Probing (Mis)alignment in EFL teachers’ beliefs and practices while assessing creativity in EFL learners’ writing performance

Abstract

Since teachers’ beliefs about creativity are a crucial factor in understanding the process of creativity, this study was an attempt to examine the EFL teachers’ beliefs while assessing creativity in EFL learners’ writing performance. Moreover, a (mis)alignment between their beliefs and practices in assessing creativity was also investigated. To that end, we followed a descriptive narrative design in which the autobiographical narratives of seven Iranian EFL teachers and their practices were collected and analyzed. The deductive-thematic analysis revealed that although teachers believed in addressing the factors of creativity, including elaboration, flexibility, originality, and fluency, there was a misalignment between their beliefs and practices. We concluded that some factors such as teachers’ knowledge, teachers’ responsibility, lack of specified rubrics to assess creativity in writing, and teachers’ conception of creativity could be the reasons for the misalignment between teachers’ beliefs and practices while assessing creativity in the learners’ writing performance. This study carries out some implications for teacher educators to enhance the teachers’ knowledge about the concept of creativity and how they can creatively instruct their learners.