Language Assessment Practices and Beliefs: Implications for Language Assessment Literacy

Main Article Content

Frank Giraldo
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5221-8245

Abstract

This study reports the contextual Language Assessment Literacy (LAL) of five Colombian English language teachers. Two semi-structured interviews and reflective journals were used for data collection. The findings show that the teachers used varied traditional and alternative assessment instruments, assessed language and non-language constructs, used assessment information to improve teaching and learning, evaluated assessment results, and engaged students in quantitative peer assessment. As for beliefs, data show that students’ success and failure in assessment were connected to past experiences, and that assessment was appropriate given a number of features. Participants’ answers about LAL show a complex and multifaceted construct. Taken together, the findings serve as baseline data to further professional development in language assessment.

Article Details

How to Cite
Giraldo, F. (2019). Language Assessment Practices and Beliefs: Implications for Language Assessment Literacy. HOW, 26(1), 35–61. https://doi.org/10.19183/how.26.1.481
Section
Research Reports
Author Biography

Frank Giraldo, Universidad de Caldas

He holds a BA in English language teaching from Universidad Tecnológica de Pereira; an MA in English didactics from Universidad de Caldas, Colombia; and an MA in the teaching of English as a second language from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA). His interests include language assessment, curriculum design, and the professional development of English language teachers.

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