Exploring Assessment in Jordanian EFL Classrooms: Teachers’ Practices and Beliefs, and Students’ Perceptions

This qualitative study explores the practices and beliefs of EFL teachers’ and students’ perceptions regarding classroom assessment in Jordanian secondary schools. The data were collected through three sources: semistructured individual interviews with teachers, focus group interviews with students, and assessment-related documents provided by teachers (e.g., exam forms and lesson plans). The interviews were conducted online via Zoom with six EFL teachers and six groups of their students (24 in total) from grades 9 and 10 across three public secondary schools in Jordan. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis to derive the findings. The documents were also examined to identify patterns, themes, and significant co-occurrences that offer insight into teachers’ assessment practices. The findings reveal that teachers rely on achievement tests to assess students’ learning, particularly in reading and writing skills, which constitute the large portion of the English subject grade, while placing less emphasis on listening and speaking. Moreover, teachers’ practices appeared to be dominated by the use of traditional assessment approaches, particularly written assessment, and lacked the use of alternative assessment such as students’ journals, portfolios, and peer and self-assessment. The findings also revealed that, although teachers view assessment as important for improving both teaching and learning, their practices were inconsistent with these beliefs, particularly with regard to the systematic use of formative assessment and provision of quality feedback. Moreover, the findings suggest a lack of assessment training in both preservice teacher preparation programs and in-service professional development. Regarding students’ perceptions, the findings highlighted a mismatch between teachers’ and students’ perceptions, particularly regarding the key aspects of learning English. While teachers perceived reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary as key aspects and focused their instruction and assessment on them, students perceived listening and speaking skills as more significant for the goal of using English for communication. The study emphasizes the influence of teachers’ beliefs on their practices and the importance of the active involvement of students in assessment as a way to empower students and support their learning. Several implications for policymakers, teachers, and students are also highlighted.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph D

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Education Studies

Grantor dc:publisher

The University of Western Ontario

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Swaie, Malak Turki Ali

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Byrd Clark, Julie

Statement dc:rights

• Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14721/38496

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uwo.scholaris.ca:20.500.14721/38496