From Theory to Practice in Language Assessment: Perspectives From Thai Preservice English Teachers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17507/tpls.1509.36Keywords:
language assessment knowledge, assessment practice, language assessment literacy, preservice teachers, teaching practicumAbstract
This multiple-case study investigated the implementation of language assessment knowledge and the patterns of assessment practices among Thai preservice English teachers in their teaching practicum. Twelve participants were recruited using purposive sampling from a public university in northeastern Thailand. Data were collected across classroom observations, focus groups, and semi-structured interviews, guided by Taylor’s (2013) Language Assessment Literacy (LAL) framework. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. These findings indicated that preservice teachers had a fundamental knowledge of language assessment principles but that contextual realities rather than theoretical understandings underpinned their practices. Other factors that influenced the teachers included the constraints of the classroom, such as time, class size, and diversity of learners, institutional requirements, sociocultural norms like “no-fail” policies and high-stakes testing, and mentor teachers’ guidance. Five patterns of adaptation were found: negotiating practical constraints, sociocultural value-driven flexibility, negotiating personal beliefs against institutional expectations, mentor teacher influence, and responsiveness to diverse classroom practices and students’ preferences. These findings have essential implications for designing context-specific teacher education programs that effectively bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and classroom practice. The study highlights the importance of preparing preservice teachers with the theoretical knowledge needed to understand assessment and the reflective and adaptive capacities they will have to utilize authentic assessment decisions in practice.
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