Research Article
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Online testing and assessment in the English as a foreign language context: Teachers' perspectives

Year 2023, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 1 - 23, 29.12.2023

İrem Gedil Selami Aydın

https://doi.org/10.47216/literacytrek.1374134

Abstract

As online assessment is a rather new phenomenon, available research regarding it is limited, and most of the research in literature today examines the views of students regarding online assessment as they are one of the most important stakeholders of exams. On the other hand, although they are the basic users and practitioners of the system, studies on the views and perspectives of instructors on online assessment in the context of English as a foreign language (EFL) are limited in number. With these concerns in mind, this study aims to explore English instructors’ perspectives of online assessment in tertiary educational institutions in Turkey with regard to their general views on online assessment, along with their views on affective factors, validity, reliability, security, practicality, and the impacts of online assessment on teaching and learning. In this descriptive study, the data were collected from 302 English instructors working at English preparatory schools in various universities in Turkey through a background questionnaire and the Student Perceptions of e-Assessment Questionnaire (SPEAQ). The results show that instructors' overall perspectives on online assessment are neutral.

Keywords

English as foreign language online assessment teachers perception

References

  • Al-alak, B., & Alnawas, I. (2011). Measuring the acceptance and adoption of E-learning by academic staff. Knowledge Management & E-Learning An International Journal, 3(2), 201–221.
  • Alghammas, A. (2020). Online language assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic: University faculty members’ perceptions and practices. Asian EFL Journal, 27(44), 169–195.
  • Alruwais, N., Wills, G., & Wald, M. (2018). Advantages and challenges of using e-assessment. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 8(1), 34–37. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2018.8.1.1008
  • Appiah, M., & van Tonder, F. (2018). E-assessment in higher education: A review. International Journal of Business Management and Economic Research, 9(6), 1454–1460.
  • Asma, K. (2021). Examining online testing practices in foreign language education through the perceptions of instructors and students: A case study [Unpublished Master’s Thesis]. Akdeniz University, Turkiye.
  • Astiandani, F. R., & Anam, S. (2021). EFL teachers’ perceptions towards the implementation of online formative assessment amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. ELT Worldwide: Journal of English Language Teaching, 8(2), 269–277.
  • Aydın, S. (2004). The efficiency of computer on testing writing skills [Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation]. Atatürk University, Turkiye.
  • Balaman, F., & Tiryaki, H. (2021). The opinions of teachers about compulsory distance education due to Corona Virus (Covid-19). Journal of the Human and Social Sciences Researches, 10(1), 52–84.
  • Baleni, Z. G. (2015). Online formative assessment in higher education: Its pros and cons. Journal of E-Learning, 13(4), 228–236.
  • Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (2010). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Kappan Magazine, 92(1), 81–91.
  • Chien, S. P., Wu, H. K., & Hsu, Y. S. (2014). An investigation of teachers’ beliefs and their use of technology-based assessments. Computers in Human Behavior, 31(1), 198–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.10.037
  • Dermo, J. (2009). E-assessment and the student learning experience: A survey of student perceptions of e-assessment. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40(2), 203–214. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2008.00915.x
  • Dornyei, Z. (2003). Questionnaires in second language research: Construction, administration, and processing. Lawrence Erlbaum.
  • Fageeh, A. I. (2015). EFL student and faculty perceptions of and attitudes towards online testing in the medium of Blackboard: Promises and challenges. Jaltcall Journal, 11(1), 41–62.
  • Fitriyah, I., & Jannah, M. (2021). Online assessment effect in EFL classroom: An investigation on students and teachers’ perceptions. Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, 5(2), 265. https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v5i2.709
  • Fulcher, G. (2010). Practical language testing. Hodder Education.
  • Gamage, K. A. A., de Silva, E. K., & Gunawardhana, N. (2020). Online delivery and assessment during COVID-19: Safeguarding academic integrity. Education Sciences, 10(11), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10110301
  • Ghanbari, N., & Nowroozi, S. (2021). The practice of online assessment in an EFL context amidst COVID-19 pandemic: Views from teachers. Language Testing in Asia, 11(27), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-021-00143-4
  • Hughes, A. (1989). Testing for language teachers. Cambridge University Press.
  • Joshi, A., Vinay, M., & Bhaskar, P. (2020). Impact of corona virus pandemic on the Indian education sector: Perspectives of teachers on online teaching and assessments. Interactive Technology and Smart Education, 18(2), 205–226. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITSE-06-2020-0087
  • Khan, S., & Khan, R. A. (2019). Online assessments: Exploring perspectives of university students. Education and Information Technologies, 24(1), 661–677. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-018-9797-0
