Attitudes of Greek Foreign Language Teachers Regarding the Role of Authentic Assessment in Foreign Language Teaching

Abstract

The evaluation of student performance, which is closely tied to all school functions and is a fundamental responsibility of teachers in their role as educators, has been a challenging and contentious issue in educational policy and practice in recent years. It plays a crucial role in the educational process, as it is essential for fostering creativity and human development within the school environment. Between traditional assessment based mainly on written and oral measurable tests and authentic assessment that highlights the role of the pupil through the self-evaluation or other techniques such as the materials folder, teachers are called upon to undertake a difficult task. In this article the results of a qualitative research in relation to the role of authentic assessment in foreign language teaching that took place in the Attica Region in Greece from March 10 to April 10, 2022 were presented. A total of 20 foreign language teachers (English, French, German) participated in semi-structured interviews and expressed their views on the relevant questions. The research problem posed in this study was to investigate the views and attitudes of foreign language teachers (English, French, German) regarding the framework of authentic assessment in foreign language teaching. The survey asked teachers to share their opinions on the role of authentic assessment in foreign language teaching, their preferred assessment criteria, the use of alternative forms of assessment, and their satisfaction with their training in authentic assessment. In general, it emerged that permanent secondary school teachers with many years of service prefer traditional forms of assessment and choose techniques that result in measurable criteria. In contrast, younger contractual teachers are more receptive to alternative forms of evaluation. However, no significant difference was observed on the issue of training. This survey aimed to gather language teachers' perspectives on authentic assessment in order to enhance textbooks and training programs.