Mapping language teachers’ conceptions of student assessment procedures in relation to grading: A two-stage empirical inquiry

Abstract

Abstract This paper describes project work undertaken in order to map out and analyze language teachers’ experiences and views of various assessment principles and procedures with a particular focus on those that promote learning and relate to grading. A questionnaire survey in a nationally representative sample of 605 language education teachers in Sweden was conducted. In a second stage, a sub-sample of 20 teachers was then strategically drawn from the total sample for participation in a repertory grid interview study which delved deeper into the issues. Results from the combined analyses of the questionnaire and interview study demonstrate that the most common forms of assessment reported by both lower and upper secondary language teachers are ‘observation of free oral communication’, ‘own tests’, and ‘essay on given topic’. Elicited interview data reveal that command of grammar is ranked as the third most important criterion for assessment. This corresponds to questionnaire data about the tasks teachers use in their own language tests, where translation is common. In addition, non-language factors are reported to carry considerable weight in teachers’ grading of student achievement.