  • Küppers, B., & Schroeder, U. (2020). Teacher’s perspective on e-assessment: A case study from Germany. In H. C. Lane, S. Zvacek, J. Uhomoibhi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Computer Supported Education, Vol. 1, (pp. 503–509). https://doi.org/10.5220/0009578105030509
  • Long, A. Y., Shin, S.-Y., Geeslin, K., & Willis, E. W. (2018). Does the test work? Evaluating a web-based language placement test. Language Learning & Technology, 22(1), 137–156. https://dx.doi.org/10125/44585
  • Madsen, Harold. S. (1983). Techniques in testing. Oxford University Press.
  • Mahbub, M. A. (2020). An investigation into undergraduate students’ perception of Kahoot mediated e-assessment. Journal of English Education and Linguistics Studies, 7(2), 269–296. https://doi.org/10.30762/jeels.v7i2.2060
  • Meccawy, Z., Meccawy, M., & Alsobhi, A. (2021). Assessment in ‘survival mode’: student and faculty perceptions of online assessment practices in HE during Covid-19 pandemic. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 17(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-021-00083-9
  • Mede, E., & Atay, D. (2017). English language teachers’ assessment literacy: The Turkish context. Language Journal, 168(1), 43–60.
  • Mellar, H., Peytcheva-Forsyth, R., Kocdar, S., Karadeniz, A., & Yovkova, B. (2018). Addressing cheating in e-assessment using student authentication and authorship checking systems: Teachers’ perspectives. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 14(2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-018-0025-x
  • Mirza, H. S. (2021). University teachers’ perceptions of online assessment during the Covid-19 pandemic in Lebanon. American Academic & Scholarly Research Journal, 13(1), 11–24.
  • Momeni, A. (2022). Online assessment in times of COVID-19 lockdown: Iranian EFL teachers’ perceptions. International Journal of Language Testing, 12(2), 1-24.
  • Muñoz-Leiva, F., Sánchez-Fernández, J., Montoro-Ríos, F., & Ibáñez-Zapata, J. Á. (2010). Improving the response rate and quality in Web-based surveys through the personalization and frequency of reminder mailings. Quality and Quantity, 44(5), 1037–1052. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-009-9256-5
  • Öz, H. (2014a). Pre-service English teachers’ perceptions of web-based assessment in a pedagogical content knowledge course. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 141(1), 45–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.05.010
  • Öz, H. (2014b). Turkish teachers’ practices of assessment for learning in the English as a foreign language classroom. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 5(4), 775–785. https://doi.org/10.4304/jltr.5.4.775-785
  • Pehlivan Şişman, E., & Büyükkarcı, K. (2019). A review of foreign language teachers’ assessment literacy. Sakarya University Journal of Education, 9(3), 628–650. https://doi.org/10.19126/suje.621319
  • Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives: Partnering for real learning. Corvin. Rea-Dickins, P. (2004). Editorial understanding teachers as agents of assessment. Language Testing, 21(3), 249–258.
  • Rogers, C. F. (2006). Faculty perceptions about e-cheating during online testing. Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, 22(2), 206–212.
  • Rolim, C., & Isaias, P. (2018). Examining the use of e-assessment in higher education: teachers and students’ viewpoints. British Journal of Educational Technology, 50(4), 1785–1900. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12669
  • Sa’di, R. A., Abdelraziq, A., & Sharadgah, Talha A. (2021). E-assessment at Jordan’s universities in the time of the COVID-19 lockdown: Challenges and solutions. Arab World English Journal, Special Issue on Covid 19 Challenges (1), 37–54. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/covid.3
  • Sahinkarakas, S. (2012). The role of teaching experience on teachers’ perceptions of language assessment. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 47, 1787–1792. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.901
  • Seliger, W. H., & Shohamy, E. (1989). Second language research methods. Oxford University Press.
  • Sevilen, Ç. (2021). Exploring the assessment literacy of EFL instructors and students’ perception about assessment in English preparatory program [Unpublished Master’s Thesis]. Bahcesehir University, Turkiye.
  • Shim, K. N. (2009). An investigation into teachers’ perceptions of classroom based assessment of English as a foreign language in Korean primary education [Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Exeter, UK.
  • Wright, K. B. (2005). Researching internet-based populations: advantages and disadvantages of online survey research, online questionnaire authoring software packages, and web survey services. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2005.tb00259.x
  • Xerri, D., & Vella Briffa, P. (2018). Teacher involvement in high-stakes language testing. In Teacher Involvement in High-Stakes Language Testing. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77177-9
  • Yulianto, D., & Mujtahid, N. M. (2021). EFL teachers’ perspectives and their practices. Journal of English Teaching, 7(2), 229–242. https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v7i2.2770
  • Zhang, C., Yan, X., & Wang, J. (2021). EFL teachers’ online assessment practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: Changes and mediating Factors. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 30(6), 499–507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-021-00589-3

