A Critical Evaluation of the Language Assessment Literacy of Turkish EFL Teachers: Suggestions for Policy Directions

Abstract

English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teaching policies have long been a primary concern for Turkey with its constantly changing educational systems and policies. Although there have been several attempts in terms of program renewal in primary and secondary levels, there has been no reformation in terms of language testing and assessment policies, which have already been the most problematic aspect of language teaching. In Turkey, language teachers are highly responsible for assessing learners through formal and informal assessment practices. However, though the expectation of them is considerable, their exposure to training in language assessment is quite limited in both pre-service and in-service levels. Considering all these realities, this chapter scrutinizes the language testing and assessment practices in the Turkish EFL context with a special emphasis on English teachers’ language assessment literacy. First, a short description of the context in terms of language testing and assessment practices is presented. Next, what language assessment literacy is and how literate language teachers in the world are examined. Language teachers’ assessment literacy, how they are trained, and what kind of problems are experienced in Turkey are discussed in detail referring to the elements in teacher education and training processes both in the pre-service and in-service levels. New insights parallel with the current literature and potential solutions are presented upon identifying the weaknesses of the ongoing system for each stakeholder to develop EFL teachers’ language assessment literacy in contexts having similar characteristics to those of Turkey.