). Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Gonzales, R., & Aliponga, T. (2012). Classroom assessment preferences of Japanese language teachers in the Philippines and English language teachers in Japan. MEXTESOL Journal, 36(1), 1-19.
Grabin, L. A. (2007). Alternative assessment in the teaching of English as a foreign language in Israel (Doctoral Dissertation). University of South Africa, South Africa.
Hamayan, E. V. (1995). Approaches to alternative assessment. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 15, 212-226.
Herman, J., Aschbacher, P., & Winters, L. (1992). A practical guide to alternative assessment. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Huerta-Macías, A. (2002). Alternative assessment: Response to commonly asked questions. In J. Richards & W. Renandya (Eds.), Methodology in Language Teaching: An Anthology of Current Practice (pp. 338-343). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Janisch, C., Liu, X., & Akrofi, A. (2007). Implementing alternative assessment: Opportunities and obstacles. The Educational Forum, 71(3), 221-230.
Kalra, R., Sundrarajun, C., & Komintarachat, H. (2017). Using Portfolio as an Alternative Assessment Tool to Enhance Thai EFL Students’ Writing skill. Arab World English Journal (AWEJ), 8 (4), 292-302. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.24093/awej/vol8no4.20
Khattri, N. & Sweet, D. (1996). Assessment reform: Promises and challenges. In M. Kane & R. Mitchell (Eds.), Implementing Performance Assessment Promises, Problems, and Challenges (pp. 1-21). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., Publishers.
Lombardi, M. M. (2008). Making the grade: The role of assessment in authentic learning. EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/
Macari, I. O. (2017). Graduates’ self-assessment of their oral presentations of group projects: An EFL case study in Romania. Issues in Educational Research, 27(3), 2017 453.
Meihami, H. & Varmaghani, Z. (2013). The implementation of self- assessment in EFL writing classroom: An experimental study. International Letters of Social and Humanistic Sciences, 9(2013), 39-48.
Mertler, C. & Campbell, C. (2005). Measuring teachers’ knowledge and application of classroom assessment concepts: Development of the assessment literacy Inventory. A paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Montreal, Quebec, Canada (11-15 April, 2005).
Metin, M. (2013). Teachers’ difficulties in preparation and implementation of performance task. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 13(3). 1664-1673. doi: 10.12738/estp.2013.3.1452.
Monib, W., Karimi, A. & Nijat, N. (2020). Effects of alternative assessment in EFL classroom: A systematic review. American International Journal of Education and Linguistics Research,3(2), 7-18.
Moqbel, M. (2018). Self–assessment in EFL grammar classroom: A study of EFL learners at the Centre for Languages and Translation, Ibb University. International Journal for Research in Education, 42(2), 288-324.
Nasab, F. (2015). Alternative versus traditional assessment. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 2(6), 165-178. Retrieved from http://www.jallr.com/
National Research Council (NRC). (2001). Knowing what students know: The science and design of educational assessment. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/10019.
North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction. (1999). Assessment, articulation, and accountability, 1999: A foreign language project. Raleigh, NC: Author.
Opp-Beckman, L. & Klinghammer, S. J. (2006). Shaping the way we teach English: Successful practices around the world (Instructor’s manual). Washington, DC: University of Oregon.
Segers, M., Dochy, F., & Cascallar, E. (2003). The era of assessment engineering: Changing perspectives on teaching and learning and the role of new modes of assessment. In M. Segers, F. Dochy, & E. Cascallar (Eds.), Optimizing New Modes of Assessment: In Search of Qualities and Standards (pp. 1–12). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Shokraie, S. & Tabrizi, A. (2016). The effect of portfolio assessment on EFL learners’ L2 writing performance. Journal of Applied Linguistics and Language Research, 3(5), 321-331.
Stoynoff, S. (2012). Looking backward and forward at classroom-based language assessment. ELT Journal, 66(4), 523-532. doi:10.1093/elt/ccs041
Watt, H. (2005). Attitudes to the use of alternative assessment methods in Mathematics: A study with secondary mathematics teachers in Sydney, Australia. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 58, 21-44.
Webb, M., & Jones, J. (2009). Exploring tensions in developing assessment for learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice, 16(2), 165-184.
Wikström, N. (2007). Alternative assessment in primary years of international baccalaureate education (Master’s thesis). The Stockholm Institute of Education, Sweden.
Yang, T. (2008). Factors affecting EFL teachers’ use of multiple classroom assessment practices with young language learners. English Teaching & Learning, 32(4), 85-123.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2020 ELS Journal on Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.