Year 2023, Volume: 9 Issue: 2, 1 - 23, 29.12.2023

İrem Gedil Selami Aydın

https://doi.org/10.47216/literacytrek.1374134

Abstract

References

  • Al-alak, B., & Alnawas, I. (2011). Measuring the acceptance and adoption of E-learning by academic staff. Knowledge Management & E-Learning An International Journal, 3(2), 201–221.
  • Alghammas, A. (2020). Online language assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic: University faculty members’ perceptions and practices. Asian EFL Journal, 27(44), 169–195.
  • Alruwais, N., Wills, G., & Wald, M. (2018). Advantages and challenges of using e-assessment. International Journal of Information and Education Technology, 8(1), 34–37. https://doi.org/10.18178/ijiet.2018.8.1.1008
  • Appiah, M., & van Tonder, F. (2018). E-assessment in higher education: A review. International Journal of Business Management and Economic Research, 9(6), 1454–1460.
  • Asma, K. (2021). Examining online testing practices in foreign language education through the perceptions of instructors and students: A case study [Unpublished Master’s Thesis]. Akdeniz University, Turkiye.
  • Astiandani, F. R., & Anam, S. (2021). EFL teachers’ perceptions towards the implementation of online formative assessment amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. ELT Worldwide: Journal of English Language Teaching, 8(2), 269–277.
  • Aydın, S. (2004). The efficiency of computer on testing writing skills [Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation]. Atatürk University, Turkiye.
  • Balaman, F., & Tiryaki, H. (2021). The opinions of teachers about compulsory distance education due to Corona Virus (Covid-19). Journal of the Human and Social Sciences Researches, 10(1), 52–84.
  • Baleni, Z. G. (2015). Online formative assessment in higher education: Its pros and cons. Journal of E-Learning, 13(4), 228–236.
  • Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (2010). Inside the black box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. Kappan Magazine, 92(1), 81–91.
  • Chien, S. P., Wu, H. K., & Hsu, Y. S. (2014). An investigation of teachers’ beliefs and their use of technology-based assessments. Computers in Human Behavior, 31(1), 198–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2013.10.037
  • Dermo, J. (2009). E-assessment and the student learning experience: A survey of student perceptions of e-assessment. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40(2), 203–214. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8535.2008.00915.x
  • Dornyei, Z. (2003). Questionnaires in second language research: Construction, administration, and processing. Lawrence Erlbaum.
  • Fageeh, A. I. (2015). EFL student and faculty perceptions of and attitudes towards online testing in the medium of Blackboard: Promises and challenges. Jaltcall Journal, 11(1), 41–62.
  • Fitriyah, I., & Jannah, M. (2021). Online assessment effect in EFL classroom: An investigation on students and teachers’ perceptions. Indonesian Journal of English Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, 5(2), 265. https://doi.org/10.21093/ijeltal.v5i2.709
  • Fulcher, G. (2010). Practical language testing. Hodder Education.
  • Gamage, K. A. A., de Silva, E. K., & Gunawardhana, N. (2020). Online delivery and assessment during COVID-19: Safeguarding academic integrity. Education Sciences, 10(11), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10110301
  • Ghanbari, N., & Nowroozi, S. (2021). The practice of online assessment in an EFL context amidst COVID-19 pandemic: Views from teachers. Language Testing in Asia, 11(27), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-021-00143-4
  • Hughes, A. (1989). Testing for language teachers. Cambridge University Press.
  • Joshi, A., Vinay, M., & Bhaskar, P. (2020). Impact of corona virus pandemic on the Indian education sector: Perspectives of teachers on online teaching and assessments. Interactive Technology and Smart Education, 18(2), 205–226. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITSE-06-2020-0087
  • Khan, S., & Khan, R. A. (2019). Online assessments: Exploring perspectives of university students. Education and Information Technologies, 24(1), 661–677. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-018-9797-0
  • Küppers, B., & Schroeder, U. (2020). Teacher’s perspective on e-assessment: A case study from Germany. In H. C. Lane, S. Zvacek, J. Uhomoibhi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Computer Supported Education, Vol. 1, (pp. 503–509). https://doi.org/10.5220/0009578105030509
  • Long, A. Y., Shin, S.-Y., Geeslin, K., & Willis, E. W. (2018). Does the test work? Evaluating a web-based language placement test. Language Learning & Technology, 22(1), 137–156. https://dx.doi.org/10125/44585
  • Madsen, Harold. S. (1983). Techniques in testing. Oxford University Press.
  • Mahbub, M. A. (2020). An investigation into undergraduate students’ perception of Kahoot mediated e-assessment. Journal of English Education and Linguistics Studies, 7(2), 269–296. https://doi.org/10.30762/jeels.v7i2.2060
  • Meccawy, Z., Meccawy, M., & Alsobhi, A. (2021). Assessment in ‘survival mode’: student and faculty perceptions of online assessment practices in HE during Covid-19 pandemic. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 17(1), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-021-00083-9
