Nghiên cứu hiểu biết về kiểm tra đánh giá trong lớp học của các giảng viên tiếng Anh tại một trường đại học ở Viêt Nam

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School of Education and Professional Development

An exploration of literacy in classroom assessment of English teachers at a higher

educational institution in Vietnam

Linh Dam - U1967862

A dissertation submitted to the University of Huddersfield in partial fulfilment of the

requirements for the degree of

MA TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) – Intake 2019/2020

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ABSTRACT

The current phenomenological research attempts to look at literacy in classroom

assessment of language teachers from a different perspective compared to the past studies

under this theme. Rather than measuring the gap in the participants’ understanding of

assessment knowledge, the study seeks to explore their assessment literacy through their

classroom assessment practices at the interplay of various factors related to their broader

social & historical context, their micro professional context, their past assessment

experiences, their professional learning and the inner conceptions that underlie their

classroom decisions. In-depth semi-structured interviews were carried out with 10 teachers

from a higher educational institution in Vietnam to help the researcher gain insights into the

participants’ development of their classroom assessment practices and the experiences of

assessment in their own classroom context. Main findings from the study show that the

teachers perceived their classroom assessment practices as primarily shaped by the

curriculum in their professional context, though these may be subject to changes brought

about the larger social & historical context, and their learning of assessment which takes

place in both formal and informal forms. Through their description, aspects in the teachers’

CA practices seemed quite deviant from the principles of AL, however; these are underlined

by their own set of conceptions originating from either the teachers’ cognitions or prior

experiences of assessment. Finally, dimensions in their classroom context and their multiple

duties as teaching staff in their professional context are perceived by the teachers as the

main factors hindering the teachers from translating their beliefs and knowledge into

practices. Based on the findings, implications are made for both the teachers’ learning of

assessment and policy in the target setting to help teachers advance their literacy in CA

amidst these varying influences.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to express my warmest and sincerest gratitude to Dr Kate

Lavender – Senior Lecturer in Lifelong Learning – Department of Initial Teacher Education,

who has been my supervisor while I was working on this graduation paper. Without her

guidance and continuous support during the project, I would not have been able to get to this

point. Her words of encouragement during our tutorials did pull me back whenever I felt put

off by hardships. I see myself maturing in terms of both professional expertise and research

competence under her supervision.

My deepest thanks also go to all the English teachers who agreed to take part in the

study. I could not be luckier to have such devoted and helpful participants who were so

willing to spare me their time despite heavy workloads and family commitments. Their

insightful and truthful response in the data collection process has made this study possible.

Finally, I am more thankful than ever for my family members and my close friends who

have been keeping me grounded throughout this arduous journey. I am truly proud to have

such a strong support network to my count.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................................... i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.............................................................................................................. ii

GLOSSARY..................................................................................................................................... v

LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................ vi

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................... 1

1. Rationale & Research Aims................................................................................................ 1

2. Context of the study ............................................................................................................ 2

3. Overview of the study.......................................................................................................... 4

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................................... 5

1. Classroom Assessment ...................................................................................................... 5

1.1. Definition of Classroom Assessment.......................................................................... 5

1.2. Classroom Assessment Strategies............................................................................. 6

2. Assessment Literacy ........................................................................................................... 7

2.1. Tensions in the conceptualization of Assessment Literacy (AL).............................. 7

2.2. The Chosen Conceptualization of Literacy in Classroom Assessment................... 8

3. Development of Classroom Assessment Practices........................................................ 10

3.1. School Experiences ................................................................................................... 10

3.2. Historical & Social Context and Professional Context ............................................ 11

3.3. Teacher Learning....................................................................................................... 11

4. Assessment Conceptions & Impacts of Professional Context....................................... 12

4.1. Assessment Conceptions.......................................................................................... 12

4.2. Impacts of professional context ................................................................................ 13

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY.................................................................................................. 14

1. Methodological Approach ................................................................................................. 14

2. Research Method .............................................................................................................. 14

3. Quality................................................................................................................................. 15

4. Sampling............................................................................................................................. 16

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5. Research Conduct............................................................................................................. 17

6. Ethical Considerations ...................................................................................................... 17

7. Analysis Process ............................................................................................................... 18

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS & DISCUSSION ................................................................................. 20

1. Development of the teachers’ classroom assessment practices................................... 20

1.1. School Experiences ................................................................................................... 20

1.2. Social & Historical Context........................................................................................ 21

1.3. Professional Context.................................................................................................. 22

1.4. Teacher Learning....................................................................................................... 23

2. Meaning of assessment literacy in the teachers’ CA practices and the conceptions

underlying their decision-making ............................................................................................. 25

2.1. Assessment purposes, content & method ............................................................... 25

2.2. Grading ....................................................................................................................... 28

2.3. Teacher Feedback..................................................................................................... 30

2.4. Student-involved assessment................................................................................... 32

2.5. Interpretation & Communication of Assessment Results ....................................... 33

3. Impact of professional context as perceived by the teachers................................................ 34

CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................... 37

1. Findings & Implications ..................................................................................................... 37

2. Limitations & Recommendations...................................................................................... 38

3. Personal & Professional Growth ...................................................................................... 38

REFERENCES.............................................................................................................................. 40

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