  • Mede, E., & Atay, D. (2017). English language teachers’ assessment literacy: The Turkish context. Language Journal, 168(1), 43–60.
  • Mellar, H., Peytcheva-Forsyth, R., Kocdar, S., Karadeniz, A., & Yovkova, B. (2018). Addressing cheating in e-assessment using student authentication and authorship checking systems: Teachers’ perspectives. International Journal for Educational Integrity, 14(2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40979-018-0025-x
  • Mirza, H. S. (2021). University teachers’ perceptions of online assessment during the Covid-19 pandemic in Lebanon. American Academic & Scholarly Research Journal, 13(1), 11–24.
  • Momeni, A. (2022). Online assessment in times of COVID-19 lockdown: Iranian EFL teachers’ perceptions. International Journal of Language Testing, 12(2), 1-24.
  • Muñoz-Leiva, F., Sánchez-Fernández, J., Montoro-Ríos, F., & Ibáñez-Zapata, J. Á. (2010). Improving the response rate and quality in Web-based surveys through the personalization and frequency of reminder mailings. Quality and Quantity, 44(5), 1037–1052. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-009-9256-5
  • Öz, H. (2014a). Pre-service English teachers’ perceptions of web-based assessment in a pedagogical content knowledge course. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 141(1), 45–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.05.010
  • Öz, H. (2014b). Turkish teachers’ practices of assessment for learning in the English as a foreign language classroom. Journal of Language Teaching and Research, 5(4), 775–785. https://doi.org/10.4304/jltr.5.4.775-785
  • Pehlivan Şişman, E., & Büyükkarcı, K. (2019). A review of foreign language teachers’ assessment literacy. Sakarya University Journal of Education, 9(3), 628–650. https://doi.org/10.19126/suje.621319
  • Prensky, M. (2010). Teaching digital natives: Partnering for real learning. Corvin. Rea-Dickins, P. (2004). Editorial understanding teachers as agents of assessment. Language Testing, 21(3), 249–258.
  • Rogers, C. F. (2006). Faculty perceptions about e-cheating during online testing. Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, 22(2), 206–212.
  • Rolim, C., & Isaias, P. (2018). Examining the use of e-assessment in higher education: teachers and students’ viewpoints. British Journal of Educational Technology, 50(4), 1785–1900. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12669
  • Sa’di, R. A., Abdelraziq, A., & Sharadgah, Talha A. (2021). E-assessment at Jordan’s universities in the time of the COVID-19 lockdown: Challenges and solutions. Arab World English Journal, Special Issue on Covid 19 Challenges (1), 37–54. https://doi.org/10.24093/awej/covid.3
  • Sahinkarakas, S. (2012). The role of teaching experience on teachers’ perceptions of language assessment. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 47, 1787–1792. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.06.901
  • Seliger, W. H., & Shohamy, E. (1989). Second language research methods. Oxford University Press.
  • Sevilen, Ç. (2021). Exploring the assessment literacy of EFL instructors and students’ perception about assessment in English preparatory program [Unpublished Master’s Thesis]. Bahcesehir University, Turkiye.
  • Shim, K. N. (2009). An investigation into teachers’ perceptions of classroom based assessment of English as a foreign language in Korean primary education [Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Exeter, UK.
  • Wright, K. B. (2005). Researching internet-based populations: advantages and disadvantages of online survey research, online questionnaire authoring software packages, and web survey services. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 10(3). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1083-6101.2005.tb00259.x
  • Xerri, D., & Vella Briffa, P. (2018). Teacher involvement in high-stakes language testing. In Teacher Involvement in High-Stakes Language Testing. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-77177-9
  • Yulianto, D., & Mujtahid, N. M. (2021). EFL teachers’ perspectives and their practices. Journal of English Teaching, 7(2), 229–242. https://doi.org/10.33541/jet.v7i2.2770
  • Zhang, C., Yan, X., & Wang, J. (2021). EFL teachers’ online assessment practices during the COVID-19 pandemic: Changes and mediating Factors. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 30(6), 499–507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-021-00589-3
There are 46 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Linguistics (Other)
Journal Section Research Articles
Authors

İrem Gedil This is me 0000-0002-6834-1739

Selami Aydın 0000-0003-1614-874X

Publication Date December 29, 2023
Submission Date October 10, 2023
Acceptance Date December 22, 2023
Published in Issue Year 2023 Volume: 9 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Gedil, İ., & Aydın, S. (2023). Online testing and assessment in the English as a foreign language context: Teachers’ perspectives. The Literacy Trek, 9(2), 1-23. https://doi.org/10.47216/literacytrek.1374134
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